Dutch Oven Roasted Duck
I fell so madly in love with my Dutch Oven for roasting chicken that I decided to try and use the same method to make an Oven Roasted Duck.
I’m a huge fan of duck, because its meat is naturally so super tasty, but I find it also tends to be a little bit on the tough side sometimes, especially when roasted in the oven. I think that duck is one of those meats that needs to be cooked either super briefly over intensely high heat, which can only be done with the breasts, or slow and low, preferably in their own fat, a technique which works much better with the thighs (when you do that, though, you can just forget about crispy skin…) Throw a whole bird in the oven and it tends to be a bit, well, like I said, on the tough side.
Personally, I much prefer the breasts but sometimes, you know, you gotta have the whole bird…
I figured the Dutch oven was doing such an amazing job at making my chicken super tender while preserving the crispiness of the skin, surely it would reserve the exact same treatment to ducks. I couldn’t see why it would treat the other birds any differently…
And indeed, it didn’t. My duck came out of there tender, juicy, moist, very tasty and with a beautiful, perfectly golden and crispy skin.
And now I have yet another reason to adore my trusty Dutch oven. I think I can now safely say that it’s become my ultimate favorite tool in the kitchen!
To make your own Dutch oven roasted duck, start by preheating your oven to 325°F
Then, with the help of a sharp knife, make a series of small incisions in a criss-cross pattern on the duck’s skin. Be careful to only pierce the skin and fat without actually cutting into the meat.
Duck meat is so tasty that is doesn’t need much of anything when it comes to seasoning. Just a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper will do the trick. About a teaspoon of each should be amply sufficient.
Rub the duck gently with your fingers so the seasonings get into the cracks and then place the bird into a 7 quart Dutch oven.
Put the lid on and place the duck in the oven.
Leave the bird in the oven for 4 to 5 hours, basting it every hour or so, until it’s fall-off-the-bone tender and displays beautifully nice and golden skin.
See how beautiful that skin got? And just look at all the fat that ended up at the bottom of the Dutch oven. SCORE!
I strongly suggest that you line a fine meshed sieve with a piece of cheesecloth and filter all that beautiful fat. You will then be able to employ it as a delicious, tasty and healthy cooking fat.
And that’s another bonus of using this fabulous technique to roast duck. I’m positive that once you’ve tried it, you too will totally adopt it!
Dutch Oven Roasted Duck
Ingredients
- 1 whole duck, thawed or fresh, about 2.5kg (5½lb)
- Salt and pepper to taste, about 1 tsp of each
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F
- With the help of a sharp knife, make a series of small incisions in a criss-cross pattern on the duck's skin (be careful to only pierce the skin and fat without cutting into the meat).
- Sprinkle the duck generously with salt and pepper and rub it gently with your fingers so the seasonings get into the cracks.
- Place your bird into a 7 quart Dutch oven, put the lid on and place the duck in the oven for 4 to 5 hours, basting it every hour or so, until it's fall-off-the-bone tender and displays beautifuly nice and golden skin.
- Serve without delay.
Notes
Nutrition
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26 Comments on “Dutch Oven Roasted Duck”
Thank you for this recipe! I happen to have a whole duck in my freezer that I found a little intimidating, but this recipe seems easy enough. You’ve given me a reason to thaw it out.
Glad to hear, Amanda. I hope you’re pleased with the results!
How about the those fatty delicious drippings after filtering threw sieve and cheese cloth, a gravy sauce perhaps, any suggestions?
And any suggestions of side dishes I’m thinking trying a dutch oven duck for Christmas dinner!
The drippings are mostly fat, Paddy, so definitely use for cooking! As for side dishes, I would definitely go with roasted veggies, like rutabagas or carrots!
Looks so good. I haven’t had duck in a while, thanks a lot
I’ve cooked duck several ways, and while they turned out ok, they were nowhere close to this recipe. The flavor and juiciness were incredible! Thanks for sharing!
You are very welcome, and thank YOU for the awesome feedback! 🙂
Try French fries or oyster dressing Len
Hi Sonia,
This will be the second time I have done a whole duck in my DO. First time I also made the pancakes etc for Peking Duck and it was wonderful. This time I am doing the same with fresh chives, Jicama strips, chili oil and deep fried ginger with black sesame seed condiment. I save the fat for cooking. I make a great duck broth from the leftovers. I have made Peking Duck several times in the past but labour intensive.
DO duck is just as good and a lot easier. 3 hours at 350 in the DO does it for me. Last hour lid off to crisp up. Wonderful.
I’m a newly and am trying my hand at duck. What do you baste with?
Its own juices, Sarai.
Can you put aeromatics, shallots, or anything like that Inside the duck? Or just leave it plain?
Why absolutely, Josh!
This is not only the best duck I’ve ever made, it’s the best duck I’ve ever had. Followed the recipe exactly, and a 6.5lb duck was falling off the bone in 4 hrs. That’s a keeper. Thank you.
Thank you so much Jay, I really appreciate your kind words and feedback!
Would this recipe be OK to cook in a 5 qt Dutch oven instead?
I am doing it in a 5 qt tomorrow! We will see if it works 😋
As long as your duck fits in the dutch oven, you’ll be fine!
Have you ever tired to cook per your recipe but on a bed of onions carrots and potatoes in the Dutch oven ?
Fantastic! So delicious. Our guests enjoyed it so much. Easy recipe.
Absolutely amazing!!!! First time making duck and it was so good. Thank you!!
I made this recipe for some friends and I was nervous because I had never prepared a duck before but it was easy to follow and the end result was fantastic!
I can’t believe you actually tried out this recipe first . 5 hours would have been duck porridge. I rolled it back to three at your suggested temperature and the duck had disintegrated. Two hours would have been about right.
Thank you for this covered dutch oven. I have a huge peking duck we raised ourselves (we keep ducks for eggs) and was intimidated to cook it – especially uncovered as it can splatter fat which could cause a grease fire. The duck JUST fits in my biggest dutch oven.
Wow – in furtherance to my comment below – thanks to your recipe I’m no longer intimidated by cooking duck! We raise ducks (primarily for eggs) and I had a big peking in the freezer (he was getting aggressive with the lady ducks) I didn’t want to deal with cooking. I cooked duck once before following a recipe and it was tough and made a mess, I wasn’t impressed. I followed your recipe exactly and it came out tender – and to my surprise, the skin is golden brown somehow! I thought the duck skin would come out gross and “steamed” pale and rubbery, but it didn’t. I didn’t have a rack (they say to put duck on a rack in a pot) so your recipe saved the day on that too – no rack required. My 8 year old is requested a second serving she said it’s perfect. Now I can cook tender duck with confidence! Thank you for your simple and perfect recipe and no mess in the oven! The dutch oven!
This was so easy to do and delicious, will definitely do again, maybe for Christmas. I only cooked it for 3 hours.