Orange Glazed Duck
Before we start dirtying up the kitchen (mind you, we’re not going to make that big of a mess today), I absolutely want to take a minute to thank you all and let you know just how incredibly overwhelmed I am by all the love and support and positive feedback that you guys showered me with after my big confession the other day. Honestly, I expected the total opposite: I thought for sure that I’d get thrown truckloads of tomatoes, that I’d get lapidated on the public place and that I’d end up losing half of my faithful and beloved readers, not to mention my credibility.
Instead, I got nothing but love, support and admiration from all of you; I did not get a single hate message. NOT ONE! Tons of emails and comments, (I’m sorry, by the way, I haven’t had the time to answer all of them yet, but I will get to it, I promise!) every single one of them approving. So really, thank you all so, SO MUCH for that. I don’t even know how to express how good it all makes me feel. It’s like this HUGE weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Now I feel happy in my kitchen again, no matter which of my two sides is doing the cooking.
So here. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You’re the best, you’re absolute PURE gold, true gems and real angels. All of you.
Alright, how’s about we get on with the eats now?
I recently got my hands on not one, not three, but FIVE ducks and figured since many people love duck but get intimated by it because they don’t really know how to handle and cook the birds, maybe I could do some kind of a mini series and show you a couple of ways that you can prepare it.
And what better way to start than with a true classic: Orange Glazed Duck.
The previous day, mix the ingredients for the dry rub together in a small bowl. We’re talking salt, Chinese 5 spice, ground ginger, black pepper, garlic powder and the grated zest of one orange.
When that’s done, you’ll want to gently dry the duck, including the cavity, with paper towers. Then, with the help of a sharp knife, make a series of long incisions on the skin, in a criss-cross pattern, while being careful to only pierce the skin and fat without cutting into the meat.
This will not only help render more fat as the bird cooks, it will also help the flavor of the rub to get into the meat.
Now pour half the dry rub into the duck’s cavity and rub it in with your fingers as best as you can;
Oh, and if there happens to be a little bit of extra skin around that cavity, don’t even bother trimming it: simply tuck it right into that hole.
Sprinkle the rest of the dry rub over the skin and again, delicately rub it in with the tip of your fingers, so it gets into all the incisions that you just made.
Place your duck on a wire rack set over a roasting pan and then place it in the refrigerator uncovered to air dry for 24 hours. This step will help the skin get rid of its extra moisture and is absolutely crucial if you’re hoping to get a beautifully golden and super crispy skin.
When your duck is ready for cooking, preheat the oven to 325°F
Remove your duck from the fridge and flip it over so it lays breast-side down on the wire rack; again, notice that I didn’t bother trimming the excess fat. I just stretched it and let it lay flat across the back of the bird.
Cooking the duck upside down on a wire rack will ensure that all the juices descend into the breast and will help render the fat while insuring that the skin doesn’t come in contact with it. Again, this will help you achieve this beautiful golden, thin and crispy skin.
So shove your duck it in the oven and roast it breast side down for 1 hour and 25 minutes.
After that time, you’ll want to flip it over so the skin has a chance to color and crisp up. The easiest and safest way to to that is by inserting a pair of kitchen tongs in its cavity and then carefully flip it over.
You will then want to return the bird to the oven and continue cooking it for about 45 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of a leg registers 165°F.
At this point, the skin will have taken a nice light golden brown color, but we need to darken and crisp it up a little more.
When your duck has reached the proper temperature, remove it from the oven once more and increase the temperature 500°F. If your oven is equipped with a convection setting, now would be a good time to use it; the more air circulates around the bird, the crispier that skin will get.
Whisk the orange juice, honey, coconut aminos, blackstrap molasses, toasted sesame oil and fish sauce together in a small bowl; carefully transfer the duck onto a baking dish and then brush about half the glaze over the breast and legs and return the bird to the oven.
Do a second basting after 5 minutes and then continue cooking the duck until the skin becomes nice and crispy and a beautiful dark golden brown color, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Remove the duck from the oven and let it stand uncovered for 10 minutes, then carve and serve.
Just you wait until you taste this: sooooo juicy and BURSTING with flavor.
And those wings… OH! You know when the tips get so crispy, the bones almost feel like potato chips as you bite into them? Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about.
Too bad ducks don’t come equipped with a half dozen of those. If you’re a fan, I suggest you call dibs on ’em before the bird even goes in the oven. Trust me. You’ll be glad you did!
Orange Glazed Duck
Ingredients
- 1 whole duck, thawed or fresh, about 2.5kg (5½lb)
The dry rub
- 1 tbsp Himalayan salt
- 1 tsp Chinese 5 spice
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- the zest of 1 orange
The glaze
- 3 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 tbsp raw honey
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 tbsp blackstrap molasses
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp fish sauce
Instructions
- The previous day, mix the ingredients for the dry rub together in a small bowl.
- Gently dry the duck (including the inside) with paper towers and then, with the help of a sharp knife, make a series of long incisions in a criss-cross pattern on the skin (be careful to only pierce the skin and fat without cutting into the meat).
- Pour half the dry rub into the duck's cavity and rub it in with your fingers as best as you can; then, sprinkle the rest of the dry rub over the skin and again, delicately rub it in with the tip of your fingers, so it gets into all the incisions that you just made.
- Place the duck on a wire rack set over a roasting pan and place it in the refrigerator uncovered to air dry for 24 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F
- Remove your duck from the fridge and flip it so it lays breast-side down on the wire rack; roast for 1 hour and 25 minutes, then remove the duck from the oven, insert a pair of kitchen tongs in its cavity and carefully flip the duck over.
- Return the bird to the oven and continue cooking for about 45 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of a leg registers 165°F.
- When the duck has reached this temperature, remove it from the oven one more time and increase the temperature 500°F (if your oven is equipped with a convection setting, now would be a good time to use it).
- Whisk the orange juice, honey, coconut aminos, blackstrap molasses, toasted sesame oil and fish sauce together in a small bowl.
- Carefully transfer the duck onto a baking dish, brush about half the glaze over the breast and legs and return the bird to the oven. Do a second basting after 5 minutes and then continue cooking until the skin becomes nice and crispy and a beautiful dark golden brown color, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Remove the duck from the oven and let it stand for 10 minutes, then carve and serve.
Nutrition
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