The meat of quality domestic duck is aromatic and tasty, it is rich in various vitamins and minerals such as zinc, potassium, magnesium and iron, but very fatty. The fat that is melted during the preparation of this bird is a valuable product, it is usually collected and stored for later use in various culinary purposes.
How fat ducks are cooked
Wild ducks have aromatic, but lean, and therefore often dry and harsh meat, which is why they are pickled before cooking, and when baked, they are often wrapped in pieces of fat brisket. Domestic duck is the fattest of all birds bred by people. To free fat from the poultry, the skin is cut or pierced.
When roasting duck in the oven or frying in a pan, drain the fat from time to time. There is also a dish in the preparation of which excess fat is only beneficial - confit. It is prepared by stewing meat for a long time in its own juice, and then stored in melted lard.
Before cooking, you need to remove the duck or its individual pieces from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature. A whole duck is taken out in an hour, 30 minutes is enough for pieces.
How to bake whole fat duck
Duck meat is so delicious that it can be baked with a minimum of spices. You will need:
- whole duck;
- salt and freshly ground pepper.
Rinse the duck under running water and pat dry with kitchen paper towels. Place on a cutting board. Cut off the tips of the wings. Chop the carcass with a sharp knife. Pierce the skin and fat, being careful not to touch the meat. Place a rack on a baking sheet, place the bird with its chest up. Pour 2-3 cups of boiling water over the duck, drain the water that has dripped into the baking sheet. The boiling water will melt the fat a little and help the skins become crispy when baked. Rub the duck with salt and pepper both outside and inside.
Preheat oven to 180C. Bake the bird for about 2 hours 15 minutes if it is young and weighs up to 2 kilograms, and up to 3 hours if the bird weighs over 2.5 kilograms. Flip the duck every 30 minutes and drain off the fat. Put the finished bird on a cutting board, cover with foil and let the meat rest for 15 minutes.
You can add apples, potatoes, turnips to the duck.
How to make duck confit
For duck confit, take:
- 6 duck legs;
- 500 grams of duck fat;
- 2 bay leaves;
- 1 teaspoon of black peppercorns;
- 6 caraway seeds;
- 12 coriander seeds;
- 3 juniper berries;
- 50 grams of coarse sea salt;
- 1 small bunch of thyme;
- 1 branch of rosemary;
- 1 clove of garlic, minced.
Heat the cumin and coriander in a dry frying pan until a distinct aroma, crush together with the juniper and salt in a mortar. Add thyme and rosemary leaves and minced garlic. Rub the mixture over the washed and dried duck legs. Cover the dish with cling film and place the legs in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
Preheat oven to 150C. Wipe the legs with a paper towel and place in a cast iron baking dish, top with duck fat, bay leaves and peppercorns. Bake the confit for 2-3 hours until the meat begins to flake off the bone. Transfer the duck meat to a pot, pour over the melted fat and store the confit in the refrigerator.
