Styleforum › Forums › Lifestyle › Social Life, Food & Drink, Travel › I'm going to cook the $#it out of this duck!!
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

I'm going to cook the $#it out of this duck!! - Page 2

post #16 of 30
2/29/08 at 1:34pm
I use those too. I need a lesson.
Reply
Reply
post #17 of 30
2/29/08 at 1:37pm
I knew a girl who had a great method for something she called "sick a duck".
Reply
Reply
post #18 of 30
2/29/08 at 1:49pm
ed, is this something you can do by yourself?
Reply
Reply
post #19 of 30
2/29/08 at 1:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by shoreman1782 View Post
ed, is this something you can do by yourself?

If you could, there would be no need for female chefs and you'd probably eat it everyday.
Reply
Reply
post #20 of 30
2/29/08 at 3:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by edmorel View Post
I knew a girl who had a great method for something she called "sick a duck".

Reply
Reply
post #21 of 30
2/29/08 at 3:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by iammatt View Post
It isn't something I've ever had problems with, unlike many other things in the kitchen. I jsut score the skin and start them without fat skinside down until most of the fat is rendered and then flip for a couple of seconds.

I cook duck breasts in a somewhat similar concept, but instead of using a skillet I use the broiler and a broiling pan. Score the fat and start with the skin side up, then flip skin side down at the very end to finish it. The skin crisps up but I've never had it burn. I think there's probably more margin of error with this method than using a skillet.
Reply
Reply
post #22 of 30
3/1/08 at 6:12am
Thread Starter 
Ok, with all the good advice, what did I do??

1. Got the duck out of the fridge and put it on the counter

2. Read SF to try and decide what would be the best way to cook said duck

3. Decided that it was too much to deal with on a Friday afternoon

4. Put the duck back in the fridge

5. Went to the pub with friends.

After drinking all night, things became much clearer. I am about to brine it if I can find something big enough. Then tomorrow its going to steam in the roasting tray (thanks for the tip Manton) then a quick hot oven. Hopefully a nice Sunday lunch.

I like the look of the whole bird, or at least halves, so I am not going to separate the breasts or anything

Thanks for the advice.

K
Reply
Reply
post #23 of 30
3/1/08 at 6:17am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Manton View Post
It is, however, not all that easy to saute a duck breast, and properly render the fat, without burning the skin. Somewhat hard, actually.

If you have any tips, please post.

I find breasts pretty easy. I score the skin and fat, then place skin side down in a cold pan which I then place over a mediumish / med low heat (depending on the burner). As the pan heats slowly, the fat renders and the meat cooks. Crank up the flame towards the end for a crispy skin

Flip for only a couple of minutes for a med rare breast

K
Reply
Reply
post #24 of 30
3/1/08 at 6:20am
Is a duck cooked similarly to a goose?
Reply
Reply
post #25 of 30
3/1/08 at 1:50pm
I agree with Matt that the best way is to cook breast separate from everything else, and there are a lot of ways to do that. Jasper White has a lacquered (sp?) duck recipe that is good.

re duck breasts, it often helps to pour out some of the rendered fat as it starts to build up in the pan.

If you're really adverse to duck fat, then I don't think there's any way to saute to get rid of it all without overcooking the breast. That is, the primary concern should be how the meat itself is done, then how the skin is crisp (which isn't hard to do), and lastly how much fat is rendered. (i.e., keep the priorities straight) You really can only render so much. Besides you can either eat the fat or just remove it with knife and fork.

There are techniques (I forget the fancy french name for it) in which you remove the skin and fat while raw, then vacuum pack the breast meat, and then cook it very gently in the vacuum packing. The meat exudes juices while cooking and reabsobs while resting in the packing. If you like to cook, I'd recommend checking into these.
Reply
Reply
post #26 of 30
3/1/08 at 2:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by horton View Post

There are techniques (I forget the fancy french name for it) in which you remove the skin and fat while raw, then vacuum pack the breast meat, and then cook it very gently in the vacuum packing. The meat exudes juices while cooking and reabsobs while resting in the packing. If you like to cook, I'd recommend checking into these.

Sous-vide?
Reply
Reply
post #27 of 30
3/1/08 at 2:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by horton View Post

If you're really adverse to duck fat, then I don't think there's any way to saute to get rid of it all without overcooking the breast. That is, the primary concern should be how the meat itself is done, then how the skin is crisp (which isn't hard to do), and lastly how much fat is rendered. (i.e., keep the priorities straight) You really can only render so much. Besides you can either eat the fat or just remove it with knife and fork.


This is true. To me, however, the bite of crisp duck skin with perhaps a few millimeters of unrendered fat below is the true joy of eating duck breast.
Reply
Reply
post #28 of 30
3/1/08 at 5:43pm
sous-vide. yes I think that's the name for it. It really is a great way to cook duck breast. In fact, I can't think of another meat better suited for the technique. You can do this at home with some of the vacuum packet gadgets.

And yes re crisp skin. Usually just cook the meat and skin perfectly and carve away with knife and fork whatever excess you don't like. You absolutely do want some duck fat remaining.

Also one thing to consider if you do render the fat (e.g., if you use the sous vide method and peel away the fat while raw) is to use it for cooking. e.g., roasted potatoes in duck fat. . .
Reply
Reply
post #29 of 30
3/2/08 at 3:01pm
You can also make duck confit, which is an easier thing to do than roasting it if you're a little worried about how to go about it. I steam my ducks for 30min or so , it gets a bit of the fat out and gets the rest warm and moving out. Prick the duck all over with a knife so it has places to drain out of. Roast it at 325 for about 3 hours, watching the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer. Flip halfway through, I cook mine breast-down the first hour or so. I also cut the big side off a brown grocery bag, spray it lightly with Pam and put that like a box over the duck in the roaster, loosely, for the first hour or so to cut down on splatters and keep the skin crispy. Save the duck fat at the end, by the way. It's fantastic with everything and makes the best chocolate cakes you've ever had.
Reply
Reply
post #30 of 30
3/3/08 at 5:13pm
Thread Starter 
Ok, so the duck turned out tasty. Tender meat, fairly crisp skin.

But god it was a pain in the ass. Not only the cooking, but also the cleaning. It seemed like everything was covered in a thin layer of fat by the time that I was done.

As mentioned by some, most of the meat that I got was off the breast, and the rest was just a pain to hack apart. In the future, I think that I am going to stick with duck breasts. Less cooking, less cleaning, close to the same output.

Thanks for all the help folks

K
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
Styleforum › Forums › Lifestyle › Social Life, Food & Drink, Travel › I'm going to cook the $#it out of this duck!!