duck
Whole Duck
A whole duck weighs about what a chicken weighs and feeds roughly half as many people — more of it is bone, skin and fat. The other complication is that its breast is best at 135°F and its legs are not edible until 175°F, so roasting it whole means deciding which one to sacrifice.
In one line
One bird, two cuts that want different temperatures.
Buy it if
You want the roast, the rendered fat and the carcass, and you're cooking for three or four rather than six.
Do the math before you buy. A five-pound duck and a five-pound chicken are not the same dinner. Duck carries a much thicker fat layer and a heavier frame, so a bird that size realistically feeds three or four, not six. Buy accordingly, or plan on the side dishes doing more work.
The temperature conflict is the whole problem. Breast meat is at its best around 135°F. Leg meat is not ready until its collagen has broken down, well past 175°F. One oven cannot deliver both, which is why cooks who care about duck usually break the bird down and cook the halves separately — breasts seared in a pan, legs confited or braised.
If you are roasting it whole anyway, accept a cooked-through breast and aim for legs that are properly done. Prick the skin all over with a skewer — into the fat, not the meat — so the fat has somewhere to go. Roast low, around 300°F, for two to two and a half hours, pouring fat off as it collects, then finish at 425°F for ten to fifteen minutes to crisp the skin.
Keep the by-products. A roast duck gives up a cup or more of fat, and the carcass makes a stock with far more body than chicken.
Where it comes from on the animal
| Species | duck |
|---|---|
| Subprimal | whole bird, giblets usually removed |
What else it’s called
How to cook Whole Duck
| Best methods | Roast Rotisserie Smoke Braise |
|---|---|
| Skip | Pan sear |
| Cook to | Legs to 175°F or higher — they are the limiting factor. The breast will be cooked through by then, and that is the trade-off of roasting it whole. |
Common questions
Why does a duck shrink so much in the oven?
Fat and water. A long roast renders out a great deal of fat and drives off moisture, so the bird you carve is visibly smaller than the one that went in. Most of that weight is sitting in the roasting pan — keep it.
Should I steam or scald the duck before roasting it?
It is the standard Chinese approach and it works. Steaming, or pouring boiling water over the bird, tightens and opens the skin so fat drains more freely. Dry it thoroughly afterwards and, if you can, leave it uncovered in the fridge overnight before it goes in the oven.
Can I cook a whole duck to medium-rare?
Not usefully. You would end up with a good breast attached to two legs nobody can chew. If a medium-rare breast is what you are after, take the breasts off and cook them in a pan.
What kind of duck am I getting?
Most whole ducks sold in the US are Pekin, sometimes labelled Long Island — mild, fatty, five to six pounds. Moulard and Muscovy are larger and stronger-flavored, and are generally sold as parts rather than whole birds.
More duck
Foie Gras
A liver that is mostly fat, and dissolves if you look away.
Duck Bacon
Bacon in shape and cure only — it cooks like something else entirely.
Duck Fat
The reason a restaurant roast potato doesn't taste like yours.
Duck Leg
Same bird, opposite rulebook.
Duck Breast
The only poultry you cook to medium-rare.