Crisp Roast Duck Recipe

It need not be difficult to prepare a full roasted duck. You can have a juicy chicken with crisp skin—the best of both textures—with just a few hours of roasting and very little effort. The plum applesauce complements the duck perfectly.

4 portions

1 (5- to 6-lb) (5- to 6-lb) New York duck (also known as Pekin)

2 mugs of scalding hot water

1 kosher salt tablespoon

Black pepper, 1 teaspoon

Step 1

Set the middle oven rack in place and heat the oven to 425 degrees.

Step 2

Use poultry shears or a sharp knife to trim the tips of the wings as necessary. Duck inside and out should be rinsed after removing and discarding extra fat from the body cavity and neck. With a sharp fork, prick the skin all over. Fold the neck skin under the body before placing the duck breast side up on a rack in a 13 by 9 by 3-inch roasting pan. Finally, cover the duck with boiling-hot water (to tighten skin). After the duck has cooled, pour any remaining water into the pan. Rub kosher salt and pepper all over the duck, inside and out, after patting it dry and saving the water in the pan.

Step 3:

Roast the duck for 45 minutes with the breast side facing up. Use 2 wooden spoons to flip the duck, then cook for a further 45 minutes. Once more flip the duck over (breast side up), tilting it to allow any liquid in the cavity to drain into the pan. For a total roasting time of about 214 hours, roast the duck for another 45 minutes or so, or until the skin is golden and crisp. To pour any additional liquid from the cavity into the pan, tilt the duck. Before carving, move the duck to a cutting board and let it stand for 15 minutes. In the roasting pan, discard the liquid.

Reviews (127) (127)

Thank you so much for the recipe; I followed it exactly, and my duck was crispy on the outside and incredibly delicate and moist inside. Even though I turned the oven down to 200 degrees after preheating it to 425, the final 45 minutes took 2.15 hours to cook, and it was excellent. Thank you so much for the advice.

WHO DISPOSES OF DUCK FAT? To determine your temperature and cooking time, check the reviews if you're new to cooking duck. Also, don't discard the duck fat. Leave the water at a boil. The duck should be well covered in coarse kosher salt, dried out in the refrigerator for a few hours or a day, and then patted dry. Instead of water, place potato chunks at the bottom of the roasting pan. You'll be happy that you did. I wouldn't roast duck for longer than 45 to 60 minutes because it shouldn't be cooked till well-done. Don't aim for 180 degrees because the meat should still be beautiful and rosy. For a nice medium-rare, aim for more along the lines of 150–160.

Wow, this is terrible. I placed my thermometer in the thigh as per the advice of other reviews. The meat reached 175 F in less than an hour, but the skin was white. So depressing.

Here are some advice I use when roasting a duck every two weeks. Cut the duck down the spine, then spread it out flat. To release the fat, delicately score the skin (do not cut into the meat). Heat the oven to 425F. Cooking pan with duck on rack within. If you prefer your poultry well-done, bake it for 90 minutes. If you prefer your flesh pink, as duck is meant to be eaten, check it at the 60-minute point and bake until desired doneness.

This method lessens the need to turn the duck and open the oven door frequently. When you are prepared to cut the duck into pieces, it also helps. (To prepare the duck, I typically wash it, pat it dry with a paper towel, and then refrigerate it again, uncovered so that it may air out a little. Instead of using hot water and waiting, this seems to help with the crisp quality.)

This dish is a DUCK BALLS FAIL. My duck burned before the specified amount of time had passed even though I followed the directions exactly. USE THIS RECIPE NOT AT ALL. Unless you're rich and enjoy ruining ducks' lives by burning them until they're inedible.

Given that my oven dislikes being told what to do, it heated to a remarkable 425°. Since my oven was working, I felt assured about the timing. The duck reached 190° at the end of the second 45 minutes. I'm extremely dissatisfied. Duck is pricey. I've now read the evaluations and noticed the comments about the time and weather. Argh.

I have at last discovered the authentic recipe for wonderful, crispy-skinned duck. I've tried for years to roast duck with that beautiful, crispy skin, but my prior efforts have produced, at most, disappointing results. Not this time, then! The meat was cooked to perfection, and the skin had the proper amount of crunch. Both my spouse and I gushed over this. I appreciate you sharing the finest duck recipe ever.

Although this recipe calls for duck, the timing is *way* off. I was equipped with a meat thermometer because I had read reviews that suggested cooking foods for shorter periods of time. It was somewhat "overdone" after cooking for 45 minutes at 425 and then 25 minutes at 400. In other words, after slashing the recommended time by 45 minutes, the 6-pd bird we produced was still not great. This is a highly expensive method to learn how to cook (because to the quarantine, we mail-ordered our duck from a farm in New Jersey).

The entire family adores this superb method of whole duck cooking! Additionally, it's a terrific method to save the bones for bone broth and the fat for additional recipes (like roasting potatoes). Since I cooked mine for a lot less time and it was more wet and less dry, I believe the recipe calls for too long of a cooking time. Most definitely worth a shot!