How Do I Roast A Duck For Dinner?
Duck is tricky because it’s got so much fat. You need to cook it to render out all that fat. Steaming works well for that. To roast it in the oven you’d really want a rotisserie to get all of that fat to pour out. I’ve had tremendous success with Alton Brown’s recipe for roast duck. He butchers it into pieces, brines it in pineapple/orange juice, steams it to cook it and render the fat, and then sears the skin in a hot pan. Don’t forget to score the skin: it allows the melted fat to run out. My addendum to that recipe: all of that fat that accumulates in the steaming pan is very tasty. Save it in the refrigerator in a glass jar. (Get all the water out of it, first. You might want to pour off the water and then bring it to a temperature above 212 to drive off all of the water, or it will turn rancid.) Duck fat is much prized for various recipes, especially potatoes.
