To Make Roasted Duck

Have you ever pondered duck preparation? Most people overcomplicate it. The honey-balsamic glaze gives this roast duck a beautiful roasted appearance while also adding tender and juicy meat and crisp skin. An ideal main dish for the holidays or any other special occasion.

It's a beautiful dish, suitable for any celebration; with the holidays fast approaching, this roast duck would be a wonderful addition to the menus for both Thanksgiving and Christmas or New Year's Eve. Also, I didn't want a sweet duck, and the honey-balsamic glaze in this recipe doesn't turn it that way. The only effect is to make the duck skin crispier and prettier. Stuffing the duck's cavity with garlic and lemon will give it a very savory and juicy flavor. SO GOOD Due to the time and effort required, this duck is best reserved for a special occasion or holiday meal.  

If you've never cooked duck before, this recipe may come in handy due to its thorough instructions (complete with photos) on the process. After three hours in a preheated oven set to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, your duck will be perfectly cooked and you'll have plenty of duck fat to use in future roasts of vegetables, potatoes, and the like. and use it to fry eggs for breakfast if you like

Use my recipe for Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash glazed with Cinnamon and Maple Syrup, with Pecans and Cranberries as garnish for the duck (as seen on the photo below) if you want a really beautiful and festive presentation for your holiday duck. These vibrant vegetables will add a pop of color and holiday flavor to your duck while also serving as a beautiful garnish for your serving platter.

Instructions for roasting a whole duck

Here we begin the photo-illustrated step-by-step instructions (the full recipe is at the end of the post). After reading this and looking at the pictures, scroll down to the recipe box for a shorter version of the recipe (without pictures).

If you're going to use frozen duck, give it a couple of days in the fridge to defrost. Take out the duck's giblets. Use cold water to thoroughly wash the duck inside and out. Use paper towels to dry off:

Place the duck on the table. Make a diamond pattern across the duck's breast skin, being careful to cut only the skin and not the meat. The two deep cuts on the right side of the photos are an illustration of how NOT TO SCORE, but it's all right because I didn't cut all the way through the meat and instead just reached it:

A diamond pattern should be scored into the duck breast:

The finished duck should resemble this when positioned breast-side-up and scored (note the two deep scores on the right; these are acceptable as long as they do not penetrate the meat):

Make sure all the fat comes out of the duck by poking it all over with the knife. This is especially important for the really fatty parts. The skin isn't very thick on a duck's legs (except for the joints), so there's no need to poke them.

Use a lot of salt, both inside the duck's cavity and on the skin, legs, and rest of the bird.

Stuff the duck's cavity with five chopped garlic cloves and a few lemon slices for flavor (you won't be eating these ingredients).

The skin on both ends of the duck will be loose; fold it in to seal in the garlic and lemon.

Use butcher's twine or string to tie the duck legs together; I used a few folds of aluminum foil when I forgot to bring the twine.

The duck should be roasted breast-side up on a rack in a large roasting pan (the rack will keep the bird off the bottom of the pan, where the fat will collect).

The art of oven-roasted duck

The duck needs to roast for three hours at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. These three hours are broken up into four segments: one hour with the breast up, forty minutes with the breast down, forty minutes with the breast up and brushed with balsamic and lemon, and forty minutes with the breast up and brushed with honey and balsamic.

1. After 1 hour in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit with the breast side up, the duck should look like this when removed:

Roast the duck breast-side down at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes. 2. The duck should be presented in this manner, with the breast down:

3. In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar and the juice of 1 lemon. Return the duck to the roasting rack, breast-side up, in the pan. Roast the duck breast-side-up for another 40 minutes at 350 F, brushing every 10 minutes with the balsamic mixture (especially on the scored duck breast).

4. Transfer the remaining balsamic vinegar and lemon mixture from step 3 to a small bowl, along with the remaining 14 cup honey. Apply the honey-balsamic mixture to the duck's breast side, then roast it with the breast side up for another 40 minutes, basting it with the mixture every 10 minutes. For the last 10 to 15 minutes, you can also broil the duck (carefully, checking it frequently to make sure it doesn't char too much).

Browning of the duck is imminent. The final product should look like that (you would have cooked the duck for 3 hours at 350 F by this point). ):

Let the legs loose:

Use my recipe for Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash glazed with Cinnamon and Maple Syrup, with Pecans and Cranberries, for a really beautiful and festive presentation alongside your holiday duck.

These festively colored vegetables, which complement duck beautifully in both appearance and flavor, can be used as garnishes and accents on the serving platter.

Thanksgiving condiments

Instructions for baking a whole duck, complete with photographs at each stage. The honey-balsamic glaze gives this roast duck a beautiful roasted appearance while also enhancing the flavor and texture of the meat. Suitable as the main course for any celebration, but especially appropriate for the holidays.  

• 6 lb an entire Peking duck
• salt
• 5 bulb(s) of garlic chopped
• 1 lemon chopped up, small or medium sized

• ½ cup vinegar balsamic
• 1 lemon , Juice Straight from the Press
• ¼ cup honey

• Make sure to defrost your duck in the fridge for at least two days if you bought it frozen. Once the duck has been completely defrosted (in the fridge), remove it 30 minutes before cooking so that it can come to room temperature.
• Set oven temperature to 350 degrees F. The duck will roast for three hours total, and during that time you will turn it over four times, brush it with glaze, and so on. - For details, read on!

• Duck giblets must be removed before cooking. Use cold water to thoroughly wash the duck inside and out. Dry off with some paper towels.
• The duck should be placed on the table. Duck breasts are scored in a diamond pattern to ensure that only the skin is sliced and not the meat. To ensure fat release, especially from particularly fatty areas, pierce the duck all over with the tip of the knife. The skin isn't very thick on a duck's legs (except for the joints), so there's no need to poke them. Use a lot of salt, both inside the duck's cavity and on the skin, legs, and rest of the bird. The duck breast should be facing up.
• Stuff the duck's cavity with five chopped garlic cloves and a few lemon slices for flavor (you won't be eating these ingredients). The duck's skin will be loose on both ends; to keep the garlic and lemon inside, fold the excess skin in. Use butcher's twine to secure the duck legs.

• In a large roasting pan fitted with a rack (the rack will keep the duck off the bottom of the pan, allowing the fat to drip below it as it cooks), place the bird breast-side up. Cook the duck at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour, breast side up.
• Roast the duck for 1 hour, then flip it over and roast the breast side down for another 40 minutes at 350 F.
• After 1 hour and 40 minutes in the oven, take the roasting pan out with the duck. Carefully transfer the duck to a serving platter, folding the skin at both ends to prevent the lemons and garlic from spilling out of the cavity. and then transfer the juices from the duck fat into a large, heat-safe bowl or container.
• Turn the duck over, breast side up, on a rack in a roasting pan (there should be no fat juices left in the pan at this point). Mix the juice of one lemon with a half cup of balsamic vinegar in a small bowl. Roast the duck breast-side-up for another 40 minutes at 350 F, brushing every 10 minutes with the balsamic mixture (especially on the scored duck breast).
• Now, take the leftover balsamic vinegar and lemon mixture from the first step and combine it with the remaining 14 cup honey in a small bowl. Apply this honey-balsamic mixture to the duck's breast side, then continue roasting for another 40 minutes, basting the duck every 10 minutes with the honey-balsamic mixture. For the last 10 to 15 minutes, you can also broil the duck (carefully, checking it frequently to make sure it doesn't char too much).
• Take the duck out of the oven once it's done and let it rest for 15 minutes. Then, taking care not to get burned, take out the lemon and throw it away. Carve and serve the duck.
• The duck needs a total of 3 hours of roasting time at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. During the course of the three hours, the chicken will spend one hour breast-side up, forty minutes breast-side down, forty minutes breast-side up with a balsamic-lemon mixture, and forty minutes breast-side up with a honey-balsamic mixture.

Daily values (DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

The nutritional data displayed here is merely an approximation and is offered as a courtesy. There is no assurance that the nutritional information provided with any recipe on this site is accurate. It is not meant to replace the guidance of a registered dietitian.

How about some pretty accompaniment for that roast duck?

Preparing this Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Cinnamon Butternut Squash, Pecan, and Cranberry Side Dish for Thanksgiving is a breeze.

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