| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 4 days 3 hr |
| Prep: | 1 hr |
| Inactive: | 4 days |
| Cook: | 2 hr |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 5 to 5 1/2 pound Pekin duck, giblets removed
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt per pound of duck, approximately 1/3 cup
- 1/4 cup duck fat
- 1 1/2 cups chopped onions
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound stale cornbread, crumbled
- 5 ounces oyster crackers, crumbled
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 pint small oysters with their liquor
Instructions
- Put the duck, breast side down, on a cutting board and using kitchen shears, cut up 1 side of the spine, starting at the tail or pope’s nose, all the way to the top. Turn the bird around and cut back down the other side of the spine, being careful not to cut into the thigh. Press down on the bird to flatten and make a shallow cut through the breastbone to further flatten the duck. Remove the neck flap and any extra pockets of fat. Turn the duck over, breast side up, and make a long slash in the skin and fat of each breast, making sure not to puncture the meat.
- Sprinkle both sides of the duck with the kosher salt and lay the duck, breast side up, on top of a broiler pan. Line the bottom of the pan with paper towels. Put the duck, uncovered, on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days or until the skin is dry and reaches a near parchment consistency.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- If there is still salt visible, brush it off. Remove the paper towels from the bottom of the pan. Put the pan in the middle of the oven and roast for 30 minutes. Rotate the pan 180 degrees and continue to cook until the thigh reaches an internal temperature of 180 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 30 more minutes.
- Remove the duck from the oven and increase the heat to 450 degrees F. Once the oven has come to temperature, return the duck to the oven and roast until the skin is golden brown and crispy, about 10 minutes.
- Remove the top of the broiler pan, with the duck still on it, and put it on a sheet pan to rest. Pour off the duck fat from the bottom of the pan, measure 1/4 cup, and reserve the rest for another use.
- Decrease the oven heat to 350 degrees F.
- Put the broiler pan on the stove over medium heat and add the 1/4 cup of the fat. Add the onions, celery, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions and celery are translucent, approximately 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine the cornbread, oyster crackers, thyme, sage, eggs, oysters and their liquor in a large mixing bowl and use your hands to mix well, breaking up the oysters as you go. Add the onion and celery mixture to the bowl and stir to combine. Transfer the dressing back into the broiler pan and spread evenly. Put the dressing on the middle rack of the oven and bake until golden brown and crisp around the edges, about 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the duck to a serving platter and serve with the dressing.
Reviews
This review is for the oyster dressing component only, just because I haven’t tried my hand at the duck yet. But, the dressing was FANTASTIC! I only modified the cooking method slightly due to the lack of duck. I used turkey fat instead, tossed everything into a large saucepan, and used a pound of bread cut into cubes and dried out. Skipped the eggs, added two cups of turkey stock, and voila! Perfect sourdough oyster dressing that was amazingly delicious! Thanks as always, AB!!!
Did this but with a twist that eliminates salt problem. Prick the duck skin lightly all over with a knife point. Place duck in boiling water 2-5 minutes. Remove and rinse in cold water. It removes excess fat and salt and helps crisp the skin when roasting. A salt brine is completely unnecessary as is 3 days preparation.
Pat duck dry and prepare as stated otherwise. Brush skin with melted butter a little honey and a pinch of salt to carmelize. Prick the skin again after an hour and a half to release some juices The last 15 minutes turn heat to 400. Enjoy!!!
I have had a lot of luck with this recipe. There was one exception when I put too much salt on the duck. I realized that part of the problem was that I was at the bottom of the box of kosher salt and that is where all of the tiny granules fall. Since then I strain out the small crystals and only use the largest ones. This has made a significant difference and I haven’t had a problem since.
ok… do to the mass of neg. comments i decided to skip the 3 day salt bath. didnt see the point in making a duck to throw in the trash. for a noob at duck it came out good. now the stuffing is OUT OF THIS WORLD!!! never did i think stuffing could reach this high of rank. perfection. i continued to make this stuff for 5 more days with other main dish’s. i was only able to give recipe 4 star do to the fact of salt bath but stand alone stuffing a well deserved 10 stars……………………………………………………………………………………………….Embalmu
HORRIBLE, what a waste of time and money! Followed recipe exactly. Too salty. Inedible. Can’t trust these recipes anymore! Deserves zero stars but system required something. Ugh!
Followed the instructions exactly for the duck – agree with everyone who said it was VERY salty. I used kosher salt and it penetrated everywhere. Skin was good, but not great on crispiness. I LOVE Alton, but this recipe didn’t make the cut without modification.
The duck was delicious. I agree with the other reviewers that the oversalting issue some reviewers noted is likely due to using something other than Kosher salt. Be sure to use Kosher salt and you’ll love the result. The only thing I wish Alton had shared is a good way to carve the duck for serving.
I love AB and most of his recipes but this one missed the mark. A lot of time and effort for a duck that mostly ended up in the trash.
yummy!
I’m glad I made this recipe and learned how to butterfly poultry, but this was way too salty. I followed Alton’s “one tablespoon of kosher salt per pound of duck” rule, I dried the duck in the fridge for three days, and I brushed off all visible salt before I put it in the oven. The result was not entirely inedible, but near to it. I would not follow this recipe again, but if I did, I would cut back the salt drastically.
Note: The drying DID make the skin quite nice…