I cooked a duck on the rotisserie for Christmas Eve. Nothing but salt and pepper this time. It was my first duck on the rotisserie and have to admit I wasn't blown away by it. Oh well, maybe next time!
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She's pretty, Zman. What about it didn't blow you away, if I may ask? I am a huge fan of rotisserie poultry (I have a great Peruvian Pollo a la Brasa recipe) but I have never done duck on it.
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Maybe I was just expecting more. Don't get me wrong, it was tasty, just not great. The first thing that I did when I got my rotisserie was pollo a la brasa (attached pic) with the green sauce. Now that was phenomenal. Maybe that spoiled me and raised my expectation for the duck!Comment
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Back atcha! We should compare recipes sometime.Comment
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To be honest, my friend recommended it and I found a recipe online. I'd gladly give your recipe a try though! It was delicious and my wife loved it too. Always a good thing to make something that will make her happy!Originally posted by Dewesq55 View PostComment
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Here you go, Zman. Enjoy. And don't worry about the "authentic" Peruvian ingredients. It comes out great just using the pickled tabasco chilis and cilantro. You can also throw in a jalapeno or serrano chili for extra heat.
DEW
Pollo a la Brasa (Peruvian Style Rotisserie Chicken)
1/2 bottle (12 ozs.) Goya brand Mojo marinade
8 oz. Dark or Amber Beer
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 packet Sazon con culantro y achiote
1 whole chicken
Place all the ingredients except the chicken in a large bowl and mix well place chicken in a large Ziplock bag big enough to hold the chicken and marinade and still zip closed securely. Pour the marinade into the bag over the chicken. Get out as much of the air as you can and zip the bag close. Place the entire bag in a large bowl or pot to catch any drips or spills and refrigerate for at least 12, and preferably 24 hrs.
Place on a spit. Tie up the leg tips and tie the wings to the body and rotisserie cook until done about 90 minutes.
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Peruvian Aji Sauce (Spicy Green Sauce)
Ingredients:
1/4 head of iceberg lettuce, torn into pieces
5-10 pickled green Tabasco chilies (they are small and pale, almost white, in color)
2 Tbsp Peruvian yellow ajàpaste (optional)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Extra virgin olive oil as needed (See How to Make It below)
5 green onions (scallions)
1/2 bunch of cilantro leaves(try to avoid the stems) - or 2 tbsp huacatay paste if you can find it - it's much more authentic.
1 tsp salt (start with 1/2 tsp and add more if needed)
1 tsp black pepper
2 whole garlic cloves, chopped, or 1 tsp garlic powder
How to make it
Put all ingredients except the olive oil into a blender put food processor. Blend/process until ingredients are completely pureed and well blended. Any dark green specks should be as fine as possible. With the blender our processor running, drizzle in olive oil in a very thin stream until the volume increases and the color is very uniform. Cover and refrigerate before using.
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Need to ask a clarification question- was it duck that was just ok to you, or was it the rotisserie style of cooking, or the salt & pepper only, or all of the above? I ask because I've never done a duck, but I have one in the freezer to do soon. I'm absorbing all I can from you good folks before putting my reputation on the line with my wife and kids. I can do chickens with my eyes closed but the duck wants to make me nervous.Comment
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I forget the name of the chef in Phoenix (I'm pretty sure his first name is Rod) who opened the Flat Iron Rotisserie & Grill on Camelback, east of the Biltmore shopping center. He put in a really nice vertical wood-burning rotisserie (4 or 5 rods) and PROMISED my best friend and I that he would make rotisserie duck work.
He never managed it...and he was a chef, a darn good one. The one problem he could never surmount was that the high heat required to do duck properly ALWAYS caused them to burst into flames.
I tried duck once myself on a Weber rotisserie. Once.
Best spontaneous campfire ever.
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I think sometimes my expectations are unrealistic or unfair. Every time that I do something, I expect it to be amazing. The duck was good, and I will do it again. Maybe it could have used more than S/P but I wanted the duck flavor to stand out. Maybe it was because there was so much other food and booze (it was a Christmas Eve feast after all!). The rotisserie did its job fine. The skin was crispy and the meat was moist.
Looking back, I did get the ultimate complement from the family: no duck leftovers!Comment
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I use a two stage cooking process for duck, whether whole, split, or pieces. "Blanch" the duck first at low heat (200-250ish) to render the fat. This can take from 45 minutes to about an hour and a half, depending on duck size and the quantity being prepared. Then, chill the duck for later service. If blanched properly, the duck should still be "rare ish" in the breasts. You can puncture or slit the skin as desired. In the restaurant, we don't season the ducks at this stage, as we will season them when we finish cooking for service. When ready to cook for service, the duck is seasoned(try injecting), and finished at 250-350 depending on the flavor and texture profile of the dish. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.Comment
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Excellent tip! Thanks.
Reminds me of the burger joint I worked in back in high school in the late 60s called Burger Chef. They had the best fries...and the used a 2-step blanching process that worked wonders. I would spin up the taters in a top-loading washing machine looking thing that would remove most of the outer skin. Then into the potato fry cutter. And then blanched in hot oil. The baskets were then hung on a mobile rack to cool. When needed to fill an order, you just grabbed a blanched basket, threw it back in the oil bath, and quick as could be, you had crisp fries that hadn't soaked up any oil. Great process.
Never occurred to me to try that with duck (not it an oil fryer, of course). On my list!
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