Help with Duck Recipe

[Dadof3Illinois]

Okay, we all talk about how to smoke/cook Pork, Beef, Chicken, Turkey.....but what about a good Duck Recipe? I've cooked the breast a few times and can handle them pretty good but what about cooking the whole bird? I have two farm raised whole Ducks I bought on sale after new years. I was just going to take the breast off and cook them and make stock out the remainder, but now I think I want to try cooking the whole bird.
I've never cooked a whole duck and I worry that if I cook it low and slow i'll dry it out or over cook it and make leather out of it.
So, with that said who's got a good method for cooking a whole duck?

[HawkerXP]

Never done it either. Waiting.....with ya.

[HouseHomey]

Cook the breasts as you would. Confit the leg quarters and pull. So very good. A lil stock with the carcass.

[parkerj2]

+1. But you can also sear the legs after the confit for some crispy skin and tender meat insanity.

[rickgregory]

Agreed, I'd confit the leg quarters and use the breasts as normal. Serious eats is doing duck recipes this month https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/...d-poultry/duck.

One thing about confit is that you need to traditionally cook the meat in its own fat. however, you can Sous Vide them and it works well too. Recipe at that link (and yes, I've done it and yes, it works)

[Henrik]

Cook/smoke it like a chicken, to get crispy skin. That means temps around 160-170° C (320-340° F). Monitor temps closely, as you don't want to take it up as high as chicken. I'm adamant about not getting the breasts higher than 62° C (143.5° F).

It's gonna taste great smoked. The meat is lean, but there's plenty o' fat in the skin, so overall the smoke + fat flavor is awesome.

[Dadof3Illinois]

Will the skin still get crispy with all that fat under it? Would you spatchcock it?

[MBMorgan]

Or (and this is for HawkerXP , too), season and apply a liberal amount of MMD ... then into the PBC:

[texastweeter]

DONT MAKE STOCK FROM THOSE THIGHS AND LEGS, EAT THEM! Ernest where are you? You cooked a ton of ducks lately.