2 to 4 servings
YouTube instructional video is at the bottom.
What you’ll need
6 1/2 pounds Whole Duck
One Orange
One Apple
One Pear
All-purpose flour
Seasonings
Salt
Chef Paul’s poultry magic
Liquid smoke
Honey
Tools you’ll need
Flavor injector
Cheesecloth
Food ties
Fat separator
Meat thermometer
Preparation of Duck
Note– If your duck is frozen, place into fridge. It can take 3 to 4 days to thaw completely. Make sure the duck is thawed before proceeding.
Turkey neck and Giblets
Step 1- Remove duck neck and giblets from the Duck’s body cavity and place into a separate bowl.
Step 2- Rinse Duck off with cold water. Trim off any access fat with a knife.
Making the marinade
Step 3- Add 2/3 cup water, 1 to 2 tablespoons liquid smoke, 1 teaspoon Chef Paul’s poultry magic, 1 to 2 tablespoons honey, 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 to 2 teaspoons Mesquite seasoning (optional), into a small bowl. Stir with whisk until combined.
Step 4- Add a cheesecloth into a mesh strainer with a small bowl underneath it. Once done, add marinade mixture into strainer.
Marinading the duck
Step 5- Add marinade into the flavor injector and inject the duck with the marinade. Take food ties and tie the wings and the legs to the body of the duck to prevent them from sagging and moving during the baking process.
Step 6- Add duck into a large plastic bag or bowl and place into fridge for 8 to 24 hours. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Chef Paul’s Poultry magic into small bowl with the Turkey parts, (Turkey neck and Giblets.) Coat seasonings onto Turkey parts with your hands. Place into fridge for 8 to 24 hours.
Fruit
Step 7- Rinse one orange, apple and pear with cold water. Cut each fruit into quarter pieces. You can peel each fruit with a potato peeler if you like. Add a small amount about 2 to 3 pieces of each fruit into a cheesecloth. Tie ends of cheesecloth together. This will make a cheesecloth fruit sack.
Final preparation of duck
Step 8- Add cheesecloth fruit sack into the body cavity of duck. Lightly sprinkle salt and chef Paul’s poultry magic onto both sides of duck.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Step 9- Place duck onto baking pan rack. Add leftover fruit pieces, and duck neck and giblets into baking pan. Add 2 cups water into baking pan.
Step 10- Place into a preheated 300-degree oven for 1 hour.
Step 11- Remove duck from oven and baste using liquid using a pastry brush. You can cover the duck’s wings with aluminum foil. Place duck back into the oven and bake from 1 hour.
Step 12- Remove duck from oven and baste using liquid using a pastry brush. Place duck back into the oven and bake from 1 hour.
Step 13- Remove duck from oven and baste using liquid using a pastry brush. Insert meat thermometer into duck thigh. Internal temperature of the duck should be 170 to 180 degrees.
Preparation after baking of the duck
Step 14- Remove cheesecloth fruit sack from duck cavity and cut all food ties from duck. Remove all fruit pieces and duck meat parts from the baking pan and place into a small separate bowl. The pieces can be eaten by itself or used to make other dishes. Let duck and pan juices cool for 15 minutes.
Step 15- Add 1 cup of water into pan juices and stir gently using a spatula.
Step 16- Add a cheesecloth on top of the fat separator. Pour pan juices into fat separator and set aside. The fat separator should separate the duck fat and the liquid pan juices. Use the fat separator to add the liquid pan juices into one bowl and add the duck fat into a separate bowl.
Making the homemade gravy
Preheat fire to medium heat.
Step 17- Add 3 tablespoons duck fat and 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour into a large saucepan. Stir continuously for 6 to 7 minutes or until mixture reaches a brown color.
Step 18- Add 2 cups liquid pan juices, 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Chef Paul’s Poultry magic, and squeeze 6 or the orange pieces you roasted with the duck into the mixture as well. You can also add 1 teaspoon honey or sugar. This is optional. Stir all ingredients together and let simmer for 6 minutes. Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Mixture will thicken as it cools.
YouTube instructional video
