# slow roasted duck/goose?



## kongfeet (Oct 29, 2008)

Hi. Was just wondering if anyone here has tried roasting a duck or a goose at around 200 F (or somewhere between 200 F and 275 F) for a long time, say, 4 hours or so for a 5 lb duck. Being a huge fan of slow roasted prime rib, I'm thinking it should work just as well for fatty birds, but thought I'd just ask beforehand. Thanks in advance.

p.s. Yes, I heard many times that it's better to cook the breast and legs separately, and I kinda agree, but I'd still like to know how to cook the whole bird well. What I'm looking for is super crispy skin and reasonably juicy meat (even when it's well done, and yes, I'm all about the skin).


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

This technique will not give you the skin quality you're looking for. It would be more tough and rubbery.


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## angrybob (Feb 28, 2007)

I think it would certainly be worth a try. 

Thirty years ago when my wife, then girl friend, wanted to surpise me with a duck dinner things didn't go according to plan. This was only the second time she'd ever used an electric oven and didn't realise the main lower element had in fact, burned out early on in the process, roasting the duck by the heat of the anemic top element only. An approx 5 pound duck took about 4-4 1/2 hours to cook, but was succulant and had a delicous crisp skin. I can only guess the oven was in the 200 degree temp range. The only prep done to the bird was washing, salting and pricking the skin. 

The duck wasn't quite as crisp as a Peking Duck, but all these years later I recall it as one of the best ducks I've ever eaten.


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## themetalchef (Jul 21, 2009)

I've actually had success with duck and turkey on a smoker, running at around 225 degrees for between 3-5 hours (depending on size of bird) - a mild wood like maple or red oak gives it a nice character without overpowering the meat.

As to crisping the skin, that's a simple matter of heating up a cup or two of oil to fry temperature (350 or so) and "basting" the bird with it when it's finished cooking. Just ladle the oil over the bird while suspending it over the oil.


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## karenlyn (Apr 28, 2008)

I agree about the skin. If you want it super crispy, a low, long roast won't get that for you. You'd need higher heat, at least at the end.


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## themetalchef (Jul 21, 2009)

I've had success smoking duck and other whole birds around 225-250.

The way to get around the rubber skin problem is just bathe it in hot oil after the cooking process is finished. Common technique in oriental kitchens, not so much here stateside.


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## themetalchef (Jul 21, 2009)

So do what the Chinese do and bathe it in hot peanut oil after you're done roasting it.

I do that with smoked duck (I use a very, very mild wood like Maple or Red Oak for this treatment) and it crisps up beautifully.


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## plambert (Jul 21, 2009)

I've done this several times now, with very good results. The skin will be very crispy, but you still run the risk of overcooking the breast a bit (like roasting any bird).

Try the recipe given in the first result from searching for '5 hour roast duck' (I would post the link, but I'm too new here )


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## coregonus (Aug 10, 2007)

There is an interesting way to slow-cook duck in Europe. Whole duck (extra fat removed, skin pierced, marinated in white wine with honey and aromatics) goes into oval dutch oven with lots of quartered skin-on Granny Smith apples all over it and cooks inside at 250-275, covered, for 2-3 hrs. Bird, basically, starts to roasts dry, but melted fat mixed with released apple juice makes it alike to confit method. You'll never achieve all-around crispy skin that way but it forms a tasty brown caramelized crust at bottom and top skin crisp up a little too (apple-fat only covers it 1/3 way up and most apples stay chunky thanks to skin). It just melts and falls of the bone and smells divine. Sour apples cut the fat just right. I think, might work well for hash next morning too?

Otherwise, slow roasting is perfect way to par-cook before crisping up in hotter oven or (totally agreed with esteemed TheMetalChef) with hot oil. If you do it over hot grill, use blow drier to create some convection and dry the skin as much as possible.


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## tjkrueger (Jan 4, 2014)

Coregonus

can you share the process of marinating the duck in white wine with honey and aromatics

before it goes in the Dutch oven

I just bought a cast iron dutch oven and have cooked a couple ducks. I simply stuff the bird

with with apple, onion, and aromatics.  Also, are you putting the Dutch oven inside a regular

oven?  I'm stove heating for 3 hours until the thermometer temp reads 175 F.

my experiments so far are so-so, it seems to reach internal temp too fast. I'm still finding

my way with the Dutch oven, after switching from a slow cooker or just rack roasting.


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## lesorcier (Jan 9, 2014)

Sure. When I was a chef I had duck confit on the menu in the fall. Brine the ducks. (Think about your spices. You may want to include a small amount of fenugreek.) Wipe them dry, then cover them with rendered duck fat in a roasting pan and set it to cook, covered, overnight in a 250 oven. In the morning they will be meltingly soft. To serve, put the duck halves or joints skin side up on dry toast set on a sizzler and fire in a blisteringly hot oven to crisp the skin. Mirror the plate with sauce. Sometimes I used summer fruit catsup, other times it was a cardamom cherry sauce using game stock made from red wine in place of water.


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