The Cookbook/Duck

Roast duck

Template:Ingredient | Basic foodstuffs | Meat and poultry | Duck

Ducks have many domestic uses, being farmed for their meat, eggs, and feathers and down. In many areas, ducks of various species are hunted for sport and food.

Types of domestic duck

• Broiler Duckling or Fryer Duckling - a young duck (usually under 8 weeks of age) of either sex that is tender meated and has a soft bill; ducklings classified as broiler-fryers weigh from 3 to 6 1/2 pounds.
• Roaster Duckling - a young duck (usually under 16 weeks of age) of either sex that is tender-meated and has a bill that is not completely hardened; they usually weigh from 4 to 7 1/2 pounds.
• Mature Duck or Old Duck - a duck (usually over 6 months of age) of either sex with toughened flesh and a hardened bill; these ducks are usually too old to lay eggs and their meat is used in processed products.

Raising

Almost all ducks are raised indoors to protect from predators and to manage their manure, which is collected and used elsewhere selectively as fertilizer. In the United States, most ducks are now raised in Wisconsin and Indiana since land on Long Island, N.Y., where most ducks were formerly raised, has become increasingly too valuable for farming. Ducks are fed corn and soybeans fortified with vitamins and minerals. Most feed contains no animal by-products.

No hormones are allowed in U. S. duck or goose production. The Food and Drug Administration strictly prohibits the use of hormones in these birds. Very few drugs have been approved for ducks so antibiotics are not routinely given and are not useful for feed efficiency. If a drug is given -- usually, through the feed -- to cure illness, for example, a "withdrawal" period of days is required from the time it is administered until it is legal to slaughter the bird. This is so residues can exit the bird's system.

Duck meat

Ducks swim, and they have a fat layer beneath the skin that keeps them buoyant. Before cooking a whole bird, the skin should be pricked all over with a fork to facilitate the fat rendering out. This fat layer must have melted and disappeared for the bird to be done.

The fat is not "marbled" into the meat so it can easily be removed from the surface of a raw duck if deboning the meat before cooking.

Retail Cuts of Duck

• Whole duckling including giblets and neck.
• Bone-in parts such as whole leg, breast quarter and breast.
• Boneless breast, skin-on or skinless.
• Giblets (liver, heart and gizzard) sold with whole birds, but much liver is sold seperatly, exp. in France.
• Tongues and Feet are considered a delicacy in East Asian cuisines, especially Hong Kong.
• Processed products such as smoked cooked breast, sausage and hot dogs.

Quantity to Buy

When buying whole duck, allow about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of raw weight per person. Raw boneless meat yields about 3 servings per pound after cooking. Estimate 3 to 4-ounces per person for fully cooked products.

Is Duck "Red" or "White" Meat?

Duck is poultry and considered "white" meat. Because they are birds of flight, however, the breast meat is darker than chicken and turkey breast. This is because more oxygen is needed by muscles doing work, and the oxygen is stored in those muscles by one of the proteins in meat, myoglobin, and gives the meat a darker color. Because all the meat on a duck is dark, it has a stronger flavor than chicken breast meat--and even chicken leg meat.

Safety

Foodborne Organisms

As on any perishable meat, fish or poultry, bacteria can be found on raw or undercooked duck. Bacteria multiply rapidly at temperatures between 40° and 140° F (out of refrigeration and before thorough cooking occurs). Freezing doesn't kill bacteria but they are destroyed by thorough cooking of any food to 160° F.

Salmonella is often associated with shell eggs and poultry. It may be found in the intestinal tracts of livestock, poultry, dogs, cats and other warm-blooded animals. This strain is only one of about 2,000 Salmonella bacteria. Freezing doesn't kill this microorganism but it is destroyed with thorough cooking of any food to 160° F.

Salmonella must be eaten to cause illness. Raw poultry must be handled carefully to prevent cross contamination. This can occur if raw duck or juices contact cooked food or foods that will be eaten raw such as salad. Salmonellosis is a foodborne illness characterized by stomach pain, diarrhea and nausea.

Safe Cooking

The USDA recommends cooking whole poultry to 180 °F (82° C) as measured in the thigh using a food thermometer. When cooking pieces, the breast should reach 170 °F (76° C) internally. Drumsticks, thighs, and wings should be cooked until they reach an internal temperature of 180 °F (82° C)

Duck Recipes

Basic Roast Duck

1 young duckling (3-6 lbs), salt, pepper, Butter flavored nonstick spray

Preheat oven to 450F. Rinse and wipe duckling, removing giblets. Set bird aside in an airy place to allow the skin to dry. Rub inside cavity with salt and pepper. Insert vertical oven roaster (used for "beer can chicken") into bird and prop it upright. Coat bird on all sides with butter-flavored spray and sprinkle salt and pepper lightly over the skin. Place bird and vertical roaster into a large roasting pan (use a wire rack insert if you have one) and add 1/2 cup of water to the bottom of the pan. Shove bird in oven for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 325F until done. No need to prick skin or baste bird, as the fat slowly renders off leaving a wonderful crispy skin. Keep the bottom of the roasting pan covered with water to prevent smoking.

Pour off fat and save, reserving drippings and liquid from the roasting pan. (The fat and liver can be cooked together to make a very tasty pate' so don't throw any of it out!)

============================

Duck Frame Stock

Leftover bones from roasted duck recipe (above), Pan drippings, Giblets (gizzard, heart, neck, skinned/peeled duck feet), 1 tsp salt (or to taste), 6 cups water, 1/2 tsp vinegar**,

Cook everything in a tightly covered heavy pot over medium heat until it reaches a full rolling boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Drain liquid, discarding bones and reserving any meat. (**Don't worry about the vinegar- it cooks out and helps leach nutrients such as calcium from the bones, leaving no vinegary odor/flavor behind.)

============================

Cream of Duck and Mushroom Soup

4 cups duck stock (recipe above), 3 duck egg yolks (chicken egg yolks will work too), 2 cups milk or half & half, 1/2 cup chopped duck meat, 8 oz sliced mushrooms, 1/2 tsp thyme, nutmeg to taste (optional),

Heat duck stock in heavy saucepan over medium heat, covered. Add thyme, chopped duck meat and mushrooms and cook until mushrooms are tender. In a mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks and milk until well blended, then slowly add to soup. Stir continually until soup mixture begins to thicken. Sprinkle in nutmeg (optional) and serve. Makes a very rich soup.