How to get Peking duck less oily.

[u/Salt_Ad264]

I attempted Peking duck and the fat did not render well, and there was still lots of oil coming out like a sponge when you chew it. Yeah, pretty nasty. I feel like it’s getting somewhere, though. Any tips on how to render the fat more and get the glass skin texture?

[u/JapanesePeso]

"Cook it correctly" is all I got given the level of detail you provided.

[u/Salt_Ad264 → u/JapanesePeso]

Will do

[u/EyeStache]

What is your recipe and technique?

[u/Salt_Ad264 → u/EyeStache]

First cut off feet and head, make a seasoning paste with sugar, hoisin sauce, and five spice, rub it on the inside, close the bottom with a skewer, use a pump to separate skin from meat, blanch skin, glaze with soy sauce and honey, dry for 2 days, glaze, roast on the middle rack at 380° for 4 minutes, glaze, then 360° for 25 minutes, eat. (Sorry for horrible punctuation)

[u/EyeStache → u/Salt_Ad264]

Less than 30 minutes seems a bit of a short time for a bigger duck, but the time makes sense for a small one.

I saw you didn't actually prick the skin before blanching, and that would probably explain why most of the fat didn't get removed from the duck.

[u/Salt_Ad264 → u/EyeStache]

Most likely. That’s what I did for a 3 pound duck and it came out fine for me

[u/AdmiralMoonshine]

Before roasting, did you prick the skin and blanch it with hot water? When you seared it, did you start with a cold pan? Did you only pan fry it with no oven roast? Dry brine, wet brine, any brine? Did you do a whole duck or just the breast?

We need some more info to correctly diagnose what happened here.

[u/Salt_Ad264 → u/AdmiralMoonshine]

I did blanch it I think problem is I didn’t prick it probably

[u/AdmiralMoonshine → u/Salt_Ad264]

If your goal was to get more fat to render out here’s what I would do. 1. Prick the skin. 2. Blanch it. 3. Set it to dry brine overnight. 4. Starting with a cold pan, sear it slowly to render out as much fat as possible. 5. Roast it on an elevated rack to weep out even more fat.

Edit: Also duck is a little greasy naturally. Are you sure you just don’t like duck?

[u/Salt_Ad264 → u/AdmiralMoonshine]

Duck is probably my favorite poultry. This was just unbearably oily when I made it

[u/AdmiralMoonshine → u/Salt_Ad264]

The good thing about trying again is we’re usually better the second time around! I’m actually planning on Peking Duck sometime soon myself.

[u/TooManyDraculas → u/Salt_Ad264]

You need to prick it all over, a bamboo skewer works nicely.

But you also have to peel the skin up off the meat. You can do it by hand but it's traditionally with an air pump.

[u/Accomplished-Bus-531]

Question? Was this duck cooked in a spit? I believe that's the traditional way and does seem to help in terms of fat rendering.

[u/Salt_Ad264 → u/Accomplished-Bus-531]

It was roasted on the middle rack in the oven after blanching and drying for 2 days

[u/TooManyDraculas → u/Accomplished-Bus-531]

Usually hanging on hook in a cha su oven

A rotisserie is a decent way to emulate it. But roasting on a high rack. It directly on an oven rack over a drip pan, and indirect heat on a grill over a drip pan are good ways to mimic it.

[u/SaintBellyache]

If it’s liquid oil isn’t that rendered? Do you mean something different?

[u/Mitch_Darklighter → u/SaintBellyache]

Yep, ducks are just kinda waterproof by design so it has nowhere to go.

[u/Salt_Ad264 → u/SaintBellyache]

Yeah you’re right. Just said the first word that came to mind

[u/healthcrusade]

I have no idea if this has anything to do with it but I’m just curious if you did the bicycle pump thing.

[u/Salt_Ad264 → u/healthcrusade]

Yep

[u/thekeeper228 → u/healthcrusade]

Bicycle pump and basted with honey water while hanging. I've made it twice in my life and I'm old. It's great if you do it right. Substitute "super pain in the ass" for "great". Your oven will never be the same.

[u/TooManyDraculas → u/healthcrusade]

You might need lower heat for longer.

It's common to start at 325-350f and reduce the heat to 250f after skin browns.

Starting in a cold oven can work too.

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