How to get crisp skin on a duck in the Egg

Stormbringer

I've tried on a few occasions to cook duck in the Egg to get some smoke into it. Whilst the duck meat is lovely, I simply cannot get the skin to crisp up nor the fat to render out to the extent that it does in a convection/fan oven. When I cook a whole duck in such an oven, the skin is always relatively crisp and the fat has rendered out.

My working assumption is that the forced air circulating around the duck in the oven causes the skin to dry out and with the holes I poke in the skin, the fat renders. I've tried using a salt/baking powder combo and this kinda worked for the skin, but the fat problem persisted.

I'd really like to get smoked duck with crisp skin and fat rendered, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. 

paqman

I am assuming you are talking about a whole duck?  You are not the first to post about this problem and I have to say that I am a bit puzzled because I did not run into this problem myself.

I cook breast side up.

I prepare the bird at least a couple of days before cooking.  

Wet brine (5% salt) for 12-24 hours.

Slowly pour boiling water all over the skin, it will tighten it and allow you to remove remaining feathers tips.

Glaze with maltose syrup (2 tablespoons maltose, 120 ml hot water, 1 tablespoon black vinegar).  You can make honey syrup too (2:1 honey to water).  I like to use diluted maple syrup.  Brush the skin with the mix and let rest in the fridge 1 hour, repeat 2 times.  Don’t skip the vinegar, that’s what prevents the sugar from burning.

Air dry the duck for 24-48 hours in the fridge.

Fill the cavity with stuffing.  I add apple cubes, scallions, star anise, and cinnamon to regular boxed stuffing…

Poke the skin all over.

I cook at 350-385F for about one hour and then finish at 425F for about 15 minutes.  Obviously, that depends on the size of your bird.  We get 2.5-3kg ducks from the asian market.

There will still be a layer of fat, it will not be fully rendered but that’s desirable I think.

Stormbringer

@paqman thanks that's very comprehensive. So starting 3-4 days in advance, I'll definitely give this a go. Liking the idea of maple syrup and good to know that adding vinegar stops sugar from burning.

fishlessman

i like duck cooked low and slow raised rack direct. 220f dome for 4 to 5 hours. serve with a cranberry/berry type sauce. the skin gets crunchy and you will need to burn the grease out of the egg, even the daisy top loads up with grease. cook two, not much meat on a duck

DoubleEgger

SV might be beneficial in regards to the fat rendering. 

DoubleEgger

Also, putting the duck on a raised setup to get it high in the dome will help with the skin. You’ll get more reflective heat. You’ll also get more airflow on the bird as the dome design concentrates the air as it moves upward. 

Stormbringer

Lots of great tips thanks all. We are definitely trying this next weekend. 

Stormbringer

The brine is on the duck ... ... aiming for an epic Saturday night meal

Retired RailRoader

Having never cooked a duck I will say it’s something I definitely want to do. Excellent advice from the previous posters. When I get around to cooking one I think I’ll use my rotisserie. 

WoodworkerBED

The only thing I can add to this discussion is that we do our ducks using the beer can approach but with a turkey porcelain since ducks tend to be bigger and definitely longer than chickens.

paqman

👀