Go to the Recipe: Ultimate Peking Duck
Loved it and will do again Was a little daunted initially but once you break the steps down it’s a lot of fun. Required some understanding from the family over the ‘science experiment” in the fridge. Skin was crispy but could be better. Need to work on my breaking down of a duck….looked a little like a murder scene, with pancakes……
Delicious and fun to make!
Not sure if it was the ducks I bought, but I spent a lot longer than expected picking out pin feathers. The maltose glaze also seemed to fall off completely. Maybe I heated it too much? Lastly, I could get the skin to crisp up! I hung the ducks in my smoker with a little bit of water in the water pan. It's possible that was the problem. Or perhaps the ducks I bought were just too fatty.
it’s awesome!
Question: My grocery store sells something called "Buddhist Duck" - would this work for this recipe?
I bought mine at Ranch 99. They had 4 birds in stock and thawed.
I’ve finally gotten around to making my Peking duck. I drilled out the upper rack of my refrigerator so I can hang the bird. As well, between the door seal and refrigerator unit, I ran a power line for my fan that blows air on my bird. 4 more days and I’m doing some fine dinning!
It will help if you absolutely can not hang it. But when you hang you provide an opening for liquid to drip from that doesn't sog up the skin, so your backside might get soggy.
Would roasting this on a rack prevent the need from hanging it during cooking?
The Peking duck turned out quite well. Served with homemade hosin, duck jus, homemade pancakes, and cucumber. The only problem with not using an air compressor is that it can make it difficult fully separate the skin. So I cut moved my knife in between the skin to help separate it and then inflated it. Turned out really well. DO NOT let this recipe intimidate you it actually is pretty straight forward. Buy a clothes rack for hanging the duck when resting it proved really helpful.
60 PSI would probably cause the bird's skin to tear. If you have a shop air compressor I'd dial it down low. Mine will go down to 30 PSI on the secondary regulator but I think that would still be too much. If you plan on using compressed air often in the kitchen get an old Air Shields or Gomco surgical aspirator. They are small, provide about 20 PSI positive pressure and will vac down to about 27 inches of mercury. Ebay for 20 bucks or so. You can also buy a bellows unit made for this application.
Your Mom was wrong, bacon, chicken, pork and beef DO NOT have to be overcooked or else imminent death is surely at hand. Pleasing your partner properly involves more bacteria than properly (enjoyably) cooked food!
How long on the smoker, and at what temp in the smoker? Mine in the fridge on 3rd day so need answer.
Also, he presented nicely post carve on parchment. Does he reheat to serve, as certainly after that fancy carving, it is severely cooled.
I used their isi method and it worked well enough to separate the skin without taring it. Something similar to that? Not sure what that would be, but hope that helps.
I think you can definitely use an electric smoker and maybe even get to skip the step of cooking it in the oven. The only drawbacks I can think of would be if your smoker "cooks" too hot or you could over smoke your duck. You need only the slightest hint of smoke. It is after all peking duck not texas duck.
Has anyone tried https://www.jaycar.com.au/dust-remover-spray-can/p/NA1018 or something similar?
Fridge space too precious? Get another fridge!
No kidding! Get a second hand one in a reasonably good condition for cheap on whatever classifieds sites are common in your area, and stick it in your shed, garage, basement, or wherever cold-ish space where you've got room.
Dedicate it to a single project at a time, i.e. if you're making Peking duck, use it soely for that purpose until it's time to enjoy your Peking duck meal. Once the duck is devoured, you can then use that fridge for curing salmon over a few days, and once that's done, you can free it up for another project.
I have two questions that I didn't see asked/answered below sorry if I missed them
1.) Any recommendations on compressor PSI? I'm thinking 60ish psi...
2.) For the smoking/roasting part would there be any draw backs to hanging in a electric smoker?
You're probably not eating at the right places then. If you don't like what you see here, then don't make/eat it, simple as that.
"As far as poultry goes, duck is among the safer choices, and this is a common temperature (plus or minus) to have it prepared to. "
As Nathan implies, no it's not common. I've eaten it many times in Manhattan and Flushing, NYC Chinatown and have never, ever seen it cooked medium rare let an alone rare. I find chefSteps being Chefy undercook everything but when it comes to Peking duck it grosses me out.
Hi. Just wondering what brand of spice blender do you use? Cheers
Turned out beautifully! Thank you chefsteps!
Read step 6, they offer a couple alternatives in the instructions
Go to China Town. Don't be sketched. find a busy Asian grocery store/butcher shop and drop some bitcoin.
woah this looks really really great.
is there another way to get off the skin from the meat / fat if i dont have an air compression at home?
Honey will do the job aswell?
Because of food allergies?
Hello!
I can't have star anise, fennel, or Szechuan peppercorns. Any suggestions?
When I worked at Spago many years ago, we used to prepare a Peking Duck dish on the menu. A couple of suggestions I have is allowing the duck to hang vertically in the oven at the lowest setting possible for 4 hrs with a drip tray under it to catch the grease. We used to hang them on a special rack built behind the stoves and the heat from the stoves would allow it to sweat a lot. Allowing it to sweat like this removes a lot of fat under the skin. Also if possible roast the duck vertically as well. We used a special roasting oven and the burner wrapped around the inside of the oven and the fat would drip to the bottom. A barrel smoker with the coals placed around the circumference of the smoker might give you a suitable substitution. Also in my experience Peking duck is always cooked through. I have never seen it rare or med rare. Just my 2 cents.
Yes. the internal temperature target is 131°F/55°C. This is somewhere between rare and medium rare. As far as poultry goes, duck is among the safer choices, and this is a common temperature (plus or minus) to have it prepared to.
Thanks for sharing!
Hi Nathan! That should work!
The duck he carves looks very rare, I guess that's the intention?
If someone could direct me to a reputable place/butcher where I can get Peking style Pekin ducks in the Bay area, I would greatly appreciate it. I know I can probably easily find it at China town or some Asian grocery store, but I'm trying to avoid purchasing from a sketchy Asian market (simply because of sanitation). Im planning on feeding a crowd, and really just that I don't want to give the weak ones a belly ache. I've found Grand Food Inc. in Hayward but there is a minimum order of 8 ducks. Thanks in advance!
What could I substitute for the maltose syrup? Dark corn syrup?
Thanks for the tip! Very much looking forward to it!
I posted a recipe for homemade Hoisin sauce - click on the Hoisin hyperlink in the recipe to find it.
Great idea and for sure more hygienic.
Thirty ago, when I was learning to cook, I made Peking Duck. I didn't have a recipe so experimented. After I marinated and blew it up with a bicycle pump, I remember tying it to our rotating Hoist Clothes line (an Australian invention) on a windy day in winter and watching it blow around the line for two days until it dried out. I wish that Chef Steps and the net had been around then. I will try this recipe but may still use the clothes line.
ISi 1L siphon with CO2 cartridges
Is there a hack for the air compressor? For me that seems to be the big gating factor for me
Thanks so much, Espen!
Hi Rafael, 55C is the middle ground for both the breast and the leg so you should be set!
Ah, great idea, Chris! We'll definitely keep this in mind for future content!
I wonder why oven rotisseries have gone out of fashion. They used to be fairly common. They self-baste and uniformly brown/crisp. I've got one in my bbq, but temperature control is hit-and-miss. I suspect a rotis might give a better result than the vertical-roast even.
To keep in tradition with the whole duck recipe, I was thinking if you could make a Canard du Presse recipe!
Here´s mine
With the air pump, you can dismantle one, use a good solvent or degreaser, clean it off thoroughly, and then use a good grade lubricant such as a vegetable oil, heck, even pure petroleum jelly would work
Thanks. that's a clear reply!
Just to say different brands have different things in them. Some photo ones are pure Nitrogen, others 90% Oxygen, but yes, most are regular air with added 'bitterants' to make it unpalatable to sniffers. As you say, maybe best to avoid all. ok, I don't fancy using bicycle pumps either... there's oils inside the pump cylinder., and no filter. Back to drawing board.
Hi Eric! This technique works great with chicken!
NO!!!!!!! Do not do this!! If you read the warning labels on the cans, they warm about eye, skin, and soft tissue contact. The substance in the cans is NOT compressed air, but a combination of chemicals which can be toxic/poisonous. If you attempt using these products in this manner, there is a good Chance you could make someone very sick or even kill them
haha. was going to ask the same question about the Bicycle pump!! I doubt CS would sanction the gas station air pump as sanitary , however if they did, I'd just call AAA to come to my house.
Could you simply use a can of 'Dust -Off' compressed air to separate the skin? Better than a bicycle pump, and not many of us have high pressure air lines in our kitchen!
Here is my question, could this same technique be applied to all birds? Have been curious about this for a passover seder for years and what curious about the possibility of serving a kosher chicken this way.
Is the same temperature (55C) good for breast and legs? Any compensation for temp difference?
My result using Heston recipe:
Been waiting for this. I did try the "Heston in search of perfection" and used my ceramic grill/smoker with a great result.
I uess this would reduce one step since i would then do the smoking and cooking part in one part.
Can't wait to try this. Awesome work guys!
