My Peking Duck straight out of the oven ready for Mrs. Redneck and her chopper!Chinese roast duck (or Peking duck) is one of my all-time favourite Chinese dishes and has become a regular item on the Redneck’s menu for the last 8 years or so. At least once a month, we would purchase duck as a take-away from our local Chinese Restaurant until one day, shock, horror, we discovered that the place had closed down and was replaced by a Laundromat. The thought of travelling long distances in the evening just to get a take-away did not appeal so we decided to cook our own. Fortunately at about the same time reasonable priced frozen duck became available in local stores (they were as hard to find as ducks teeth prior to this).
The recipe I use is a bit of a “work in progress” as it is constantly being refined and improved, when I am happy with it I will post the recipe. We in fact have two recipes, mine and Mrs. Rednecks and the “jury is out” as to which is the best. My version has crispier skin which is vital for a good Peking duck while hers is easier to prepare, but as previously mentioned some more trials are required as the missus wants me to marinate the thing overnight to provide a better flavour and I want to cook longer for a crispier skin. Both recipes use an airbed pump and a ball-inflating needle to force air between the ducks skin and fat which helps the crisping process – a bit messy but worth it. The cooking time and oven temperature is critical as the duck burns easily due to the sweet marinade. My very first effort was rather dark (read black!) – The skin was nice and crispy though!
Half of the duck chopped-up by the missus ready for serving (the rest goes to the freezer). ETA : Recipe available here
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