Duck Duck Goose Roast It Food

DUCK, DUCK, GOOSE! ROAST IT!

Steps:

• 1. Brine the bird (I have instructions for this under the title, "Brine It, Roast It,Love It!" Generally brine for 12 hours.
• 2. Place the bird, uncovered in a pan in the fridge for 12 hours to dry out.
• 3. Prepare for the oven: Both ducks and geese are exceedingly fatty. Roasting them conventionally will make a greasy mess. There are two ways to deal with this: the slow roast or the combination roast. I do the latter, but will explain both.
• 4. Pre-heat the oven to 500. Remove visible hunks of fat around neck. With a sharp fork, prick the skin all over, trying not to penetrate into the meat. Place on a v-rack and into a baking pan.Tent the bird with foil (otherwise your oven will be a smoky mess!)
• 5. Put in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, remove the bird, pour off the fat (save if you wish--just like bacon fat)Reduce oven to 300. Replace the bird into the pan, add a couple of onions, carrots and celery ribs chopped roughly to the pan, and some chicken stock to keep veggies from sticking.
• 6. Baste the bird with the molasses/soy marinade, and place in oven for 15 minutes. Remove and give bird a quarter turn, rebaste. Continue doing this until all 4 sides have been "up". This takes an hour.
• 7. I like to end with the bird breast down. Continue roasting until thigh reaches 165 degrees. Somewhere around another 1 1/2 hours. Let the thermometer be your guide. The temp will stay low and then suddenly shoot up rapidly, so do check every 20 min or so.
• 8. The other method is to slow roast from the beginning at 275, turning every thirty minutes or so, and basting. (I prefer the former, since I like to get all that fat out of the pan and let my aromatics in and hope for some drippings to use in the gravy.
• 9. As to either duck or goose, removed when done and let rest for at least 30 minutes. If it gets done way too early, (which is preferable of course rather than too late)keep tented until about 30 min before eating and warm in a 225 oven. Nobody every complains about cold meat! Room temperature is fine surrounded by all the hot sides.The packaging usually gives some general rules for timing as well.

ROAST DUCK

Steps:

• Unwrap the ducks and allow them to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. With a fork, prick the skin without piercing the meat. This will allow the fat to drain off while the ducks cook.
• Meanwhile, in a very large stock pot which can hold the 2 ducks, heat the chicken broth with 1 tablespoon of kosher salt until it boils. Add the ducks very carefully and bring the stock back to a boil. If there isn't enough stock to cover the ducks, add the hottest tap water to cover. If the ducks float to the top, place a plate on top to keep them immersed. When the stock comes back to a boil, lower the heat and simmer the ducks in the stock for 45 minutes.
• When the ducks are finished simmering, skim off enough duck fat from the top of the stock to pour a film on the bottom of a 14 by 18 by 3-inch roasting pan. This will keep the ducks from sticking when they roast. Carefully take the ducks out of the stock, holding them over the pot to drain. Place them in the roasting pan, pat the skin dry with paper towels, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt and the pepper. If you have time, allow the ducks to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow the skin to dry.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. (Be sure your oven is very clean or it will smoke!) Roast the ducks for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow them to rest, covered with aluminum foil, for 20 minutes. Serve warm.

BASIC DUCK STOCK

Steps:

• Coat the carcasses and various bird bits with oil. Salt them well and put in a large roasting pan. Put in the oven, turn on the oven to 400°F, and roast for about 1 hour, until well browned.
• Meanwhile, score the pig's foot all over, or chop the duck feet with a cleaver or other heavy knife, to break the skin and expose the joints and bones. There is collagen in the feet that will seep into the water and give the finished stock more body.
• When the carcasses are ready, remove them from the oven and chop them into large pieces with heavy kitchen shears or a cleaver. This will make it possible to fit them all into your stockpot. Transfer them to a large stockpot and add the feet. Pour in cold water to cover everything by about 1 inch. Turn the heat to medium, bring to a bare simmer, and cook very gently for 2 to 8 hours. Do not let this boil.
• Meanwhile, put the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic in the roasting pan and stir to coat with the fat that has rendered from the duck bits. If you are using domestic ducks or fatty wild ones, you may have too much fat: if you have a pool of fat at the bottom of the roasting pan, drain off all but about 3 tablespoons. You can strain the fat and reuse it (it's great for roasting potatoes). Put the vegetables in the oven and roast for about 45 minutes, until browned.
• When the vegetables are browned, pour about 4 cups water into the roasting pan and scrape up any browned bits with a wooden spoon.
• When the stock has simmered for at least 2 hours, add the vegetables, the liquid from the roasting pan, and all the remaining ingredients. Stir well and simmer, uncovered, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours longer.
• Turn off the heat and strain the stock. Set up a fine-mesh sieve over another large pot (you may need 2 pots if you don't have a second large pot). Line the sieve with a piece of plain paper towel or cheesecloth and ladle the stock through the sieve. Change the paper towel or rinse the cheesecloth once or twice. This step is vital to making a clear stock. Do not attempt to capture the last dregs of stock at the bottom of the pot, or you will have cloudy stock.
• Your stock is now ready. Season to taste with salt, adding a little at a time. Skip the salting if you want to further concentrate flavors by simmering the strained stock for as long as you like. Check every 15 minutes or so to see if the flavor is as you want it.
• Transfer the stock to jars, let cool, cover, and refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 9 months. Alternatively, pressure can the stock and store for up to 1 year.