Roasted Pekin Duck with Honey & Garlic Glaze

Roasted Pekin Duck with Honey & Garlic Glaze

• Prep Time: 2 hours 10 minutes • Yields: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

Equipment:

Method:

1. Defrost whole duck in refrigerator for 2-3 days, if using a frozen duck. Then, remove giblets and neck. Rinse well, inside and out, with cold water and pat dry using paper towels. Let rest on counter for 30 minutes to come to room temperature.

2. Add honey and 3 garlic cloves to a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally to ensure honey does not burn. Once honey starts to bubble, remove from heat and let cool, enabling garlic to continue infusing in the honey.

3. Preheat oven to 425°F.

4. Use a sharp knife to score the skin of the duck’s breast in a diamond pattern. Try to only cut the skin without reaching breast meat below. If there are other fatty areas, like where the duck legs connect to the body, give those a poke or slash with your knife as well.

5. Stuff cavity of duck with garlic cloves, quartered onions, and rosemary sprigs. For a slightly different flavor profile, you can also use lemon slices or a quartered apple.

6. Fold loose skin on both ends of the duck to hold everything inside and tie duck legs with butcher’s twine or string to truss it. Tie a loop around one duck leg. Then, cross it over the other leg and wrap twine around both legs a couple of times and tie it off.

7. In a small bowl, combine salt, paprika, garlic powder, and pepper. Then, rub spices all over the duck.

8. Place duck, with the scored breast side facing up, on an oven safe wire cooking rack in a roasting pan or on a baking sheet.

9. Start roasting the duck at a higher temperature, 425°F, for 15 minutes. Then, decrease the oven temperature to 350°F and roast for 1 hour and 15 minutes. After one hour of cooking, brush half of the honey on duck and cook for 10 more minutes, before brushing remaining honey on the duck.

10. If the juices are still running pink after a total cook time of 1½ hours, roast for 15 more minutes before pulling it out of oven. Tent with foil for 15 minutes to let juices redistribute throughout the meat before carving.

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