After 18 months now and 100 ducks, i have finally achieved what i went out to do all those months ago. I have finally managed to get the breast skin crispy and lacquered with the flesh moist and juicy. How you ask me? well here is a brief breakdown of the method. I have no bothered to go into too much details as much of it is mentioned in the original post on Peking duck.
1. Defrost the duck overnight (as mentioned previously, frozen ones yield a better finished product)
2. Remove the gizzards.
3. Cut off the wing tips and use this as an entry point for the nib of a pump.
4. Pump air through here and also through the flap at the bottom of the breast.
5. Stick your finger in between the flesh and skin and carefully tear the skin away from the pivot bone of the flesh.
6. Blanch the skin with boiling water, each time alternating between the boiling water and an iced water bath.
7. Insert corks in between the skin and the flesh, one at the top of the breast and one at the bottom.
8.Dip the duck in liquid nitrogen allowing a few minutes in between each dip.
9. Hang the duck in front of a fan for 1 hour to dry out the skin a little, allowing the glaze to stick better.
10. Now for the glaze:
i. 1500ml water.
ii. 3 tbs maltose.
iii. 2 tbs Shaoshing wine.
iv. 2 tbs red wine vinegar.
bring this mixture to the boil and then thicken slightly with corn flour, it should however not be gloopy at all, it should still run like a viscous liquid. Pour the cooled glaze over the duck several times to avoid missing any patches, paying special attention to the area under the wing.
11. Hang the duck in front of a fan and leave to blow dry for 24 hours.
12. After this drying period, the skin should be dry, dark in colour and have a waxy finish.
13. Hang the duck in the oven (or do a DIY job in enabling your oven to be able to accommodate a hanging oven)
14. Set the oven to its highest temperature and cook for 40 mins, checking every 10 mins for the appearance of dark batches, in which case, the duck will have to be turned. ( this ultimately is the advantage of the oval shaped ovens used in China, to allow an even distribution of heat around the duck, preventing uneven cooking and therefore dark patches on the duck where extra heat has been able to penetrate the duck.
15. After 40 mins, the duck will be golden, reddish brown in colour, crisp as hell and there will be a pool of clear duck fat on the base of the oven.
16.Leave to hang for a few minutes before cutting and giving yourself heart failure with copious amounts of crisp skin that will be eaten.
FINALLY, in the words of Gordon Ramsay, 'Peking duck DONE'
If you ever wanted to know how to carve it, here is a demonstration from Hong Kong's 3 michelin star Lung King Heen. In all honesty, this duck looks the bollocks, but the skin is nowhere near crispy enough, if you want the ultimate duck, here is a better video below.
Look at the gap in between the flesh and the skin, this is the secret behind getting the ultimate Peking duck!
For all those who may feel inclined to try this at home, don't bother, just get your wallet out and go to Beijing!
