Cooking Duck Breasts: Tips and Techniques

[Anna N]

So Kerry Beal was out shopping today and so was I - in different stores in different towns. I had just put down a rather pathetic frozen duck when my cell phone rang. It was Kerry. She had just found 2 FRESH Brome Lake ducks marked down 30% and wondered if she should grab them for me. I jumped at the offer and have spent the afternoon trying to get every last ounce of value out of them. I broke them down and have 4 good sized breasts and 4 good sized legs. The livers are ready to go into the freezer. The carcasses, necks, and other innards are roasting in the oven preparatory to becoming duck glace and every ounce of fat and skin that I could scrounge off them is now rendering into liquid gold on the stove top. One duck breast is enough for me and Hubby with an appetizer before hand and a dessert after and we are both satisfied with one duck leg each so that's 6 meals plus the bonuses of glace and duck fat. Life doesn't get much better than that.

[FoodMuse]

Reviving this looking for advice.

I have 3 big Magret duck breasts(4 lb total) in the fridge for Xmas that will be supplemented by a spiral ham. I confess I freak out just a bit when I have things that need last minute fiddling on a holiday. I've cooked duck breast for 2, but never for more.

I have a total of 8 for Xmas lunch and would love if I could sear the duck breasts 2 hours before and then stick in the oven with a my great kitchen thermometer that beeps when it reaches whatever temp duck breast is rare at. What is that temp?

Thoughts? Advice? Can I sear in advance then pop in the oven to finish melting away some fat? That's my main question. How can I partially cook magret duck breast then roast in oven last 10 to 30 min?

I swear all that fat will go to good use.

Edited December 23, 2010 by FoodMuse (log)

[hansjoakim]

Happy new year everyone!

I'd like to prepare a risotto with duck breast as a special treat this weekend, and I'm curious about how to best cook the duck breasts.

I have two duck breasts weighing approx. 300 grams each. I've googled a bit, and there seems to be (at least) two schools on how to best cook duck breasts.

The first, which I've used previously with great success, is as follows:

Make incisions in skin, season with salt and pepper and place, skin side down, in a cold pan. Turn the heat to high under the pan, and cook for approx. 6 mins. Flip over and cook another minute. Place the breasts on a preheated baking tray and bake in a 200 dC oven 7 - 8 mins. Cool 10 mins before slicing.

The other method, which I'm curious about, follows the same initial procedure, but says that the breasts should be baked in an 80 dC oven for roughly 20 mins. In both cases, the core temperature of the breasts should be between 58 and 62 dC.

What are the differences between a quick (high oven) cooking method and a slower (low oven) one?

As I'm planning on serving the breasts with a risotto, placing the partly cooked breasts in a low oven for 20 mins frees up a sufficient time slot so that I can concentrate fully on making the risotto while the breasts finish in the oven.

Any thoughts, experiences and ideas are most welcome!

[Special K]

It seems to me that as long as you sear the breasts first, the only difference between a quick (high oven) cooking method and a slower (low oven) one is time. Macht nichts.

I would skip the move from the pan to a pre-heated baking tray and just do the whole thing in a cast-iron skillet, first on the burner, then straight into the oven. If I were making a risotto, I'd certainly use the slower cooking method for the breasts. And save that duck fat!!

Edited January 4, 2011 by Special K (log)

[robirdstx]

I am in favor of doing it slow (for about twenty minutes) but in the pan on the stove, not in the oven. Start out with the cold cast iron pan but then cook it low and slow to melt off most of the fat (skimming the fat as you go) and raising the heat at the end for crisping the skin, then flip the breast and cook the other side for a minute or two, remove from pan and rest. Check out this thread: Duck Breast

[Calw]

If you are going to pre-slice before serving and you like the rarer flavor and texture of duck breast, I'd do the former.

The lower heat will more slowly reach the core tissue and it will be more tender for a more medium cooked breast. More heat makes the tissue seize up, so a lower heat will help keep it tender as it cooks beyond rare. The other worry I have on the length is over shooting your doneness mark - can't un-ring the bell on that one!

[hansjoakim]

Thanks for your replies, everyone!

Know what, I think I'll try the long and slow method. Like Gordon Ramsay here, but with a lower oven setting so that it finishes in approx. 20 mins. Thanks again!

PS: Every last drop of fat will be saved

[Shalmanese]

I sear only on the skin side while spooning hot fat over the meat side, no oven. This way maximizes the amount of time spent rendering the skin while applying gentle heat to the meat. Comes out perfect every time.

[Eastgate]

Consider hot-smoking the duck breas over fruitvwood. If you like duck with sweet flavor (ast I do) baste the duck for the last 5 min with thyme-infused honey.

Edited January 6, 2011 by Eastgate (log)

[budrichard]

The first and most important question is what type of duck do you have?

Most commercial ducks sold are Pekin with a few Muscovy's thrown in from time to time.

The Muscovy's are larger and if aged usually maker a better seared and served rare type of preparation. Pekins can go either way but they vary in quality from supplier to supplier. Some Pekins are just downright tough, especially those sold frozen. I usually try to acquire my Pekins fresh from a local supplier and use the frozen low cost Pekins for slow braise preparations. Some of the best aged Muscovy duck breasts come from Hudson Valley Farms but at a cost.

What type of duck do you have?-Dick

[hansjoakim]

Hi Dick,

Thanks for your reply! The supplier lists the ducks as "ducks with ancestors imported from Cherry Valley, UK". I know Cherry Valley is a large producer of duck meat in the UK, but do they also have their own type of duck, the Cherry Valley duck? I believe they are slightly heavier than Muscovy ducks.

Each breast is approx. 300 gr. This weekend, I cooked it according to:

- Place in cold pan, skin side down. Turn heat to max and cook 5 mins. Turn down slightly, flip breast over and cook briefly. Let rest under tin foil some 10 mins.

- Apply thin coating of liquid honey, some coarsely chopped cloves and cinnamon and some gratings of lemon zest.

- Finished cooking in oven at 180C, approx. 8 mins, then rest 15 mins before cutting.

I used a digital thermometer, and removed the breasts when their core temperature was 58C. Served with pan-fried polenta and roasted apples. Absolutely stellar.

[budrichard]

Glad it turned out well, there is nothing better than a properly cooked rare duck breast in a sweet and savory sauce!

According to the website your duck was a Pekin. http://www.cherryvalley.co.uk/our-ducks -Dick

Edited January 10, 2011 by budrichard (log)

[kayb]

Bumping this one up because I need to call on the collective expertise here. Having had my first duck confit and loved it, I've sucked it up and ordered duck legs and fat from Hudson Valley Foie Gras. While I was ordering, I decided to order the aged moulard breast as well. I want to try to smoke it. Can someone give me guidance? I do my smoking on a barrel grill, with indirect heat on either end and the meat in the middle; not ideal, but it works nicely. How hot a fire? How long?

Particularly, can I put down a drip pan and save the fat that renders out, or will it taste too smoky for reuse?

[budrichard]

Bumping this one up because I need to call on the collective expertise here. Having had my first duck confit and loved it, I've sucked it up and ordered duck legs and fat from Hudson Valley Foie Gras. While I was ordering, I decided to order the aged moulard breast as well. I want to try to smoke it. Can someone give me guidance? I do my smoking on a barrel grill, with indirect heat on either end and the meat in the middle; not ideal, but it works nicely. How hot a fire? How long?

Particularly, can I put down a drip pan and save the fat that renders out, or will it taste too smoky for reuse?

The Moulard breasts from Hudson Valley are really made for searing to a rare doneness.

Unless you smoke cold or smoke at a very low temperature, I would be concerned you will wind up with a tough product. In any event, the rendered fat will be of no use if you could collect any at all.-Dick

[thirtyoneknots]

I bow to Dick's experience with regard to the use for this particular make and model, but for smoking duck breasts in general I've had good results dredging in the dry cure mix from Polcyn & Ruhlman's Charcuterie, letting it sit for 3-4 hours, then rinsing off the cure and rubbing again with black pepper and dried sage, then smoking 2-3 hours over fruit woods. Delicious hammy duck flavor.

[kayb]

Thanks, folks.

[Pekin Paradise]

About 8 times per year, I have to prepare anywhere from 40 to 100 duck breasts (80 to 200 lobes). Our objective is to demonstrate the taste and succulence of our ducklings. Since I am grilling in a public arena, I also have to be sensitive to smoke and flare-ups. Therefore I do most of the grilling the day before the event. Here's a basic procedure for Pekin Duck:

1. Make some duck stock.

2. Get fresh....not frozen duck breasts….yes, there is a noticeable difference.

3. Trim the fat off the sides of the breasts.

4. Score the top layer of fat without cutting into the red meat. This facilitates fat rendering; cooks the meat evenly; and, maintains succulence.

5. Rub with Kosher salt, black pepper, red pepper flake, and garlic.

6. Place the breasts in duck stock overnight.

7. Grill the breasts over a high open flame, fat side down for about 45 seconds…turn and repeat.

8. Lower the flame and cook for about 3-4 minutes, depending on your heat source. Basically, you want the meat to just reach an extremely rare state.

9. Cool and place in fresh duck stock. Do not use the stock from Step 6. Let this sit overnight.

Then at the show, all I have to do is grill the partially-cooked breasts for a few minutes. The chefs will typically ask for a slice of breast to taste-test. Once they experience the succulence, they will gladly accept a duck breast sandwich topped with either our Apple Bourbon Chutney or English Onion Petals.

One variation is to freeze the partially grilled breasts in the duck stock. Quite frankly, I can never tell the difference and this comes in handy for short notice events.

[Anna N]

So I am reading a recipe for a duck breast which instructs me to trim the fat down to 1/4" but no more else the skin won't crisp properly. How? The skin remains attached. What am I missing?

[Chris Hennes]

I don't see how that can be right if the skin stays attached: you're sure that it doesn't get removed and then reattached, or cooked separately? What is the source of the recipe?

[nickrey]

Perhaps it is referring to the fat and skin overlap that often occurs around the meat duck breast. Normally the instruction would be to trim excess skin; perhaps they are saying trim excess fat instead.

[ChrisTaylor]

My assumption is the same as Nick's: if you've removed the breast from the bird you'll have a little 'overhang'. Trim the excess. Clean it, in other words, the way you would a chicken breast that you've removed from a bird purchased whole. Of course, if you purchase it pre-butchered it's probably already been cleaned up.

[Anna N]

Thanks. I have prepped many, many duck breasts but these instructions just seem really odd to me.

[gulfporter]

Love crisp duck breast, but oh, the splatter!  

 

My new method is to use an old dented cake tin, line it with parchment paper and sear it on the side burner of my gas grill for 10-12 minutes on skin side, medium flame.  At the same time, I use the grill itself for the side, usually grilled radicchio or asparagus.  After the duck beast skin is crisp, I flip it and park the tin on the high rack inside the grill at around 375 degrees for a few minutes.  Bring it in the house, let it rest a few more minutes, then enjoy.  

[Smithy]

That's a nice technique, gulfporter. Thanks for posting about it.

[FeChef]

Im guessing your grill is splatter proof?