Whole Roasted Duck with Orange and Star Anise
An overnight dry brine and a two-temperature roast render a whole duck down to shattering skin, no basting required.
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 20 min (plus overnight dry brine)
- Cook
- 2 hr
- Written
Method
-
Pat the duck dry inside and out, then prick the skin all over with a skewer, angling shallow so you hit fat but not meat, so it has somewhere to escape as it renders.
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Salt the duck heavily inside and out and set it uncovered on a rack over a tray in the fridge overnight, until the skin looks dry and papery to the touch.
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Bring the duck to room temperature and stuff the cavity with the orange halves, star anise, garlic, and ginger.
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Heat the oven to 300°F. Set the duck breast-up on a rack over a roasting pan.
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Whisk the honey, soy sauce, and vinegar and brush half over the duck.
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Roast until the fat has rendered into the pan and the skin is pale gold, about 1½ hours, pouring off the fat from the pan partway through if it’s collecting fast.
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Raise the oven to 425°F, brush on the rest of the glaze, and roast until the skin is deep mahogany and crackling and a thigh reads 165°F, 25 to 30 minutes more.
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Rest the duck 15 minutes before carving, then scatter with scallions.
Notes
The skin is the whole point, and it comes down to two things: drying it out overnight so there’s no surface moisture left to steam it, and the low, slow first hour that melts the fat out before the oven ever gets hot enough to burn the outside. Skip the dry brine and you’re roasting a duck that never quite crisps.
Save the rendered fat — strain it and it keeps in the fridge for months, and there is no better medium for roasting potatoes. The pan drippings, orange, and aromatics left after roasting also make the start of a very good gravy if you deglaze the pan with a splash of stock.