rotisserie duck

2015-02-10

Rotisserie is something that I’ve attempted only a few times at home, and not with great success.

My little table oven was limited to 5 lbs., but it really struggled to keep even 4 lbs. turning. I had to wrap that duck with twine for it to stay on that spit and turn. Not surprisingly, that rotisserie oven didn't survive long.

What I did wasn't as fancy as the recipe below. I trussed up my duck and let that little table oven struggle to get it cooked. Pekins are slightly over its 5-lbs. weight-limit. They have a longer and thinner body than chickens of the same weight. I got it done eventually . As you can see in Pic2, I even basted a few times. But I don't really have anything nice to show for this particular kitcheneering adventure.

INGREDIENTS

This is what you need for 4 servings:

duck:

4-5 lb. Pekin duck
S&P, spices
thyme and rosemary fresh
or 2 tbsp. dried

potatoes:

1½ pounds new potatoes, halved
S&P

glaze:

Juice of 1 lime (rind saved to stuff the bird)
3 tbsp. honey
1 tsp. minced fresh thyme
½ tsp. minced fresh rosemary

Pic1: rotisserie duck - internet picture

Directions

Optional: dry brine the duck:

Slash or poke the skin and fat all over the duck in a one inch diamond pattern.
Do not to cut into the flesh.
Rub the duck with mixture of olive oil, S&P and spices inside and out.
Place the duck on a wire grill over a shallow tray.
Store in the refrigerator, uncovered for up to 48 hours before cooking.

Stuff, truss, and skewer the duck:

Let the duck come to room temperature 2 hrs.
Juice the lime. Reserve the lime juice.
Place the lime halves and a handful of thyme and rosemary inside the duck cavity.
Fold the wingtips back underneath the wings and truss the duck.
Skewer the duck on the rotisserie spit, securing it with the spit forks.

Prepare the oven:

Preheat the oven to 300 °F.
Place a drip pan underneath the skewer. (Pic1)

Prep the potatoes:

Parboil the potatoes for 5 minutes.
Toss with 2 tsp. coarse salt.

Prep the glaze:

Combine and heat the glaze ingredients. Stir until smooth.

Cook the duck and the potatoes:

Mount the spit on the grill, and cook the duck with the lid closed.
After 60 minutes, pour the potatoes into the drip pan underneath the duck.
The duck is fully cooked when the temperature in the thickest part of the thigh is 150 °F; about 2 hrs.

Apply the glaze:

Brush the duck with an even layer of the glaze.
Cook for five more minutes to thicken the glaze.
Repeat 4-5 times.

Finish the duck and potatoes:

Remove the duck from the spit, and transfer to a platter.
Be careful. The spit is hot.
Remove the twine from the duck, then brush the duck once more with the glaze.
Remove the potatoes from the drip pan with a slotted spoon.
Adjust seasoning if necessary.
Rest the duck for 10 minutes before carving.
Serve and enjoy.

Pic2+3: my rotisserie duck

See also: Deming, NM gardens, animals and more and avemariasongs.org

See also: Deming, NM gardens, animals and more
and avemariasongs.org