I am looking for a recipe for whole duck sous vide. Can anyone help?
Two days ago ScubaBob described his technique for SV cooking a whole turkey. You might find it helpful, but first you might want to consider why you haven’t found a recipe yet.
Also consider the degree of doneness do you expect?
Here’s my suggestions for your challenge:
- Instead of Scuba’s cooking temperature of 145F you might use 165F.
- I’d skip his smoking step and the bifurcated SV cooking period for food safety reasons.
- I’d skip the produce filling too.
- Prick the skin all over with a sharp fork or a paring knife to help release melting fat.
- Use an extra large Zip-Loc Freezer bag for cooking. It should hold a 6-pound duck.
- Scuba’s technique of adding stock to the turkey in the bag was useful in conducting heat to the interior. You would want to have the duck’s cavity completely filled with stock. Don’t seal the cavity. Use the water displacement method to expel air as you seal the bag by hand.
- As a guesstimate, 3 1/2 hours would be the minimum cooking time to use and then finish it in a very hot oven to render more fat and brown the skin.
- After the SV cooking check the internal temperature in a few places to ensure doneness.
- Save the duck fat and fluids from the bag, they are delicious and useful.
- Perhaps you want to confit the whole duck. If so, i’d cook it for 12 to 20 hours.
Please share your results with your Community.
Can anyone help with a SV recipe for a whole cow?
Cat…Yes. I have an extra-large body bag from an undisclosed military location. I Normally use my hot springs spa as I can get the temp up to 130 if i bypass the thermistor. Also I can rotate the jets to actively massage the steer as it slowly circles the deep end. Try to keep the dichlor levels on the low side as it will affect the taste if the bag ruptures. Figuring the steer is about 36" wide its just a matter of doing the math for doneness. Good luck!
Brilliant WhyBuy, i’m glad i saved my gantry with its block and tackle from doing engine swaps to get that critter in and out of the tub. The rest should be easy. About 18 hours should do it.
How do i know?
Done it before.
I once had the experience of working with Walter Jetton. He did things big too. At one of his BBQs he served 12,000 diners. He came up to Lake Placid for a week. All his cooking was over open pit hardwood fires. His famous, “Ox Roast” on a spit was amazing. We turned and mopped it continuously for 18 hours.
Duck breast is normally done medium rare with a crispy skin.
Would it not be better to cook the breast meat separately from the rest?
John, you are so correct!
Of course it most certainly would be better to cook the breast meat separately. It’s the only way i’ll cook it. I like it cooked rare with a tasty crisp skin.
I have had bits from whole roast duck a few times in the past few years and each time was a disappointment. The legs were underdone and the breasts were overdone.
I don’t understand the fixation on cooking the duck whole when its parts are so much better when cooked separately.
I hope no one asks for a whole lamb recipe.
I agree about the preference for cooking separately, but if you’ve ever had braised duck in a really good Chinese restaurant, you’d find that it can be fantastic. And it seems like sous vide would be perfect for this dish.
I don’t have a recipe handy for Chinese braised duck (you can Google one), but sous vide for 8hrs at 170 should give you great results. I would consider removing the skin to eliminate excess fat, else you can skim after. And cut duck in half for better heat transfer. Add recipe ingredients, seal and go!
If you don’t want to head the Chinese route, “Provencal style” with tomatoes and herbs could be great, or cook with a little onion, garlic and bay leaf, then shred and add to mole sauce for enchiladas or use in tacos.