Peking duck is a classic recipe at the Chinese-American restaurants I grew up with. Much to my surprise, it's an authentic Chinese recipe as well. This post was inspired by Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations in Beijing. The Li Qun Roast Duck Restaurant cooks their ducks by hanging them over a roaring fire in a huge wood fired oven. I took one look at the ducks browning over the fire, and I knew I had to try it myself.
*If you've enjoyed Tony's books and TV shows, you might want to check this out. His...well, warped sense of humor is in full view in: Anthony Bourdain's Alternate Universe. It's the Tony Bourdain cartoon! Just don't say I didn't warn you about the "warped" part...
Recipe: Rotisserie Peking Duck
Equipment
- Grill with Rotisserie attachment (I use a Weber Summit with an infrared rotisserie burner. Here is the current version of my grill.)
- Aluminum foil drip pan (9“x13”, or whatever fits your grill. I use an enameled steel roasting pan.)
- Butchers twine
- Instant Read Thermometer
Rotisserie Peking Duck
- Total Time: 9 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 2-4 1x
Description
Rotisserie Duck, Peking Style - a Chinese classic on the grill.
Ingredients
- 1 (6-pound) duck
- 3 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or 1 ½ teaspoons table salt)
For the cavity
- ½ tangerine (or orange)
- 2 scallions, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 3 slices of ginger (each roughly the size of a quarter)
- ½ tsp five spice powder
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Sauce
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- Juice of ½ tangerine (or orange)
Instructions
- Dry Brine the Duck: 24 to 48 hours before you want to start cooking, salt the duck evenly, inside and out. Put the duck on a rack over a roasting pan or baking sheet, and store in the refrigerator, uncovered. (This dries out the skin to help it crisp up, and gives the salt time to dry brine the duck.)
- Prep the duck: One hour before cooking, remove the duck from the refrigerator. Put all the stuffing ingredients except for the half a tangerine into a small bowl. Toss the stuffing ingredients until well coated with the oil and five spice powder. Pat the duck dry with paper towels, then poke the skin on the breast and thighs all over with a paring knife, being careful not to pierce the meat. (I do this by coming at the duck from a very low angle, almost parallel to the skin.) Stuff the duck with the half a tangerine and the stuffing mix. Finally, truss the duck, and skewer it on your rotisserie spit. Let it rest at room temperature while you prepare the grill.
- Set the grill up for indirect medium-high heat: Set the grill up for rotisserie cooking at medium-high heat (400°F). For my Weber Summit, I remove the grill grates, turn the two outer burners (burners 1 and 6) to high, and turn the infrared burner to high. Then I put my drip pan in the middle, over the unlit burners, and let the grill preheat for ten to fifteen minutes.
- Make the sauce: While the grill is preheating, put all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
- Cook the duck: Put the spit on the grill, and cook the duck with the lid closed for 1 to 2 hours. After 45 minutes, check the duck; if the duck is browning well, turn off the infrared rotisserie burner (or reduce the heat to medium - 350°F). The duck is done when it reaches 180°F in the deepest part of the thigh, about an hour and a half of total cooking time. Brush the duck with sauce, close the lid, and cook for another five minutes to tighten up the sauce. Brush the duck with another layer of the sauce, then take it off the grill.
- Carve the duck: Remove the duck from the rotisserie spit (carefully - it is branding iron hot), and cut away the twine. Let the duck rest for 10 minutes. Cut off the wings and legs, and serve them bone in; carve the breasts off the carcass, and slice them into ½" thick slices. I like to serve by putting the carved pieces of duck on a platter and drizzling with a little of the sauce. Then I give everyone a little bowl of sauce for dipping, and let them serve themselves from the platter.
- Prep Time: 8 hours
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Category: Rotisserie
- Cuisine: Chinese
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Notes:
*I serve this with a side of white rice and a stir-fried vegetable or two. Any leftover sauce is great drizzled on the rice.
*For Peking duck in the style of your local Chinese restaurant, you should also serve Chinese pancakes and scallion shreds on the side. You should be able to find the pancakes at your local asian market.
Questions? Suggestions? Ideas? Leave them in the comments.
Related Posts:
Rotisserie Duck
Stir Fried Bok Choy
Basic White Rice
Adapted From: Steven Raichlen's Rotisserie episode of "Primal Grill"
 Check out my cookbook, Rotisserie Grilling.
Everything you could ask about the rotisserie, It's a Kindle e-book, so you can download it and start reading immediately! |
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Sarah says
The best duck I have ever had. So juicy, sweet and salty. Will definitely be cooking again
Mike Vrobel says
Glad you liked it!
Laurie Schaefer says
Very delicious!! 2.5 hours in our showtime rotisserie. Did not use 5 spice but used everything else in recipe! Was the star of our Thanksgiving meal! Definitely try this!
Mike Vrobel says
Thanks!
Dan P says
Delicious!!! We did this over charcoal on my basic 22" Weber with an EZ Que rotisserie. 2 hours was spot on, and done perfectly. Thanks for posting this sir, we will for sure do this again for friends and family!
Matthias says
I was considering (based on a recipe from Cooks Illustrated) to "steam" the duck prior to putting it on the rotisserie... The idea being that you can get rid of some of the fat and also get it partially cooked. Not sure if the added moisture would kill your chances of getting crispy skin... Thoughts?
Mike Vrobel says
I think it will give you crispier skin, as long as you dry the skin afterwards. It seems like a lot of work, and not worth the effort - that’s why I’ve never tried it.
Mark says
Hey Mike. Duck is my desert island protein! Great recipe. I'm planning on doing this on my Weber gold (charcoal) with the rotisserie, which renders some seriously tasty chicken in about an hour. Do you think the duck carcass can be used to make a duck soup the day after? Also Steven Raichlen has a killer recipe for Scallion pancakes that I've used for years. A little more effort than buying buns but so worth it!
Mike Vrobel says
Yes, absolutely use the duck carcass for soup - it’s a great idea.
Paul Hunter says
Mike - first inspire to make this recipe when I bought your book. Found this updated version, made some comparisions with Raichlen's recipe, and ran with this one with just a few personal small tweaks. This one is a keeper!
This just might be a great base for Chinese BBQ ribs!!!
Oh and the Crow Canyon Enamelware Roasting Pan is a must own!
(BTW the book is a great inspiration for dinner ideas!).
Mike Vrobel says
Thank you!
John says
Delicious, Very Very close to the au authentic Beijing Peking duck
Horatio Magellan says
For your regular rotisserie chicken recipe, you salt under the breast skin. Is this not done here? In other words, do you salt over the skin?
Mike V says
It's a real pain to separate the duck skin from the meat, so I skip it. That said, if you're willing to do the work to separate it, it can't hurt.
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
Good idea! I added it to the recipe.
Martin says
Hi Mike...maybe u should include that step in the method. Seems to me it would add great flavour and crispiness.
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
No, I don't marinate the duck. The color is from basting the duck with the sauce at the end of cooking.
MrLucyTheBoxer says
Hi, do you marinade the duck in a sauce or anything before you put it on the bbq? Is the colour of the skin in your photos just the natural browning of the skin?
MikeV @ DadCooksDinner says
@A Year on the Grill
Thanks! It was delicious. Enjoy it!
A Year on the Grill says
Oh boy this looks great! wonderful instructions, I will be looking for duck on sale now