Rotisserie Duck with Honey Glaze and Drip Pan New Potatoes. Crisp skinned roast duck with duck fat potatoes. Doesn't that sound decadent? Oh, it is. This is a great recipe to show off your rotisserie grilling skills.
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I tried a slightly different approach to my duck. Instead of poking the skin all over with a knife, I went with the slashed skin that I use when I'm searing individual duck breasts. Why? Two reasons. First, I hoped more duck fat would escape through the larger slashes. Second, diamond patterns look prettier in photos.
*Yes, I use some cooking techniques because they look good in pictures. I'm…I'm…food styling. I feel like I should be ashamed. But then I see the duck and potatoes picture, and I get over it.
Did slashing the skin help? Yes, but not as much as I expected. There was a slight improvement over poked-skin duck, a little less fat under the crispy skin. And the diamond pattern sure looks nice in the pictures. (Whoops, there I go again.) I'm going to use the slashed skin approach in the future, but if you are more comfortable poking your duck, keep doing it. Frankly, I think dry brining for 24 hours in the refrigerator crisps the skin more than slashing vs poking.
Special thanks to Jeff and Melanie at Brunty Farms for the wonderful duck I used for this recipe.
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
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Rotisserie Duck with Honey Glaze and Drip Pan New Potatoes
- Total Time: 13 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 2-4 1x
Description
Rotisserie duck, glazed with honey and lime, and served with potatoes cooked in the duck drippings.
Ingredients
- 6-pound duck
- 1 ½ tablespoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- A few thyme and rosemary sprigs, for stuffing the bird
Potatoes
- 1 ½ pounds new potatoes, halved
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
Glaze
- Juice of 1 lime (rind saved to stuff the bird)
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
- A few thyme and rosemary sprigs, tied together to make a brush
Instructions
- Dry Brine the Duck: Slash the skin and fat all over the duck in a one inch diamond pattern, being careful not to cut into the flesh. Season the duck with the salt, inside and out, and rub the salt into the slashes in the skin. Put the duck on a rack over a roasting pan or baking sheet. Store in the refrigerator, uncovered, at least overnight, or up to 48 hours before cooking. This lets the skin dry, and gives the salt time to dry brine the duck.
- Stuff, truss, and skewer the duck: Remove the duck from the refrigerator 2 hours before cooking to let it come to room temperature. Juice the lime and reserve the lime juice for the glaze, then put the lime halves and a handful of thyme and rosemary inside the duck cavity. Fold the wingtips back underneath the wings, then truss the duck. Skewer the duck on the rotisserie spit, securing it with the spit forks.
- Prepare the grill: 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. After preheating, I turn the lit burners down to medium-high.
- Prep the potatoes: While the grill is pre-heating, halve the new potatoes, toss with 2 teaspoons kosher salt, put them in a microwave safe bowl, and seal the top of the bowl with plastic wrap. Microwave for 5 minutes to par-cook, and reserve for later
- Prep the glaze: Put the reserved lime juice, honey, minced thyme, and rosemary in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Stir until the honey and lime juice are evenly mixed.
- Cook the duck and the potatoes: Put the spit on the grill, and cook the duck with the lid closed. After 45 minutes, pour the potatoes into the drip pan underneath the duck, and turn off the infrared rotisserie burner if the duck is browning well. The duck is fully cooked when the temperature in the thickest part of the thigh is 180°F; total cooking time is about an hour and a half. Once the duck is cooked through, brush it with an even layer of the glaze using the herb brush. Close the lid and cook for five more minutes to thicken the glaze, then brush the duck with another layer of glaze and remove from the grill.
- Finish the duck and potatoes: Remove the duck from the spit, and transfer to a platter. Be careful - the spit is blazing 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, then taste and sprinkle with a little more salt if necessary. Let the duck rest for 10 minutes before carving.
- Prep Time: 12 hours
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Category: Rotisserie
- Cuisine: American
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Notes
- One duck will feed 4 people, with the potatoes and another side dish. I slice the duck breast and the thighs, and serve the drumsticks and wings as crunchy snacks. If you have hearty eaters, assume they'll want half a duck - a breast and a leg. I think I can squeeze two ducks on the spit for my jumbo Weber Summit grill. What I'm trying to say is: this is a recipe for an intimate gathering, not for a crowd.
- If you like your duck breast cooked pink - medium rare to medium - this is not the recipe for you. To cook the legs through and render enough fat to crisp the skin, you have to cook the breast to well done. I like well done duck breast; the crisp skin and fat keep it juicy. But if you really want medium-rare duck breast, it needs to cook separately from the rest of the duck.
What do you think? Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
Related Posts
Rotisserie Duck Peking Style
Rotisserie Duck with Pomegranate Glaze
Basic Rotisserie Duck
Smoked Duck Recipe
Click here for my other rotisserie recipes.
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Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
You're welcome - glad you enjoyed it!
Mark Foster says
Just tried this. Very nice mate, thank you. The glaze with the lime tartness and the honey sweetness was mouth watering on the skin.
Cheers.
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
I checked the pictures out - they look great, thanks for sharing them with me!
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
That sounds fabulous! I'm glad it worked so well for you. Merry Christmas!
John says
PS.... We have pictures and videos on our facebook.. I also gave your site the credits due.
John says
Mike,
All I can say is Wonnerful Wonnerful Wonnerful. Made this for Christmas dinner followed all your suggestions but used your sweet potatoe( I need sweet Potatoes) recipe. Not a bit of left over Everyone raved about the meal and special accolades on how the glaze dripping on the sweet potatoes was fantastic. I have a gas grill and a cast iron smoke box which loaded up with orange and peach wood. My dinner was a great success. Merry Christmas and Happy New Years.
Thanks
John
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
Thanks for the feedback!
zews39 says
I don't use a drip pan on my Weber Genesis grill. I use a 12 x 17" baking sheet covered with heavy duty Aluminum foil. After all is done, all I have to do is carefully fold up the foil and all the grease is trapped inside.
zews39 says
OK, I now see that there is a bit of a larger space between the duck and potato ingredients. You may want to clarify this though, others may be confused about this also. BTW, I used 2 tsp of pepper, mixed it with the salt and rubbed it on the duck. I did not make the potatoes.
BTW, the glaze was extremely simple to make and delicious on the duck. I will try this same glaze on chicken and cornish game hen.
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
No, that's right. 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt for the duck, then 2 teaspoons of salt for the potatoes.
zews39 says
You may want to edit the ingredient list. It says:
1 (5-6 pound) duck
1 1/2 tablespoons Kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds new potatoes, halved
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
That bottom line should probably be pepper.
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
The pan doesn't fit in the kettle if I use the baskets; I only use it if I'm cooking a turkey, and want to set up a "U" of fire instead of using the charcoal baskets.
I've been looking for a pan with the same dimensions as Weber's new extra-large foil pans (8x13, I believe), but I haven't found one. I'm going to try two loaf pans, to see if they'll fit.
AdamS says
Thanks for the quick reply and the link.
I've read a lot of your recipes, and some mention your gas grill and others the kettle. What I was interested in knowing, given the dimensions for the foil pan in some recipes, is how your 11x13 pan fits in the kettle? I think a 9x12 pan is a tight fit, and that is with foil that has a bit of give. I'm using a Weber Performer grill and I have the baskets holding the coals along the sides. I just took a chicken off the spit, so maybe I'll have to measure tomorrow.
I reckon any high-heat capable pan would work fine, as long as I just stay away from teflon/non-stick varieties. Enameled, aluminum or steel is definitely what I would want to go for, in order of ease of cleaning. I am a big fan of cast iron, especially for heat retention and natural non-stick with the proper patina. Too bad it is a bit heavy for a drip pan 😉
Much appreciated (^_^)
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
Adam,
Thank you for the kind words.
My drip pan is a 11 by 13 enameled steel roasting pan from crow canyon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002N61ZM6/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002N61ZM6&linkCode=as2&tag=dadcoodin09-20
... For a cheaper version, look for granitware baking pans or turkey roasters.
Melissa Girardin says
I am not ususlly a big fan of duck but this recipe was delicious!
AdamS says
What type of drip pan is it that you use? I would like to get something similar that can be washed and used again. It would save a lot of time, money and storage space for all those aluminum foil disposable pans. Not to mention being better for the environment (^_^)
I really admire what you have put together here, and I'm a very similar non-Dad (yet!) weeknight cook who loves to grill. My wife just doesn't like to cook, and I grew up with home-cooking... so I have to do it myself. She loves it, for sure =P
I just got the rotisserie for my Weber Kettle grill and it is amazing. Thanks again for all the fine recipes and tips on here!