When it comes to cooking duck, as duck farmers it’s something that we should know something about. While we’re often roasting whole duck and getting crispy skin and moist meat, we don’t always branch out with our spice combination!
That’s why we we’re super excited to discover an amazing Asian 5-Spice Powder blend from our friend and fellow farmer, Stephen at Elam Gardens. It’s a blend of pepper (black and Sichuan), fennel, cloves, star anise, cinnamon, and allspice. You can sprinkle this delicious rub onto your duck and cook it the way you like best. Here’s what we’ve been into lately:
- Preheat your oven to 375.
- Score the skin of the bird everywhere except the legs. Be sure that your scores are deep enough to reach through the skin and into the fat but not so deep that you see the meat through your cut.
- Sprinkle salt and Asian 5-Spice Powder both both sides of the bird.
- Select a large and deep oven dish and either add a small metal rack or cut up veggies to lift the bird a half-inch or so off the bottom of the dish.
- Add a quarter-inch of water to the pan.
- Place the bird, breast side up, on the rack/veggies.
- Cook on 375 for 2-2.5 hours, depending on bird size. Note that it’s hard to overlook duck, so if you like really crispy skin, you can get that without sacrificing the meat! Go for it!