BBQ DUCK RECIPE CHINESE RECIPES

Steps:

• Duck is notoriously a fatty bird, to diminish the fat and produce a crispy skin, begin by trimming the excess fat from the neck and body. Rinse the duck, inside and out, and pat dry thoroughly with paper towels. Combine the Chinese five-spice, sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture all over the duck, inside and out. Salt and five-spice powder makes a fragrant dry marinade, which draws some of the moisture from the duck so that the spices penetrate. Stuff the duck cavity with the aromatics: the ginger, garlic, green onions, and tangerine peel. Fold the wing tips back under the duck and tie the legs together with kitchen string. Poke the duck breast a few times, piercing the skin.
• Place a roasting pan on the stovetop over 2 burners and fill with 2-inches of water, turn the heat to medium. Set a V-rack insert inside the pan and lay the duck on the rack, breast-side up. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Steam the duck for 45 minutes, checking the water level periodically. Steaming the duck first melts away some of the fat and shrinks the skin.
• In a small saucepan combine the vinegar, honey, and soy sauce over low heat. Cook and stir for 5 minutes until thick. The duck will be lacquered with the sweet glaze, which caramelizes during roasting, making the skin crisp and brown.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Take the foil off the duck, remove the rack with the duck, and pour out the water and all the fat that has rendered out (this is great to use in other dishes like fried rice.) Put the rack with the duck back inside the roasting pan. Baste the duck with the vinegar mixture, until all the skin is completely coated in the glaze. Stick the whole thing in the oven. Roast the duck for 1 hour, basting periodically with any remaining glaze to set in a deep mahogany color. Tent the breast with some foil if it gets too dark. The legs will wiggle easily when it's done. Carve and serve.

Steps:

• If using charcoal briquets, ignite 40 briquets on the firegrate of a barbecue, let burn until coals are dotted with ash, about 20 minutes, then push half the coals to each side of the grate. Set a foil drip pan (about 8 by 12 in.--slightly longer and wider than duck--and at least 1 in. deep) on firegrate between mounds of coals. Set grill in place. Add 4 briquets to each mound of coals now and every 30 minutes of cooking.
• If using a gas barbecue, turn heat to high and close lid for at least 10 minutes. Adjust heat to medium and burners for indirect cooking. Put drip pan between ignited burners. Set grill in place.
• Meanwhile, remove giblets from 1 duck (about 5 lb.) and reserve for other uses. Rinse, drain, and pat bird dry. Discard lumps of fat. With a fork, pierce just through skin all over at about 1-inch intervals. Fold wing tips under back. Pin neck skin to back of duck with a metal skewer. Pin body cavity shut and tie legs together.
• Lay duck, breast up, on grill directly over drip pan. Cover barbecue; open vents for charcoal. Temperature inside barbecue should be about 300°. Cook until duck is lightly browned and a thermometer inserted in thigh against bone at hip joint registers 185°, about 2 hours.
• Transfer duck to a platter. Let cool at least 2 hours. If making ahead, cover and chill up to 1 day. Discard drippings.
• Set duck, breast up, in a V-shaped rack in a shallow pan about 8 by 12 inches.
• Bake duck in a 350° oven until very richly browned, about 55 minutes.
• Transfer to a platter. Slice skin off in large pieces, trimming fat off the underside. Cut the meat from the duck and season with salt and pepper to taste; accompany meat with hoisin or plum sauce.