Mighty Duck

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

Show: Good EatsEpisode: What's Up Duck

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (108)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(108)

Cook Time:
--
Level:
--
Yield:
2 to 4 servings

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Ingredients

Brine:

1/2 cup kosher salt
1 pint pineapple orange juice
15 whole black peppercorns
1 bunch fresh thyme
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 (5 1/2 to 6 pound) frozen Long Island Duck, thawed
2 handfuls shredded chard
2 shallots, minced
Dash sherry or balsamic vinegar

Directions

Combine all brine ingredients in a plastic container with a lid. Place the lid on the container and shake to dissolve the salt.

Remove the pop-up thermometer, liver, gizzards, and heart. Cut off the wings.

Using kitchen shears, locate the spine at the base of the neck. Cut up the line of the backbone towards the neck cavity. Turn the duck and cut straight towards the rear cavity. Remove the backbone.

Turn the duck over and cut straight down the middle of the breast bone, leaving 2 equal duck halves. To separate the legs from the breast, flip your halves over so the flesh side is facing up at you. Using a knife, make a crescent shape cut between the leg and the breast. Lay your knife flat against the skin and make 3 marks in one direction and then in the other, making an X. Make sure that you are cutting through the skin and not the meat.

Line the inside of a plastic lexan or a pot with a zip-top bag. Place the duck quarters inside the bag, and pour the brine over the duck. Seal the bag, ensuring that all air is removed from the bag. Brine the duck for 2 to 2 1/2 hours in the refrigerator.

Bring 1 1/2 inches to 2 inches of water to a boil in a large pot. Place a colander into the pot and line the sides of the colander with the duck. Do not stack the duck quarters on each other. Cover and turn the heat to medium low. Steam the duck for 45 minutes. Set oven to 475 degrees F. Place a large cast iron skillet into the oven.

Remove duck pieces from steamer and place legs, skin side down, into the hot skillet. Place the skillet into the hot oven immediately and cook the leg quarters for 10 minutes. Add the breasts, skin side down, and cook for 7 more minutes or until the duck takes on a deep mahogany color and the skin is very crisp.

Remove the duck from the skillet and rest under foil. Add the chard and the shallots to the skillet. Toss the chard in the fat until it barely wilts. Season with the sherry or balsamic vinegar.

Serve the duck with the chard.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Mighty Duck
Gerald Cobleskill, NY 06-22-2010
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Driest Duck Ever Had
Rated: 1 stars out of 5

My 76 year old super cook wife, followed directions to a "T". Don't know what went wrong but it turned out dry, tough with... squishy skin. We did not eat much . Dog enjoyed it. I have eaten duck since I was a boy and never had a dry one. BY THE WAY BOY DUCKS DON'T QUACK!!!! They make a hissing squeaky sound. The AFLAC duck is a GIRLRead more
recipe Mighty Duck
Steve New Yord, NY 05-15-2010
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Doneness
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I was a little worried about the 45 minute steaming, but I ended up following the recipe. The breast meat ends up... deliciously rare. I had a little trouble getting enough contact with the iron pan. In the future, I'd cut each quarter in half after the steam to make them fit in the pan better, and make it easier to cut apart at the table. Read more
recipe Mighty Duck
D Hightstown, NJ 05-04-2010
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some problems
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

My big problem, I think, was the size of the colander. His pot and colander were huge. With my pasta-pot and steamer the... pieces were too cramped and the Breasts did cook completely through, nor did enough fat melt away. The result was great dark meat and ok breast meat. And OK isn't OK, when it's expensive. I also didn't feel that the pineapple/orange juice did much.Read more
recipe Mighty Duck
Elaine Annandale, VA 04-15-2010
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In a word...OUTSTANDING
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Made this tonight for three. No leftovers. Did the potatoes thing from his video (you can find it on You Tube) and used... spinach instead of chard (cuz that's what I had.) SO SO GOOD!!!! Son and hubby want to know why we don't have duck more often. Well, maybe we will! BTW, I am still skimming off the "liquid gold" duck fat from the steaming liquid. Its beauty and deliciousness make me so happy! Alton, thanks for a great new way to make duck!Read more
recipe Mighty Duck
Melissa CHEVY CHASE, MD 02-16-2010
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SO DELICIOUS YOU WON'T HAVE ANY LEFTOVERS!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I SAW ALTON'S VIDEO IN CULINARY SCHOOL THE EPISODE WHAT'S UP DUCK. AFTER WATCHING ALTON, I WANTED TO SEE HOW EASY IT WAS TO... RECREATE HIS DUCK RECIPE. I TRIED IT FOR MY FAMILY AND I USED A 5 AND A HALF LB DUCK. i FOLLOWED IT EXACTLY, EXCEPT FOR THE GARLIC AND CHARD AND SHALLOTS. I HAD A FAMILY MEMBER WHO IS ALLERGIC AND DID NOT GO TO THE STORE FOR CHARD. INSTEAD I BRAISED BOK CHOY AND NAPPA CABBAGE. IT WAS SO DELICOUS THAT I AM MAKING IT TOMORROW NIGHT FOR OUR GUESTS AND I BOUGHT TWO LARGER DUCKS. Read more
recipe Mighty Duck
Sam San Jose, CA 01-04-2010
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My First Duck
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I had seen the episode several times, but was never tempted to try the recipe. Like most Americans, I had never really had... duck, and certainly never cooked it. But after Christmas I saw a huge pile of frozen ducks at the supermarket, and thought "why not". So I bought a 5.5 pound model and put it in the fridge to thaw. Two days later ... Duck Day. Finished thawing easily under water in the sink. II made the recipe to the letter ... with a couple of changes. As recommended by others here, I used Mustard Greens. And to avoid any chance of over-brining I reduced the salt in the brine to 1/3rd cup (and the time to 2 hours). Having a good set of kitchen shears is essential to disassembling the duck...but with the right tools it only took a few minutes. I had trouble cutting through the duck skin - then I realized my knife wasn't very sharp. A few minutes with the sharpener fixed that, then it was easy to do. I made cubed red potatoes in the steaming vessel while the duck was in the oven. I boiled them for 7 min in the water left from steaming, then drained the water and fried them in the pan. What I had at the end was almost red potato hash browns ... perfectly browned and tender. They were really great. Next time I won't use as much water to steam the duck so I don't have to drain the water. The mustard greens weren't my favorite, but the concept is good ... I think next time I'll use spinach. Yum!Read more