how do you cook a duck?

[Sylverfly]

I have a duck in the fridge (about 6.5 lb) and will be cooking it in a day or so, but I have never cooked one before and am not sure how to go about it. I think I'm going to attempt the classic orange duck recipe. I'm seeing a lot of different cooking methods for this particular recipe. One of the most common complaints I've heard is that duck can be greasy so poking holes in the skin but not into the meat when roasting allows the fat to roast out and bastes the bird, you also cook on a rack in a pan and normally at a low heat for a longer time to keep it moist. Other recipes don't say anything about poking holes, and the temps are all over the place from recipe to recipe. Its the first time my family is trying duck and I'd like to cook it as best I can so I don't ruin their opinion of duck. If anyone has a recipe that was well received, pics are welcome too, that would be finer then frog hair with me, lol.

 

[BettyR]

If it's a wild duck I make gumbo, if it's a domestic, raised to eat bird I use Alton Brown's recipe.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...cYEJFJ6fT6X9A&bvm=bv.1355534169,d.cGE&cad=rja

Best duck I've ever eaten!!!

 

[Sylverfly]

just clicked the link, thanks.

 

[Gifa]

From a post I wrote back in '07 on a live journal foodie community. Disregard the part about throwing out the neck and giblets if you know how to use 'em. The important part is to stuff with bread and vegetables, getting them way up out of the dripping grease and starting them breast side down. If fact, the whole flipping thing... I do this with all poultry except turkey.

http://food-porn.livejournal.com/4272238.html

And here is a write up of someone else's duck cooking experience based off of those instructions:

http://winnipeg-eats.com/2008/12/29/roasted-duck/