By taste, duck meat is much more interesting and diverse than chicken. One of the most interesting options for its preparation is the baking process. If we talk about holiday options, then in this case it is recommended to bake the whole duck. By the way, the duck meat baked in the oven is separated into portioned portions much easier than raw.
As for the usual Sunday lunch for the whole family, it is better to cook the duck in the oven in wine. In this case, you can take both the breast and individual parts of the carcass (drumstick, thigh, wing, etc.).
Preparation of duck meat for baking
Starting a conversation about cooking duck in wine, one cannot help but touch upon the issue of the proper preparation of duck carcass for baking. It is not necessary to speak about carefully plucked feathers, this is a fact of course. If, nevertheless, you got a duck with “hemp”, then you can remove them with tweezers or with your hands. After weeding the stumps, the carcass should be slightly scorched over the fire. It is also important to rinse the carcass well, dry it with a paper or cloth towel.
If the carcass was frozen, then defrosting should be gentle and gradual. That is, we don’t put duck meat in the microwave, but leave it at room temperature and let it move away from freezing on its own.
Many housewives always raise the question of what to do with the tail. As you know, it contains glands that, during cooking, “exude” a very unpleasant aroma. The duck tail can be removed completely, or you can just cut out the glands.
Marinade
Since duck meat is still distinguished by its special specific taste and aroma, it is recommended to marinate it before baking. As a marinade, you can use lemon juice, red wine, apple cider vinegar, orange juice with zest and spices.
Today we offer you to cook a duck in wine. The recipe will be very simple and will not require special culinary skills. For marinade should take the following ingredients:
- Water - 250 ml.
- Red wine (dry or semi-sweet - optional) - 350 ml.
- A pinch of salt.
- A teaspoon of caraway seeds.
- 120 g of liquid honey.
Pickling process
After you got rid of the carcass of the “hemp” and the tail, washed it and dried it, we start rubbing it with spices. Caraway seeds are mixed with salt (you can still add a couple of teaspoons of ground black pepper). Many housewives use orange zest and finely chopped thyme leaves for rubbing. The choice is huge. Duck meat is a universal product that goes well with many spices and seasonings.
We lay the carcass or pieces of duck (depending on what was chosen for cooking) in the lingon. You can use a voluminous deep pan instead.
Pour honey on top, add the above amount of water. What a duck in wine without wine? At the last stage, water the carcass with red wine. Turn the meat over several times so that all parts are evenly submerged in the liquid. Leave the duck meat overnight in a cold place.
Roasting
So, the duck in red wine lay in the refrigerator for 12 hours. Now she is completely ready for the baking process. The only thing that should not be overlooked is the rest of the meat before being sent to the oven. Remove the duck in advance from the refrigerator and leave it at room temperature for twenty minutes. During this time, the oven will warm up to the desired temperature.
And the temperature is rather big - 190-200 degrees. In such a high mode, the duck in the wine will be baked for 15-20 minutes. Further, the temperature must be reduced to 160 degrees. Now leave the duck meat to bake for two hours. Remember, the longer the duck is marinated in wine and the longer it is baked, the more tender, aromatic and tastier the meat will be.
Experienced housewives advise to cover the lamb with a lid half an hour after the start of baking at 165 degrees. The lid is removed only five minutes before the end of the term. This is done so that an appetizing golden brown crust forms on the duck.
Sauce
A duck recipe with wine allows you to experiment not only with spices for marinade, but also with side dishes. Most often, duck is served with a special wine sauce. It is being prepared in a matter of minutes.
Required for the sauce: two large onions, 200 ml of dry red wine, 150 ml of chicken broth. Onions must be cut into small cubes and put in a small saucepan. Add chicken broth there and put on fire. As soon as the broth boils, pour the wine. We evaporate a little and reduce the fire. So the sauce languishes for about twenty minutes. As a result, a slightly thick sauce will remain, with which the duck is watered when served.
Boiled potato pancakes with garlic
Serving duck in wine is also possible with a side dish of boiled potatoes. Spicy and aromatic pancakes will go well with a pleasant, slightly sweet duck meat.
Boil a couple of large potatoes, cool and grate on a coarse grater. Add one egg, a pinch of flour, 3-5 cloves of garlic chopped on a grater, a pinch of salt and a little ground pepper to the grated potatoes. Mix everything thoroughly and form small flat cutlets. Fried potato pancakes on both sides until a delicious blush appears. When serving, you can pour them a little wine sauce.
Tips
- In order to correctly determine the time of duck baking in wine, we recommend that you weigh it initially. Each half kilo piece of duck meat will be baked for about twenty minutes. Add here another 10-15 minutes "total weight". That is, if the carcass weighs about 2.5 kilograms, therefore, it needs to be baked for about two hours.
- If you want to get super soft meat, which literally leaves the bone on your own, then we recommend boiling the duck a little before marinating and baking.
- If you decide to fill the carcass with apples, then choose exclusively acidic varieties.