Duck in The Big Easy

Im cooking a duck in my Big Easy oiless fryer tomorrow and Im looking for some advice. Ive cooked one in it before and I recall it turned out great Im curious though about brining and using the duck fat for cooking other things anybody got any pointers on brining is it neccesary or not?

 

Brining is great for getting a juicy bird with better flavor clear down to the bone. If you are smoking, use quick cure. Otherwise a salt and sugar brine would be great.

 

And if you can sAve that fat, do it. Use it in recipes in place of suet.

 

Hey Griz what would you recommend using the fat for? Im not sure what suet is but Ill google it.

 

Suet is beef fat. Used in english deserts a lot.

 

Thanks I forgot to google it. I havent made any desserts with animal fats in them Ill have to give that a try. How long can I keep the fat before it turns bad?

 

I would render it and the freeze it til you are ready to use it.

 

well shes in and should be ready around 7 heres a few pics should have more when its done. I rubbed it down with a Cajun spice blend and used the scewers to try and hold it in the center of the basket.

 

I always wanted to try smoked ducked or in the weber, beer can style.

 

Here it is it took a little over two hours and I had to leave the lid on the whole time due to the cold and windiness. It turned out good the skin wasnt as crispy as I wanted but still very good.

 

Probably smelt delicious while it was cooking. Did you cook it with a stuffing inside? or do it separate?

 

It smelled delicious indeed No stuffing though I just rubbed it down with the spices and let it roll my wife cooked some red skinned potatoes and we had some olives and cheese. I had some corn on the cob that I threw in the fryer too but I got them in a little to late so they will be lunch for the next couple days.

 

Matt I'm late to the party but the duck I did back in December I used the drippings and coated some red potatoes in them part way through the cooking and put them in the top veggy basket. The potatoes were awesome the bird lacked a bit but probably the frozen duck by nature. I would cut some light slits in the breast if I did one again to help some of the fat render out

 

I cut several slits along the breast and I do believe that helped a lot with the taste of the duck. I tried potatoes with it last time and they didnt cook in time we had to finish them in the microwave I also forgot to put a tray in the bottom to catch the drippings so they were wasted but maybe next time I will remember. I want to do it again and Ill put the taters in the top next time and let them get a head start before I put the duck in. Im pretty sure theres a dead spot in the bottom of the fryer Ive been reading about putting a spring form pan in the bottom under the basket and how that helps raise the basket out of the "dead zone" Im going to try that with a chicken one of these days. Ive noticed that every time I cook something the top is done before the bottom but the good thing is that even with leaving it in until its done all the way through its still moist and delicious, I have yet to overcook something in this thing.

 

The last couple ducks I did I mixed in with Chicken Helper. Duck alone I don't really like. Not sure how the different breeds are, mine where Pekings. I'm guessing by the size that's what that is?

When I cleaned mine I just cut the wings off (not much meat) and pulled the skin off with the feathers. I gave the wings to a guy training dogs.

Suet where I come from is bird food.

 

Matt I bought a cheap 9" round aluminum cake pan - drill a starter hole and finished cutting bottom with a regular jigsaw blade - took about 5mins to complete.
It definitely helps the bird cook on the bottom