Peking Duck

In this video I will show you how to make Peking duck. Peking Duck Yield: Serves 4–6 Ingredients For the Duck: 1 whole duck (5–6 lbs), cleaned and dried 2 Tbsp honey 2 Tbsp rice vinegar 1 cup boiling water 1 Tbsp Shaoxing wine 1 Tbsp five-spice powder 1 tsp salt For the Pancakes: 2 cups all-purpose flour ¾ cup boiling water Sesame oil (for brushing) For Serving: Hoisin sauce or sweet bean sauce Julienned scallions Julienned cucumber For Stir-Fried Duck Meat: Reserved duck meat 2 tsp soy sauce 1 tsp oyster sauce 1 garlic clove, minced ½ tsp sesame oil 1 scallion, sliced For Duck Bone Soup: Reserved duck carcass/bones 4 cups water 2 slices fresh ginger 2 scallions Salt and white pepper, to taste Method Part 1: Roast the Duck Seal the Duck (Important!): Before inflating, seal the duck to keep the air inside. Use rubber bands to tightly close the legs, wings and neck. At the base of the tail, weave a skewer through the skin flaps and secure with another rubber band to fully close the cavity. This creates an airtight seal. Inflate the Skin: Once sealed, insert an air compressor nozzle (or straw) into the neck cavity and gently blow air inside to separate the skin from the meat. The duck should puff up — that’s what gives the skin its signature crispness. Scald and Glaze: In a pan or large bowl, mix the boiling water, honey, and rice vinegar. Set a rack over a sheet pan to catch the liquid. Slowly pour the hot mixture over the duck to scald the skin and help tighten it. Let it drain and catch the liquid so you can reuse it for a second scalding if needed. Dry Overnight: Hang the duck or place it on a wire rack in the fridge, uncovered, for 12–24 hours. If you can aim a fan at it, even better — it speeds up the drying and helps the skin crisp beautifully during roasting. Roast: Preheat oven to 375°F. Roast the duck on a rack over a pan for 60–75 minutes, rotating every 20 minutes to ensure even color. Internal temp should hit 165°F. Let rest 15 minutes before carving. In Chinese restaurants, ducks are traditionally hung inside special ovens where heat circulates evenly all around them. In Thailand, I watched street chefs roast ducks in a setup made from a 55-gallon drum with a burner at the bottom. They hung the ducks inside and covered the top with a lid. The results were outstanding — perfectly roasted skin and juicy meat. Carve: First slice off the crispy skin. Then break down the meat and reserve the bones for the soup. Part 2: Pancakes Mix flour with boiling water until it comes together as a dough. Knead it for 8–10 minutes until smooth. Rest it covered for 30 minutes. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Flatten two, brush one with sesame oil, sandwich them, then roll out into a thin circle — this helps make them easier to separate later. Dry-cook in a hot skillet for about 30 seconds per side until light bubbles form. Pull the two pancakes apart while they’re still warm. Part 3: Serve It Up – Three Courses Course 1: Crispy Skin Rolls Serve the crispy skin with warm pancakes, hoisin or sweet bean sauce, cucumber, and scallions. Let your guests build their own wraps — it's interactive and fun. Being 100% truthful I normally carve the whole thing up and eat it in the rolls but wanted to write a traditional recipe for you. Feel free to stop here and enjoy! Course 2: Stir-Fried Duck Take the reserved duck meat, shred it, and stir-fry quickly with garlic, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and a little sesame oil. Toss in the scallions at the end. Great served with steamed rice or even in lettuce cups. Course 3: Duck Bone Soup Simmer the bones with ginger, scallions, and water for a couple hours. Season it with salt and white pepper to taste. Simple, clean, and a great way to honor the whole bird. Chef’s Notes Want an extra crispy finish? Hit the skin with a blast from a hot broiler for 30 seconds before serving. No time to make pancakes? Store-bought mu shu pancakes work very well. Duck meat can also be repurposed into fried rice or even noodle stir-fry if you’re feeling creative.