We serve Peking duck at The Madison Club on a one week pre-order basis. We buy ducks from two different local farms in the Madison area. Peking duck is rather straight forward, but the procedure is a time commitment.
The first step for making Peking duck is to separate the skin from the meat. This creates a pocket for the fat to render out of the bird frying the skin while basting the meat. We have found that an air compressor works very well for this. The second step is to baste the bird with a boiling pot of soy sauce, citrus, scallion, garlic, ginger, honey, and sherry wine. The bird should be basted for about 10 minutes. This marinates the duck inside and out. After the duck is nicely basted, it is time for the bird to hang overnight to dry out the skin. A very dry duck results in beautifully crispy skin. The crispy skin is what most people look for and expect out of Peking duck. Finally, roast the duck at 375 to 400 f. on a rack. It is best to roast the duck in a convection oven on high fan. A 4 pound duck will take about 40 minutes. The duck should rest for a brief moment and served immediately.
We serve roast Peking duck traditionally with homemade crepes, orange supreme, sliced scallion, and hoisin sauce.
