Whole Roasted Duck on the Traeger
A whole duck is an awesome presentation for a special occasion meal. By spending a little extra time during prep, you'll be better able to render the fat from the skin, resulting in crispy skin and tender meat.
Equipment
- Cutting board and sharp knife
- Cookie sheet and wire rack
- Tea kettle or saucepan
- Rectangular pyrex pan
- Aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 1 Defrosted whole duck
- 8 cups boiling water
- 1/2 cup seasoning of your choice I used Traeger’s Fin & Feather rub
- 1 pound small red potatoes
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 navel orange
Instructions
- Defrost your whole duck.
- Unwrap the duck and remove the gizzards, neck and whatever other pieces are stuffed inside.
- Place the duck on a wire rack in the sink.
- Bring 8 cups of water to a boil (we used an electric kettle).
- When the water is boiling, pour it over the duck in the sink, turning the duck once. You want to cover all the skin with hot water, and can watch it immediately become more taut from the hot water.
- Once complete, pour off any excess water and place the duck on the wire rack on a cookie sheet in the fridge for at least 3 hours, and up to overnight.
- The longer you leave the duck unwrapped in the fridge, the dryer the skin will become, which will make it more crisp when it cooks.
- A few hours before you want to serve it, pull the duck from the fridge and start up the Traeger to 350*.
- Place a Meater thermometer in the thickest part of the breast. Pair it to the app and select whole duck.
- Season the duck all over with an herb--forward seasoning.
- Prepare a pan to go under the duck. You could put potatoes and veggies in the pan to start, or just about ½ an inch of water.
- Place the duck on the grill grates and the prepared pan beneath the duck. You want the pan to catch the drippings.
- Cook the duck on the grill for about 75 minutes, until the Meater thermometer reads 160. The finish temperature for duck is 165, but the carryover heat will get your meat to that temperature.
- Pull the duck from the grill, tent loosely with foil for 10-15 minutes and then carve and slice the bird before serving.
- Enjoy