Cooking a Christmas Duck Can Offer a Nice Departure from the Familiar

While many people choose ham or turkey for their Christmas dinner, there are other traditional options.  Duck can be a great way to add some different flavor to your Christmas dinner table this year.  Here’s how to get started.

 

First, you need to gather pepper, paprika, orange zest, orange juice, cranberries and cooking string. 

 

Open the packaging on your Christmas dinner duck and remove the giblets from within the duck’s body cavity.  Trim off any excess fat on the bird, especially around the neck and the body cavity.  Rinse your Christmas dinner duck under running water and pat dry.

 

Season the duck to your taste.  Rub the seasonings (pepper, season-all, paprika, etc.) all over the bird. 

 

The next step in preparing a duck for your Christmas dinner is to score the bird using a sharp knife.  Do this all over the body of the duck.  Preheat your oven to three hundred and seventy five degrees, and add more seasonings to the scored areas of the bird.  Tie up the duck so that the wings and legs are secured to the body.

 

Place your Christmas dinner duck on a roasting rack that will fit within your oven.  Below the bird, place a pan to catch the drippings.  Over the bird, place a tent of aluminum foil.  Now, cook your duck for ten minutes per pound of body weight, or until a meat thermometer reads one hundred and seventy degrees.  You can remove the aluminum foil and broil on high to crisp the skin.

 

When your Christmas dinner is done cooking, allow it to cool for fifteen minutes or so, then garnish and serve.

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