Maple Glazed Roast Duck could be the perfect combination of savory and sweet ever. I love how fatty and delicious duck is and combining that with a Maple Syrup infused with Smoked Chili is close to heaven. The maple syrup comes from a badass organic syrup company called Runamok. They were super gracious to send me a sample bottle of their Merquén infused maple syrup.
Now, what is Merquén you might ask? And I actually had to look it up too, it’s a chili blend from the Mapuche region of Chile. The peppers are slow smoked which gives it this super fragrant complexity. It reminded me a lot of my Mezcal days in San Francisco. Which means I will definitely be making a cocktail out of this syrup, but first I wanted to use it as a glaze. I swear, it almost tastes like this duck has been smoked. So so good.
If you don’t grab a bottle of this Merquén Infused Maple Syrup which I highly recommend you do, then a basic maple syrup will do. But no Aunt Jemima here, get the good stuff.
I tried to keep this recipe as simple as possible because there are a lot of roast duck recipes out there that require a lot of fussing so I wanted to simplify it a little bit. Obviously, with duck, the goal is crispy skin, succulent breast and delicious legs. How do you achieve such a goal? Cooking it breast side up and breast side down. I go low and slow just like you would with a turkey then kick the heat up for the last 30 minutes to get a crispy outside. The result is perfection.
Wine Pairing Recommendation: This is a weird one because of the smokiness of the glaze but Pinot Noir will always always always be the perfect pairing with duck.
Maple Glazed Roast Duck
Roast duck may seem like an intimidating dish but it's just as easy as roasting a chicken. I roasted my duck in my cast iron skillet lined with veggies, but a medium size roasting pan with a rack insert would be perfect. I highly recommend using Runamok Maple Syrup in this recipe, follow the link above. They make great gifts as well!
Ingredients
- 1 whole {about 6 pounds} Whole Duck, giblets and neck removed
- Kosher Salt, for seasoning
- 1 whole Orange, cut into slices
- Rosemary Sprigs
- Thyme Sprigs
- 1/2 cup Runamok Maple Syrup, follow the link above
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Step 2 Prepare your duck by removing giblets and neck from cavity. Pat dry with paper towels and place in a roasting pan with a rack or cast iron {lined with carrots, oranges. celery}. Stuff the cavity with orange slices, rosemary sprigs, and thyme sprigs. Season the outside liberally with kosher salt.
- Step 3 Roast in the oven for 1 hour breast side up. Remove and using tongs or a spatula gently flip the duck over and return to the oven. Roast for another 40 minutes.
- Step 4 Remove and flip back over to roast breast side up. Turn your oven temperature up to 425 degrees F. Brush the entire outside of the duck with syrup. Return to the oven and roast for 30 minutes. Brush with maple syrup every 10 minutes. Skin with be golden and crispy and the internal temperature should be 160 degrees F.
- Step 5 Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
Savor and Enjoy!
Hello,
I am roasting a duck for the first time and love the sound of your recipe. May I ask why do you not score the breast?