Whole wild duck, plucked and cleaned

Orange and Maple Roast Whole Wild Duck

Two plucked mallards roasted hot with orange, onion and thyme in the cavity, glazed with an orange and maple reduction and carved at the table.

Serves: 4
Hands-on: 35 min
Total: 5 hr 20 min
Skill: Confident cook

Cooks on: Stovetop + oven · Dinner

Ingredients

2 birdsWhole wild duck, plucked and cleaned, about 1½ to 2 lb each
1Onions, quartered
4 clovesGarlic, smashed
3 tbspMaple syrup
1 tbspButter
2 tspSalt
½ tspBlack pepper, ground
2 oranges: 1 quartered for the cavities, 1 juiced (about ⅓ cup)
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tbsp neutral oil
½ cup chicken stock

You'll need

Oven
Stovetop
Large skillet, ideally cast iron
Instant-read thermometer
Saucepan
Kitchen twine

Contains

Dairy.

Method

At least 4 hours and up to 24 hours ahead, pat the ducks very dry inside and out and season them all over, inside and out, with the salt and pepper. Set them on a rack over a plate and refrigerate uncovered. The salt seasons the lean meat deeply and the skin dries so it browns.
Take the ducks out 30 minutes before roasting and heat the oven to 450°F. Fill each cavity loosely with half the orange quarters, onion, garlic and thyme. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine and rub the skin with the oil.
Simmer the orange juice, maple syrup and stock in a small saucepan until syrupy and reduced to about ⅓ cup, 8 to 10 minutes. Take it off the heat and swirl in the butter.
Set the ducks breast side up in the 12-inch skillet with space between them and roast 15 minutes. Brush with half the glaze and roast 5 to 15 minutes more. Start checking at 20 minutes total: push an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the breast from the neck end, not touching bone. Minutes are only a guide; the thermometer decides.
When the breast reads 165°F, take the skillet out. Cut the breast halves off the frame, set them skin side up on a warm board, and cover loosely with foil. Check the thighs: if they are under 165°F, return the ducks with the legs on to the oven for 5 to 10 minutes, until the thigh reads 165°F, not touching bone.
Rest the breasts while the legs finish, then rest the legs 5 minutes. Discard the cavity aromatics. Slice the breasts thin across the grain, add the legs, and spoon the remaining glaze and any skillet juices over the top.

When it's done: 165°F

The federal chart lists whole poultry at 165°F, and Kansas State University Extension says to fully cook game birds to at least 165°F. Check the thickest part of the breast and the thigh, not touching bone.

If it goes wrong

Dry breast meat: The breast cooks faster than the legs. Take the breasts off at 165°F and let the legs finish on their own, then slice the breast thin across the grain and sauce it.
Glaze burning: Brush it on only for the last 5 to 15 minutes; maple scorches at 450°F. If the skin darkens fast, lay a loose piece of foil over the breasts.
Pale, flabby skin: The birds went in wet or the oven was not fully hot. Give them the uncovered rest in the refrigerator and a fully heated oven.
Legs still tough after reaching 165°F: Older wild ducks have hard-working legs. Pull the thigh meat off the bone and slice it thin, or save the legs for a soup or gumbo where they can simmer until tender.

Leftovers. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, meat taken off the bone. Reheat to 165°F.