I've never made crispy duck...

[meltedmarsbars]

...but have got a duck and bought the pancakes from a Chinese supermarket. This is for Friday night.

Do I immerse the duck in boiling water for 2 mins or pour a kettle over it? - I've been told/read both. Which is right?

and do I really have to brush it with brandy?

Any other tips? I haven't done it before.

We made it once.

Never again.

What a faff!

But maybe you have a better recipe

Search for Ken Hom's recipe.

I have tried lots of methods and his really is the best, but you need to start it tonight.

this is the mothod I use, via Ken Hom, but my sauce is a bit different. I have never used brandy.

When I did it I just roasted a duck without doing anything special to it and tbh that part of it was fine. (Unfortunately I got rice pancakes by mistake, though, and it ended up like duck wrapped in rubber.)

I baste my duck, CCORDING TO KEN HOM, WITH :

2 TBSP CIDER VINEGAR
2 PINTA OF WATER
3 TBSP HONEY
3 TBSP DARK SOY SAUCE

bring all of these to the boi and then baste the duck with the sauce, holding the duck above the pan of sauce, keep ladelling the sauce over the duck lots of times until completely covered.
Then hang the duck to dry in a cool dry placefor at least 4-5 hrs. You need the skin to dry out so it is crispy when cooked.

I have made it a couple of times by following Nigella's very simple recipe which does not involve any basting at all. Has worked a treat both times...

Actually, having looked at all the options, maybe I'll go with Nigella's version with no flavour on the duck before roasting - then I can save the fat for future roasties

I made the radical decision to never go for a whole duck after a few messy attempts. I buy duck legs - often BOGOF at Sainsburys, prick the legs, sprinkle Five Spice powder on, blast in a very hot oven for an hour or so. It's much easier to get the crispiness from just legs - but you need at least 2 per person.

Unfortunately I have the duck already - lugged it all the way home the other day so I'm darn well cooking it!

What made the attempts messy?

Just not crispy enough - lots of flabby fat. Prick it everywhere, and a bit of salt on the skin helps.

Trust me, Nigella's works. Hope it's delish!

OK, I've done the boiling water thing, the duck is now drying in the hallway (v cold and draughty, where the wellies are kept)

crispy duck is indeed a faff. I seem to remember blowing under the skin with a draw, and also standing the duck in front of a fan to dry it out.

Basted with soy sauce, honey, star anise, five spice powder, szechuan pepper, cinnamon, whatever was in the cupboard that seemed vaguely Chinese.

let me know how it goes meltedmarsbar, just sent dp out to purchase a duck, gonna have it tomorro for our anniversary!

Well, did it - its all gone!

In the end I did the kettle of boiling water thing then dried it for the day, then roasted it au naturel (so I could save the fat for roasties anther time). Then we added some takeaway along with.

It was very nice and I would do it again.

I bought the pancakes and sauce - my friend who came to eat it all with us was so shocked that I had a bought jar of sauce in my house that she took a picture!

well i didnt put boiling water over mine just put it in the oven with chinese five spice sprinkled over it, put it in at 3.30 to eat at 9.30 but by the time it was ready we were too drunk to eat it so we had it for breakfast, twas lovely will defo do again without the wine whilst its cooking!

lol at having it for breakfast!!!

I only cooked mine for 3 hours or so.