Recently, duck carcasses are rarely seen on store shelves. This tender and valuable meat is undeservedly faded into the background compared to the popular chicken. Nevertheless, there are people who, contrary to public opinion, give preference to this surprisingly healthy and very tasty product. Like any other poultry meat, it can be fried, boiled, smoked or baked. It all depends on personal desire and the selected recipe. The easiest way to process is cooking. But here, not everything is so simple. Before you begin to work, you need to know exactly how and how much to cook the duck. There are a number of points on this issue that need to be discussed in more detail.
The main stages of the process
Duck meat is usually boiled for soups, various salads, as well as hot and cold snacks. Do not forget that this product has a specific aroma and unique taste. In order not to spoil the dish, you must know in advance how much to cook the duck. After all, any errors during the process can adversely affect the quality of the finished product. To begin with, it is worth noting that in addition to increased calorie content, such meat is also very fatty. In principle, this does not affect how much the duck is cooked.
To a greater extent, this fact affects the rules for conducting such a procedure. All actions must be performed in a certain sequence:
- First, the carcass should be doused with cold water. If the product is frozen, it must be allowed to thaw.
- After this, the duck must be gutted, removing all the insides from it. At the same time, it is necessary to cut off existing fat deposits, which are especially numerous in the back, in the tail region.
- If necessary, the carcass can be immediately divided into portions.
- Boil water in a pan.
- Make a smaller fire and add 10 grams of salt, bay leaf, a whole onion, carrots cut into large pieces, basil leaves and a few peppercorns.
- Put the meat in boiling water and cover the pan with a lid.
- Cooking time depends on the type of product. For a whole carcass it will take at least an hour and a half. If there are pieces of meat in the pan, then 40-50 minutes will be enough.
Knowing how much to cook the duck, you can approximately calculate the time when you can start to garnish or prepare the rest of the ingredients for the main dish.
Duck soup
Many people consider soup a dish that must be included in each person’s daily diet. For its preparation, you can use any meat, poultry and even seafood. A duck in this case would be an ideal option. Its delicate red-brown meat gives the dish a special taste and unique aroma. To do everything right, you must first understand how much to cook a duck for soup. This question does not tolerate approximation. Of course, you can act, as they say, by eye. But it is better to have clearer concepts in such matters.
Any housewife knows that poultry can be boiled in two ways:
- whole;
- previously dividing it into parts.
Here, everyone decides how to do better. If we are talking about duck meat, then in the first case it will be necessary to stock up on patience. So how much does a duck cook for soup? A whole carcass naturally takes longer. It will take one and a half, or even two hours, until the meat reaches the desired condition. For individual pieces of time, much less is needed. Depending on their size, it may take about 40 minutes. Sometimes even half an hour is enough to start the rest of the ingredients. In addition, during cooking, do not forget to remove the foam and remove the fat collected on the surface.
For kids menu
Duck meat contains a large amount of refractory fats, which are difficult to digest. Therefore, it is not recommended to give it to babies up to three years of age and to people suffering from various diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Older children can make a good soup out of it. The dish turns out not only fragrant and rich, but also very high-calorie. Even in small quantities, it gives a supply of vigor for the whole day.
Here, every mother naturally raises the question: how much to cook a duck for a child’s soup? The answer lies in the process technology itself:
- You will need very little meat. In principle, 200 grams will be enough for one and a half to two liters of water. First you need to cook the broth on it. To do this, you need to cook a piece of meat for 2 hours over low heat. And do not forget that the first broth must be drained.
- After this, the meat should be put aside, and the liquid should be used as a full-fledged base for the soup. Gradually, during the boil, you need to alternately add various vegetables (potatoes, onions and carrots) to the broth, not forgetting to chop them as much as possible.
- As soon as all the ingredients are already in the pan, you can put the meat there. It must also be finely chopped.
Next, the soup is cooked in the usual way. Pre-processed meat no longer requires any special lengthy cooking. As soon as the vegetables or added cereals are ready, the fire can be turned off, and the soup can be poured into a plate and fed the child.
Rules for smoking ducklings
Those who have never been involved in smoking at home probably do not know that with this procedure, the meat can first be boiled. This is done so that in the end it turns out to be softer and more tender.
In principle, everything is done very simply:
- First, the bird, as usual, must be washed and gutted well.
- After this, it is absolutely necessary to cut off the tail and neck from the carcass, since this is where excess fat accumulates.
- Next, the prepared duck must be cut into several large pieces.
- Then the meat should lie in the marinade for 12 hours, consisting of salt and various spices (pepper, oregano, rosemary and thyme). You can also use your own set of seasonings.
- The last step of the preliminary stage is cooking. Moreover, the meat is not cooked in water, but in the same marinade. How much to cook the duck before smoking? After boiling the liquid will be enough for 20 minutes.
Then the duck should cool right in the broth. Only then can it be sent to the smokehouse.