Peking Duck Ala La Cajita China

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Clean ducks. Wipe dry and place each duck on a “beer-can chicken” stand. Set in a cool room in front of a fan for 4 hours to dry. (See note.)

Bring a large pot with water to boil, and add ginger, scallion, honey, vinegar, and sherry.

Boil 10 minutes, then pour in the dissolved cornstarch, stirring constantly.

Place one duck in boiling water, count to five and remove.

Place the second duck in boiling water, count to five and remove. Repeat for 10 minutes.

Place ducks on “beer can” racks again, in front of fan, for 6 hours until thoroughly dry.

Turn every 30 minutes.

“Pre-heat” La Cajita China with 10lbs of charcoal. When all coals are covered in white ash, oil the roasting rack and place ducks, breast side up, on rack.

Place the rack in the roasting pan with 2 inches of water in bottom, and close up the box, and add another 5lbs of charcoal.

You goal temperature inside the box is 350 degrees.

Roast 20 minutes.

Turn ducks, add 5lbs of charcoal, and roast 20 minutes more. Turn breast side up again. Roast 5 minutes more, until crispy and browned to your liking.

Remove ducks from La Cajita China and allow to rest 10-15 minutes.

Use sharp knife to debone. Serve meat and skin immediately on a pre-warmed dish.

The duck is eaten hot with hoisin sauce rolled in Mandarin Crepes. Garnish with diced scallion.

Drying: I set my ducks up on “beer-can chicken” stands (instead of hanging them by the necks – the traditional method), in front of a fan, and turned them every 30 minutes. Worked perfectly!

Chef's Note & Story

Duck has been roasted in China since the Southern and Northern Dynasties. A variation of roast duck was prepared for the Emperor of China in the Yuan Dynasty.

The dish, originally named “Shaoyazi,” was mentioned in the Complete Recipes for Dishes and Beverages manual in 1330 by Hu Sihui, an inspector of the imperial kitchen.

The Peking Roast Duck that came to be associated with the term was fully developed during the later Ming Dynasty, and by then, Peking Duck was one of the main dishes on imperial court menus.

The first restaurant specialising in Peking Duck, Bianyifang, was established in the Xianyukou, Qianmen area of Beijing in 1416 [Wikipedia]

Beijing’s most famous dish, Peking Duck is traditionally served with Mandarin pancakes. I’ve modified this dish slightly for roasting in La Cajita China.

This recipe, and many others are included in my cookbook, "La Caja China Cooking."