From the Kitchen: Boning a Duck

Duck meat is on the rise lately. Sauteed duck breast, with its endless variety of sauces and serving styles is a staple in French and American restaurants. Deboning a whole duck is cheaper than buying duck breasts, giving you more bang for your buck. And it doesn't end there. The legs can be cooked in a variety of ways, fat can be used for confit, and the carcass is suitable for stock. 

In the Baldor test kitchen, we used one of our favorites - Crescent Duck. 

In 1908, Henry Corwin started his duck farm with 30 White Pekin ducks on 25 acres of land in Aquebogue, Long Island. Five generations, six times the property and 106 years later, Crescent Duck Farms is still producing the highest quality ducks for discerning “white tablecloth” restaurants and the Asian trade.

Crescent’s genetic, nutritional and processing techniques results in succulent ducks with consistently higher meat yields and excellent skin quality.

Crescent Duck spends a great deal of effort and energy towards the care of their birds, which involves both their inner health and outer well-being. Crescent ducks are fed a nutritionally enhanced diet consisting of corn, soybean meal and wheat. Vitamins, minerals and amino acids are used to enrich the diets. Hormones and antibiotics are never used to assist bird growth.

Watch our Boning a Duck in 60 seconds video below. Step by Step guide follows. A special thanks to Chef Kevin Lindgren for starring in this video, and making amazing risotto enjoyed by all in the Baldor office. Photography by Sebastian Arguello. 

STEP BY STEP: 

STEP 1: Place the duck on a flat surface breast side up. Remove the legs first by making a deep incision where the thigh meets the body, as illustrated. Run the blade around the thigh until you reach the backbone. Pull back the leg to expose the joint. Slice through the center of the joint and remove the leg. Repeat with the other leg.

STEP 2: Make a deep incision along both sides of the breast bone, starting at the hind end and continuing to the wishbone.

STEP 3: Cut through the wishbone and run the blade along the breastbone all the way through the wing joint. Pull away the wing and cut through any remaining skin to release it.

STEP 4: Run the blade under the breast meat while at the same time pulling it away with your free hand. Remove the breast meat completely. Trim excees fat and remove the small piece of wishbone.