Raising the duck The ducks used to prepare Peking duck originated in
Nanjing. They were large, had black feathers, and lived in the canals that linked the city to major waterways. With the relocation of the Chinese capital to Beijing, supply barge traffic increased in that area. Often these barges spilled water into side-canals, providing a habitat for the ducks. By the time of adoption of
five-spice powder, a new breed of duck had been domesticated by Chinese farmers. Newly hatched ducks are raised in a
free-range environment for the first 45 days of their lives, and
force-fed 4 times a day for the next 15–20 days, resulting in ducks that weigh . (Another source states that ducks should be at least , have more than of subcutaneous fat, a well-developed chest, and at least 5.0% of intramuscular fat.) Force-feeding is necessitated by the slow growth rate of ducks as well as the traditional requirements for fat content. It leads to relatively fast growth at the cost of high rates of dead and otherwise unusable ducks (each amounting to about 20%) as well as poor feed conversion. After all, it is unrealistic to expect a duck to swallow of food daily without issue, given that a duck normally eats of food per day when left alone. Newer broiler-type Peking duck breeds mature without the need of force-feeding, which reduces animal suffering and frees up human labor: each laborer could raise 500 force-fed ducks or 5,000 non-force-feed ducks.
Cooking the duck Fattened ducks are killed, plucked, eviscerated and rinsed thoroughly with water. Air is pumped under the skin through the neck cavity to separate the skin from the fat. The duck is then blanched in boiling hot water for two to three minutes before it is hung up to dry. This tightens the skin. While it is hung, the duck is glazed with a layer of syrup with
honey, and the duck's inside is rinsed once more with water. A second layer of glaze/marinade of
soy sauce,
five-spice powder, and more
maltose is then applied inside and out, and the duck is left to stand for 24 hours in a cool, dry place (or a refrigerator). It is then roasted in an oven until the skin turns shiny brown. Besides two traditional methods to prepare Peking duck, recipes have been compiled by chefs all around the world to produce the dish at home.
Closed-oven style Peking duck is traditionally roasted in a closed oven ( mènlú). Bianyifang, a restaurant in Beijing, China, is famous for keeping this tradition. The closed oven is built of
brick and fitted with metal griddles (). The oven is preheated by burning
Gaoliang sorghum straw () at the base. The duck is placed in the oven immediately after the fire burns out, allowing the meat to be slowly cooked through the
convection of heat within the oven. Controlling the fuel and the temperature is the main skill. In closed-oven style, duck meat is combined well with the fat under the skin, and therefore is juicy and tender.
Open-oven style The open oven () was developed in the imperial kitchens during the Qing dynasty and adopted by the Quanjude restaurant chain. It is designed to roast up to 20 ducks at the same time with an open fire fueled by
hardwood from
peach or
pear trees. The ducks are hung on hooks above the fire and roasted at a temperature of for 30–40 minutes. While the ducks are roasting, the chef may use a pole to dangle each duck closer to the fire for 30-second intervals. In open-oven style, the fat is usually melted during the cooking process, so the skin is crispy. == Serving ==