Honey & Five Spice Duck Legs

Ingredients

Duck Legs

• 8 duck legs, with thighs attached, bone in and skin on

• 2 tbsp kosher salt

• 4 tsp Chinese five spice

• 1/2 tsp white pepper

• 1/2 tsp ground ginger root

Glaze

• 1/4 cup raw honey

• 1/4 cup avocado oil

• 2 tbsp lime juice

• 1 tbsp hosion

• 1 tsp kosher salt

• 1 tsp Chinese five spice

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 1/2 tsp ground ginger root

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Method

1. Line a sheet tray with a wire rack and paper towels. Remove the duck legs from their packaging and rinse briefly under cool water. Place them on the prepared tray and pat them very dry with paper towels.

2. Once completely dry, use a very sharp knife to score the skin on each leg, making a few shallow cuts. Be careful to cut through the skin only; do not cut into the meat.

3. In a small bowl, mix the salt, five-spice powder, white pepper, and ginger. Generously season each leg on both sides, using all of the spice mixture across the eight legs. Place the sheet tray in the refrigerator uncovered overnight to dry out the skin and deepen the flavor.

4. About 1 hour before cooking, remove the duck from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. Preheat your oven to 315°F. Arrange the duck legs in a large roasting pan about 9x13”, fitting them snugly together, so they are close and almost touching.

5. Place the roasting pan on the middle rack of the oven and roast for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the pan and baste the duck with the rendered fat using a spoon. Return to the oven for 20 minutes, then baste again. Roast for another 20 minutes and baste once more.

6. The duck is done when it reaches an internal temperature of about 215°F, which ensures tender, fully rendered meat. After the final baste, check the temperature and continue roasting for another 10–20 minutes if needed, depending on how close it is to temp.

7. While the duck is roasting, prepare the glaze. Whisk together the honey, oil, lime juice, hoisin, salt, five-spice powder, garlic powder, and ginger until smooth. Set aside.

8. Once the duck has reached the correct temperature, remove the roasting pan from the oven. Transfer the legs briefly to a plate and carefully pour the rendered duck fat from the pan into a heatproof jar. (Save this fat for cooking, it’s liquid gold.) Return the duck legs to the roasting pan and let them rest at room temperature until you are about 10 minutes before serving.

9. Turn the oven to broil. Brush the duck legs generously with the glaze and broil for 3 minutes. Remove from the oven, brush with more glaze, and broil for another 3 minutes. Glaze one final time and broil for 2 more minutes, watching carefully to prevent burning.

10. Remove from the oven, plate, and serve with a little extra glaze on the side. Enjoy with rice and a fresh salad!

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Notes

• Cookware

  I used a 9x13-inch cast iron roasting dish here, but anything close to a 9x13-inch baking vessel will work. I like to keep the duck legs close together in the pan so they can almost braise in their own fat as they cook. This helps create more tender, flavorful meat before we add the glaze and finish them under the broiler.

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