The Makings of A Peking Duck
Peking duck is Chinese culinary royalty – with its succulent meat and crisp lacquered skin, it is royally delicious, but also because it is so laborious and difficult to get right – which is why at The Red Room, we are so proud of our version.
Why is Peking duck so special? It requires careful sourcing of the right ducks, a multi-step process over five to six days, a specialised oven (ours is constructed in China) and a mastery of temperature and timing. Some serious know-how Not to mention that every duck is different, explains Red Room chef/owner David Schneider: “The trick is consistency, and to get that we must treat each duck individually.”
“The Peking duck is one of my favourite dishes to prepare,” says chef Caroline Lamb. “I can’t even tell you how many trials and errors we’ve gone through to get it where it is now the different flavours, processes and cooking temperatures to get that perfect, tasty, crispy rendered duck. And the anticipation -- waiting to try it has taught me real patience. But seeing guests’ faces and hearing their feedback after they’ve tried it makes it worth it. I think the duck we have on at the moment is the best it’s ever been and can only get better.”
So how do we do it? Here’s the step-by-step process.
SOURCING: The free-range ducks sourced from Caldhame Farm in Kwa-Zulu Natal
arrive at The Red Room, delivered by Wild Peacock Fine Food Merchants.
BRINE: The ducks are washed and lightly brined with a 5 spice mix – that’s star anise, cloves, cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns and fennel seeds, before being hung for two to three days.
STUFFING: After the brine, the cavities of the ducks are stuffed with a five-spice master mix with the extra aromatics of ginger and spring onion, rubbed with sesame oil and sewn up.
PUMPING: We hand-pump air into the bird from the neck to separate the skin from the meat, actually detaching the fat from the meat. This technique allows the fat to properly render, to create the perfect crispy skin.
LACQUERING: The ducks are then lacquered several times with a steaming Chinese master stock and Chinese black vinegar liquid and rehung for two to three days in refrigeration.
ROASTING: Then three rounds of roasting at different temperatures. Our traditional Peking Duck cooker, which looks a bit like a tandoori oven with a lid, can hold 12 ducks. The first roast is at a low temperature, the second at medium and the final roast at a blazing 240°. The goal here is the overall succulence of the meat (from breasts to legs), so that the fat mixes with the fragrance and perfumes the meat.
CARVING: It’s an art, and it needs to be done quickly to ensure that the skin does not lose its crispness.
SERVING: Peking duck is naked without its accoutrements. We serve it with prawn crackers, Mandarin pancakes, diced cucumber and spring onion, hoisin sauce and a rich duck broth.
Interested in learning more about the history of Peking duck? Here’s an excellent article from
The Red Room by Chefs Warehouse at Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel