Slow-Roasted Ducks with Soy-Honey Sauce
By Matthew FairmanPublished on November 3, 2025
Time
3¾ hours, plus 24¾ hours salting and resting
Yield
Serves 8
Ingredients
Ducks
2 (5½- to 6-pound) whole Pekin ducks, neck and giblets discarded¼ cup plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided2 navel oranges, halved4 cups water ½ cup soy sauce ¼ cup honeySoy-Honey Sauce
¾ cup honey 6 tablespoons soy sauce 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce 3 tablespoons Shaoxing wine 3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled1 (3-inch) piece ginger, peeled and smashed½ cinnamon stick 1 star anise pod ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepperBefore You Begin
Pekin ducks may also be labeled as Long Island ducks and are typically sold frozen. Thaw the ducks in the refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours. This recipe was developed with Diamond Crystal kosher salt; if using Morton kosher salt, rub 1½ teaspoons into cavity of each duck and 1¼ tablespoons onto skins in step 2. We prefer to salt the ducks for 48 hours before roasting them for deeper seasoning and crispier skin, but they will still be very good after 24 hours. Avoid buying presalted ducks for this recipe. Even when the ducks are fully cooked, their juices will have a reddish hue.
Instructions
- Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet. Working with 1 duck at a time, use your hands to remove large fat deposits from cavity opening of 2 whole Pekin ducks. Using kitchen shears, trim excess neck skin from top of breast and from cavity; remove tail and first 2 segments from each wing, leaving only drumette.
- Rub 2 teaspoons kosher salt into cavity of each duck. Rub remaining 10 teaspoons salt onto skins of ducks (5 teaspoons on each duck). Place ducks on prepared rack. Refrigerate uncovered for 24 to 48 hours.
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Set V-rack in roasting pan. Stuff cavity of each duck with 2 navel orange halves. Tie legs together with kitchen twine. Position ducks breast side up crosswise in V-rack, in opposite directions, leaving space between ducks.
- Bring 4 cups water, ½ cup soy sauce, and ¼ cup honey to boil in small saucepan over high heat; remove from heat. Ladle boiling water mixture over tops of ducks, allowing mixture to pool in bottom of roasting pan. Roast ducks until thermometer inserted into thickest parts of thighs registers 190 to 195 degrees, 3¼ to 3½ hours.
- Remove ducks from oven and increase temperature to 450 degrees. Once oven has reached 450 degrees, continue to roast ducks until skin is deeply browned all over, 10 to 25 minutes.
- Let ducks rest on V-rack in pan for 45 minutes.
- Bring ¾ cup honey; 6 tablespoons soy sauce; 3 tablespoons hoisin; 3 tablespoons Shaoxing wine; 3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled; 1 (3-inch) piece ginger, peeled and smashed; ½ cinnamon stick; 1 star anise pod; and ⅛ teaspoon cayenne to boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring often, until mixture is thickened and registers 235 degrees, 4 to 7 minutes.
- Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer into bowl; discard solids. Transfer to serving bowl. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 5 days; serve warm.)
- Carve ducks and serve, passing sauce separately.
for the ducks
for the soy-honey sauce
Time
3¾ hours, plus 24¾ hours salting and restingYield
Serves 8Ingredients
Ducks
Soy-Honey Sauce
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Ducks
Soy-Honey Sauce
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Ducks
Soy-Honey Sauce
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
We wanted showstopping centerpiece ducks, and we hoped for as little hands-on work as possible. While many recipes for roast duck call for scoring or pricking the skin and often for turning the bird multiple times, we were looking for a simpler approach. Salting the ducks well in advance—48 hours was best—seasoned them thoroughly; helped to keep them juicy during long cooking; and produced the driest, crispiest skin. Ladling a hot mixture of water, soy sauce, and honey over the ducks’ skin before roasting yielded birds with a lacquered shine while adding complex umami and depth. Roasting the ducks low and slow (300 degrees for over 3 hours) produced supertender, succulent meat, and blasting them briefly at 450 degrees finished rendering the fat and crisped the skin. We also made a gorgeous, glossy sauce that is simple to prepare and pairs perfectly with roasted duck. To make it, we cooked down sweet, floral honey and savory soy and hoisin sauces with Shaoxing wine, garlic, ginger, and warm spices until the mixture reached 235 degrees. Using temperature as our guide gave us a failproof, reliable way to ensure the sauce had the perfect thickness and texture every time.
Before You Begin
Pekin ducks may also be labeled as Long Island ducks and are typically sold frozen. Thaw the ducks in the refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours. This recipe was developed with Diamond Crystal kosher salt; if using Morton kosher salt, rub 1½ teaspoons into cavity of each duck and 1¼ tablespoons onto skins in step 2. We prefer to salt the ducks for 48 hours before roasting them for deeper seasoning and crispier skin, but they will still be very good after 24 hours. Avoid buying presalted ducks for this recipe. Even when the ducks are fully cooked, their juices will have a reddish hue.
Instructions
- Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet. Working with 1 duck at a time, use your hands to remove large fat deposits from cavity opening of 2 whole Pekin ducks. Using kitchen shears, trim excess neck skin from top of breast and from cavity; remove tail and first 2 segments from each wing, leaving only drumette.
- Rub 2 teaspoons kosher salt into cavity of each duck. Rub remaining 10 teaspoons salt onto skins of ducks (5 teaspoons on each duck). Place ducks on prepared rack. Refrigerate uncovered for 24 to 48 hours.
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Set V-rack in roasting pan. Stuff cavity of each duck with 2 navel orange halves. Tie legs together with kitchen twine. Position ducks breast side up crosswise in V-rack, in opposite directions, leaving space between ducks.
- Bring 4 cups water, ½ cup soy sauce, and ¼ cup honey to boil in small saucepan over high heat; remove from heat. Ladle boiling water mixture over tops of ducks, allowing mixture to pool in bottom of roasting pan. Roast ducks until thermometer inserted into thickest parts of thighs registers 190 to 195 degrees, 3¼ to 3½ hours.
- Remove ducks from oven and increase temperature to 450 degrees. Once oven has reached 450 degrees, continue to roast ducks until skin is deeply browned all over, 10 to 25 minutes.
- Let ducks rest on V-rack in pan for 45 minutes.
- Bring ¾ cup honey; 6 tablespoons soy sauce; 3 tablespoons hoisin; 3 tablespoons Shaoxing wine; 3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled; 1 (3-inch) piece ginger, peeled and smashed; ½ cinnamon stick; 1 star anise pod; and ⅛ teaspoon cayenne to boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring often, until mixture is thickened and registers 235 degrees, 4 to 7 minutes.
- Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer into bowl; discard solids. Transfer to serving bowl. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 5 days; serve warm.)
- Carve ducks and serve, passing sauce separately.
for the ducks
for the soy-honey sauce
Gift This Recipe
Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.
Appears In
Key Equipment
Keep Exploring
0 Comments