Why does everyone overcook their duck breast?

I watched three cooks at a pop-up in Seattle pull their duck off way too early, thinking it needed to rest more. They served it almost raw in the middle because they were scared of the fat not rendering. The trick is to start it cold in a pan and go slow for a full 8 minutes skin-side down. Has anyone else had to fix this for their crew?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_eva24d agoTop Commenter

I read somewhere that a lot of pro chefs actually score the skin in a crosshatch pattern but don't go into the meat, just the fat. That plus the cold start thing, I saw this one guy on YouTube who explained that if you don't get the fat thin enough with the scoring, it'll just stay as a thick rubbery layer no matter what temp you start at. Made a huge difference when I tried it myself, that and patting the skin bone dry with paper towels before it hits the pan.

lunar471mo ago

Actually, starting cold can leave the fat under-rendered and chewy in my book. The method that works here is a room-temp start with a scored, dry skin and a medium heat for about six minutes. That gets the fat crisp without pushing the meat past medium-rare.

emeryfox1mo ago

I tried the cold start method last week and the fat was still rubbery. Letting the steak sit out for 30 minutes first made a huge difference for me. The texture was way better with that room temp start.