# Crispy duck skin



## linecooklife (Apr 15, 2016)

So we're putting together a new duck dish and will be doing the skin separate from the meat. So my question is this; what's the best way to make duck cracklings or something like it? Right now I'm thinking of rendering the skins in the circulator for a while and then pulling them out and baking between silly pats. 
If I was to do this what temp should I cook at and for how long?
Any advice is welcome or other ideas on what to do with the skin would be great
Thanks in advance
-Jesse


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## DamageInc (Apr 15, 2016)

Do you have access to liquid nitrogen?


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## linecooklife (Apr 15, 2016)

DamageInc said:


> Do you have access to liquid nitrogen?



Not at the moment we could get some in but it's pricy. I was just reading some recipes with liquid nitrogen making crumbles looks cool


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## DamageInc (Apr 15, 2016)

linecooklife said:


> Not at the moment we could get some in but it's pricy. I was just reading some recipes with liquid nitrogen making crumbles looks cool



This was the first thing that popped into my head.

[video=youtube;zUT56odqaSY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUT56odqaSY[/video]


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## Tall Dark and Swarfy (Apr 15, 2016)

Remove as much fat as practicable. I use the back of a knife. Sandwich the skins between sheet pans and parchment and roast at 400 until crispy, draining fat as you go. Cut into triangles or whatevs and stick into the mashed taters. 

I do this all the time with turkey. It's a Kenji Serious Eats technique. Allows me to sous vide a breast at 132F and have Thanksgiving dinner on a Wednesday night in June.


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## cheflivengood (Apr 15, 2016)

Tall Dark and Swarfy said:


> Remove as much fat as practicable. I use the back of a knife. Sandwich the skins between sheet pans and parchment and roast at 400 until crispy, draining fat as you go. Cut into triangles or whatevs and stick into the mashed taters.
> 
> I do this all the time with turkey. It's a Kenji Serious Eats technique. Allows me to sous vide a breast at 132F and have Thanksgiving dinner on a Wednesday night in June.



This. But we allays did low and slow (275f), good flat heavy trays are the key.


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## preizzo (Apr 17, 2016)

Cook the skin, then dry it, then fry it in oil at high temperature.


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## spoiledbroth (Apr 20, 2016)

Tall Dark and Swarfy said:


> Remove as much fat as practicable. I use the back of a knife. Sandwich the skins between sheet pans and parchment and roast at 400 until crispy, draining fat as you go. Cut into triangles or whatevs and stick into the mashed taters.
> 
> I do this all the time with turkey. It's a Kenji Serious Eats technique. Allows me to sous vide a breast at 132F and have Thanksgiving dinner on a Wednesday night in June.


i was going to say... Sheet tray over silpat not sure why silpat as its not going to promote browning as much. Don't think circulator is necessary at all either.


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## spoiledbroth (Apr 20, 2016)

Also I initially liked chef steps but watching the guy remove the duck skin and taking leaves of thyme off with tweezers makes my head hurt


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## DamageInc (Apr 20, 2016)

spoiledbroth said:


> Also I initially liked chef steps but watching the guy remove the duck skin and taking leaves of thyme off with tweezers makes my head hurt



Yeah I feel that way too every once in a while. A lot of the stuff they do is brilliant, but sometimes it seems they get stuck in their own heads.


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## youkinorn (Apr 20, 2016)

The peking duck they do looks sooooooo nice, though.


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## linecooklife (Apr 21, 2016)

So long story short I ended up cooking it under a bunch o weights on 250 with the steam on in a combie oven. Trying to pre render in the bath didn't work. It did however do a great job rendering for fat. Put all my skin fat trimmings from duck fabricating in vac bags and sous vide on 175 all night, no more mess or fear of burning if water evaporates


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## youkinorn (Apr 21, 2016)

Do you know off the top of your head what temp duck fat will melt/render?


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