The Reason Duck Is Usually Served Medium-Rare

If you've had the pleasure of ordering duck at a fancy restaurant, you'll already know that it's usually served medium rare, often with a tart fruity sauce to cut through its inherent richness. However, you might be confused by why other types of poultry, such as chicken and turkey, are served fully cooked. Indeed, even the USDA advises cooking duck until it reaches a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, so why is it best practice to serve duck pink? We did some digging and found that it all comes down to the arrangement of the bird's muscle fibers.

The first point to wrap your head around is that the more a bird uses its muscles, the tighter its muscle fibers become. Unlike chickens, which do little flying, ducks spend more time flapping through the air, resulting in tighter fibers. More oxygen is delivered to these fibers too, via red blood cells, which makes the flesh appear darker than chicken and turkey. Cooking duck all the way through makes these fibers tougher, which is why a shorter cook is preferred. Similar to making a steak, duck benefits from pan-frying so that the fat in the skin can render out and become crisp while the center remains slightly pink. However, there is one key difference; duck is classically placed skin side down in a cold skillet to allow the fat to melt as the pan heats up, where as steak is immediately seared on high heat. The result? Tender duck with delectable skin.

When pan-frying duck breast at home, you can simply press it with a finger to check if it's done instead of using a meat thermometer. If it feels soft but springs back slightly, it will likely be medium rare. If it doesn't have any give at all and feels tough, you may have overcooked it. However, never fear, as you can rescue overcooked duck at a pinch by drizzling over an accompanying sauce to lend it some much-needed moisture or shredding it and mixing it with a dressing.

If you don't like the idea of eating a medium-rare serving of duck, consider slow-cooking it until tender. For example, in this recipe for duck poutine, duck breast is simmered in a broth for a couple of hours before it's shredded up and scattered over homemade fries and cheese curds. This technique allows the duck to cook through thoroughly while gently relaxing the tight connective tissue in the flesh, which makes it meltingly tender, akin to a pot roast or slow-cooked leg of lamb. Alternatively, try your hand at making duck confit by submerging the thighs in a pan of fat and aromatics, and cooking gently until super-succulent.