XO Soused - "Beijing" roast duck

Roast duck is a centrepiece of Chinese gastronomy. Why can it take two decades for specialist roasting chefs to perfecting “Beijing” roast duck? What corners are sometimes cut and what difference does it make? What wood should be used for roasting and what techniques result in a chef being able to take off the crispy skin in one go at the table?

Errata: Major apologies for the constant mispronunciation of Jia Sixie’s name [賈思勰] throughout this episode - we don’t plan these conversations in advance and sometimes our [on the fly] recollections of the names of people, books and dishes can be flawed!

A chef uses a special rod to insert or retrieve ducks that are hanging inside a brick oven with an open fruit wood fire.

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