Hoisin duck bao

Simple and delicious hoisin duck bao with duck cooked on the rotisserie, fresh vegetables and hoisin sauce, tucked into light bao buns.

It’s high grilling season and that means finding new ways to use the grill, added to the old standbys of steaks, barbecued chicken and hickory-smoked ribs. Why not grill a duck? Duck tends to make a mess of the oven, so doing it on the rotisserie seemed like a good idea. I use the Weber Rotisserie attachment and it’s fabulous! Put the meat or poultry on it and walk away. It’s very low-maintenance cooking. This duck roasts beautifully on the grill and is a perfect filling for sweet and savory hoisin duck bao.

I mean look at that beauty!!!!

The first time I had bao, they were made by my brother-in-law. Bao are steamed buns that you can find in the refrigerated section of most Asian markets. You can fill them with lots of different things, but my favorite by far is duck, thinly sliced cucumber and scallion, and a slather of hoisin sauce. Have a few for a complete meal or impress your guests and serve them as an appetizer. (That duck looks wicked cool on the grill too.)

Hoisin duck bao

 

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Prep time

4 hours 30 mins

Cook time

2 hours

Total time

6 hours 30 mins

 

Hoisin duck bao: light steamed bao filled with glazed rotisserie duck, cucumbers, scallions, and hoisin sauce.

Author: Erin Berdan

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Asian

Serves: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 small onion coarsely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3 cups orange juice
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 star anise
• 1 whole duck, about 5-6 pounds
• 1 package bao
• 1 small cucumber, thinly sliced
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced on a diagonal
• a small handful of cilantro leaves
• ¼ cup hoisin sauce, or more to taste
• Sriracha (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for one minute.
2. Pour in the orange juice and soy sauce and bring to a boil. Add the star anise and continue boiling until reduced to 1½ cups. Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. Cool to room temperature.
3. Place duck in a shallow pan and pour half the sauce over it. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to overnight. Drain and discard used marinade.
4. Attach duck to spit and cook over low heat for about 1 hour 45 minutes or until cooked through, basting every 15 minutes with reserved sauce.
5. Transfer duck to a platter and slice the meat. Reserve bones for stock or discard.
6. During the last 15 minutes of cooking, prepare a steamer. Steam bao for a few minutes until soft and warmed through.
7. To serve, spread some hoisin on the bao. Fill with duck, sliced cucumbers and scallions and a few cilantro leaves. Top with a few drops of sriracha, if desired.

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