How to Pluck a Duck
Here is another way to begin preparing ducks for the table.
Equipment needed: a sturdy pair of kitchen or game shears, a knife a bucket of warm water, a bucket of cold water and one pound of paraffin wax.
At all steps in the process take care to avoid cutting yourself on the sharp edges of broken bones.
Cut off wings as close to the wing joint as possible.
Cut off the legs at the “knees”.
Rough pluck the duck.
It is not necessary to remove all the feathers and down. That’s what the paraffin is for. Be sure to remove the large tail feathers.
Heat water until it is hot enough to melt the paraffin. Do not boil the water.
Using the duck’s head as a handle, dunk the bird into the melted paraffin.
Dunk the bird several times to ensure good coverage of the paraffin.
Dunk the bird into cold water and
10 let it sit for 5-10 minutes for the paraffin to harden.
Peel the paraffin like an orange.
All the down and remaining feathers will peel right off. Drop the peeled paraffin right back into the melted paraffin.
All of the down and feathers have been removed.
Cut off the head and tail. Remove the entrails.
This bird is oven ready.