Braised Duck Recipe - A Recipe for German Braised Duck (2024)

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4.93 from 14 votes

By Hank Shaw

January 17, 2019 | Updated August 11, 2022

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Rich, tender braised duck bathed in comforting flavors: sauerkraut, root vegetables, even a little sausage. For duck or goose legs, braising is the way to go. It’s an easy weekend supper.

Braised Duck Recipe - A Recipe for German Braised Duck (2)

Pretty much every culture that eats duck makes braised duck, and this is a venerable recipe from Germany called braised duck Niederwald.It seems like ages since I first wrote about this recipe, and it has been — at least in blogging time. I first posted a version of this braised duck back in early 2008, and it was so popular it even got written up in Field & Stream. But time marches on, and now I look back at that original recipe and cringe.

This is the upgrade. It is basically the same German braised Duck Niederwald that I first found in the pages of the The Derrydale Game Cookbook(which, incidentally, was designed by my sister!), only streamlined, improved and generally made better than the old version.

At it’s core, this is a German pot roast, made with duck or goose legs. It has all the familiar German ingredients: sausage, sauerkraut, cabbage, caraway, onions, juniper.

It is uncomplicated and homey, and it cries out for German bread or potatoes and either a wiezenbock, Maibock or even a hearty doppelbock like Spaten Optimator, which is what I drank when I ate this last version. You could of course drink a nice dry Austrian Riesling, too.

Braised Duck Recipe - A Recipe for German Braised Duck (3)

Braised Duck Recipe - A Recipe for German Braised Duck (4)

Why Make Braised Duck?

Braising tough parts of any animal is the best way to enjoy them: They remain whole, more or less, but are cooked slow and low in a broth until meltingly tender. The only thing braised duck, or really any braise, asks of you is time. You need a few hours to make this recipe.

Unless you decide to pressure cook the duck legs, in which case you can make this braised duck via Instant Pot in less than an hour. After the sauté steps, put the duck in with everything except the smoked sausage and set it to manual high pressure for 25 to 30 minutes — 30 minutes is best for wild duck. Let it naturally release pressure.

You can also braise duck in a slow cooker. Again, after the sauté steps, put everything in a slow cooker on high for about 6 to 8 hours. This way, you could get your braised duck going before work and it will be ready when you come home. Don’t worry if it cooks an extra hour or two; this recipe is forgiving.

Crispy Skin Trick

If you cook this recipe traditionally, in a lidded pot, and keep the browned duck skin up out of the braising liquid, it will stay pretty crispy. But if you want to take things to another level of crispiness, cook this braise in a 300°F oven until the meat is tender, then jack up the heat to 400°F and remove the lid for the last 15 minutes to get the skin extra crispy.

One thing that fascinates me with this recipe is the name: Niederwald. I know it happens to be a small town near Frankfurt in Germany, but beyond that I can find absolutely no reference to this dish other than the one in the Derrydale book. (And it doesn’t help that all I can think about when I say the name is Dean Wormer talking about Douglas Niedermeyer in “Animal House”… )

I have some other braised duck recipes, such as braised duck with leeks, and Peruvian ceviche de pato, which is braised legs with a chile and citrus sauce.

4.93 from 14 votes

German Braised Duck Niederwald

I have done this recipe with all kinds of wild or store-bought ducks and geese, but I prefer it with the legs from specklebelly geese, which is what I used in these pictures. I also prefer to use skin-on legs, because the skin adds a lot of flavor.

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: German

Servings: 6 people

Author: Hank Shaw

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours hours

Total Time: 2 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 to 3 pounds duck or goose legs and/or wings
  • 2 tablespoons duck fat, lard or vegetable oil
  • 3 cups shredded cabbage
  • 1 small onion, sliced thin from root to tip
  • 3 medium carrots, sliced thin
  • 1 28 ounce jar of sauerkraut
  • 1 cup white wine (Riesling would be good)
  • 1 cup chicken, duck or other stock
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 cloves
  • 1 teaspoon coarsely cracked black pepper
  • 10 juniper berries, mashed but whole
  • 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
  • 2 smoked sausages, such as kielbasa or red bratwurst
  • Salt
  • Freshly chopped chives for garnish

Instructions

  • Heat the duck fat in a large, lidded pot like a Dutch oven set over medium-high heat. Brown the duck or goose legs well, especially on the skin side. Salt the legs as they are cooking. Once each leg browns well, remove it to a plate for now. The whole process may take 10 to 15 minutes.

  • When the duck has all been browned, add the onion, cabbage and carrot and sauté until the vegetables get just a little browning on the edges, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the sauerkraut, wine, stock, herbs and spices. (Leave out the sausages for now.)

  • Nestle the duck or goose legs into the kraut mixture and baste with a little of the liquid. Cover the pot and simmer very gently over low heat until the meat yields easily to the tip of a knife. How long? Anywhere from about 90 minutes for store-bought ducks to 3 1/2 hours for an old goose.

  • About 15 minutes before you think the goose or duck legs will be done -- you need not be precise, as the legs are pretty forgiving in terms of overcooking them -- slice the sausages and nestle them into the pot, too. Cover and heat through. You don't want to cook the sausages too long or all the fat will drain out and they will be dry and unpleasant.

  • When you're ready to serve, add salt to taste and sprinkle the chives over the dish. Serve with good rye bread, potatoes in some form (mashed, boiled, roasted, etc) or with dumplings. I particularly like the bread dumplings in my venison roast recipe.

Notes

I always use either homemade sauerkraut or the refrigerated kind; it tastes better than the pressure-canned, shelf stable kraut. Juniper berries are easily available in larger supermarkets, on nearby bushes, or you can buy themonline.

For the sausage, I prefer smoked red bratwurst, but kielbasa is another excellent choice. If you don't want a smoked sausage, bockwurst is a good one here.

Nutrition

Calories: 300kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sodium: 324mg | Potassium: 296mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 5130IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @huntgathercook or tag #hankshaw!

Categorized as:
Ducks and Geese, Featured, German, Recipe, Wild Game

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About Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet’s largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

Read More About Me

Braised Duck Recipe - A Recipe for German Braised Duck (2024)

FAQs

What does it mean to braise a duck? ›

Braising is the process of cooking meat with a dry heat first to lightly brown the cut before using a moist heat to finish cooking the dish. Once it is lightly browned, it is cooked on wet heat with the duck simmering in liquid until it is ready to use. We love braising duck for a number of reasons.

How is duck best cooked? ›

Rub the duck generously with flaky sea salt, then lay, breast-side down, on a rack over a roasting tray. Roast the duck for 3 hrs, pricking again every now and then. Turn the oven up to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4 and turn the duck over, roast for 30 mins and then rest for 10 mins.

What is the secret to crispy duck skin? ›

Scoring the the skin allows the fat to render out. With more scoring lines (and more fat rendering), the skin becomes thinner and crispier. Place the duck breast in the freezer for a few minutes before scoring. When the skin is cold and firm, it's easier to cut many scoring lines into the duck.

How do you make a nice duck? ›

Preparation
  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. ...
  2. Place duck, breast side down (wings up), on a rack in a roasting pan; add water to come just below the rack. ...
  3. Roast 30 minutes, undisturbed. ...
  4. Roast 20 minutes, then prick the breast all over , and brush with soy sauce.

What should you do to the braising liquid before serving? ›

Season Throughout the Cooking Process

You should taste the sauce and add just a little bit of seasoning about once every hour during the cooking process. The trick is to add little amounts as you go, and stop short of the braising liquid being fully seasoned until right before you serve.

How long should you cook duck for? ›

Roast (whole duck: 2 ¼ hours for ducks weighing 1.75-2 kg, 2 ¾ hours for ducks weighing 2.5-3 kg; breasts, 30 mins). Dry fry, grill or barbecue (3-4 mins on each side). Stir fry (cubes or strips, 5-7 mins).

How do you make duck meat tender? ›

When you use gentle heat, the fat has time to render off, while heat slowly transfers to the flesh through the buffer of the thick skin layer. This gives you tender flesh with a minimal gradient, as well as delicious, crisp skin.

Why is my duck not crispy? ›

The key to very crisp skin is to chill the ducks uncovered as the skin dries out in the fridge and will become more crisp as it roasts.

What makes duck chewy? ›

As ducks are waterfowl, they have a thick layer of subcutaneous fat. When you look at a duck breast, you can see the fat under the skin, and though duck fat is delicious for use as a cooking fat, it is squidgy and chewy when it is in tissue form.

What is crispy duck called? ›

Traditional Peking Duck is served with several elements including sliced pieces of crispy roast duck placed on Chinese pancakes and topped with savory hoisin sauce and julienned cucumbers and scallions.

What spices are good for duck? ›

Combine the smoked paprika, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, five spice powder, dry mustard and some salt and pepper in a bowl. Using a sharp knife, score the skin of the duck so it has a 1/4-inch diamond pattern. Rub the spice mixture all over the duck.

What is the most delicious duck? ›

The 5 Best Tasting Ducks
  1. Teal. Teal are the real deal. ...
  2. Wood Duck. Wood ducks have a distinct flavor which is likely due to their diet of acorns, rice, aquatic vegetation, and bugs. ...
  3. Pintail. ...
  4. Mallard. ...
  5. Canvasback.

What does braise mean in cooking? ›

braising, the cooking of meat or vegetables by heating them slowly with oil and moisture in a tightly sealed vessel. Braising differs from stewing, in which the food is immersed in liquid, and from covered roasting, in which no liquid is added. Braising is a combination of covered roasting and steaming. goulash.

What does it mean if meat is braised? ›

Braising is simply a cooking method that involves browning meat or vegetables in oil and then cooking them in a small amount of liquid in a covered pan, either on the stovetop or in the oven. The long, slow cook time helps develop flavor and turn even the toughest meat cuts fork-tender.

What does braised duck taste like? ›

Duck meat has a savory taste that combines sweetness with a slight gamey undertone. While chicken and turkey are mild and neutral, duck offers a depth of flavor that leans toward being intense and rich. The meat is succulent and full-bodied in taste.

What is the difference between braised and sauteed? ›

Braising, also known as pot roasting, is a combination cooking method that uses both dry and wet heat to cook the food. Primarily the food is seared or sauteed at a high temperature to give a nice brown crust, then finished in a covered pot with some amount of water at a low temperature to cook for a long time.

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