Duck stock is easier to cook with than it looks. Here's how to choose, use, and store it, what to substitute, and 5 recipes to get you started.

What is duck stock?

Duck stock is the savory liquid you get by simmering a duck carcass and aromatic vegetables in water until they give up their flavor and body.

It is the richest and fattiest of the poultry stocks, with a deep, dark flavor closer to a light beef stock than to chicken.

That richness is the draw. A spoonful of reduced duck stock carries a pan sauce or a plate of rice in a way chicken stock cannot, which is why it shows up in restaurant cooking far more than in home kitchens.

For the rules common to every stock, like never letting it boil hard, see the parent stock page. Here we cover the duck carcass, its giblets, and what to do with all that fat.

From Carcass to Pot

After a roast duck dinner you have the makings of stock: the picked frame, plus the neck and any wing tips. The giblets tucked inside the bird, the heart and gizzard, add real depth, so simmer them in too.

Leave out the liver, which turns the pot bitter.

If your carcass is already roasted, you have a head start on a brown stock. For raw bones, roast them at 425°F (220°C) until well browned first, the same move that gives beef stock its color and depth.

Build the pot with the usual aromatics, and a star anise or a strip of orange peel plays beautifully against duck if you are heading in a Chinese or French direction.

The Fat Is the Prize

Duck is fatty, and that fat is worth more than the stock to many cooks. As the stock simmers, a deep layer of fat rises to the top.

Chill the strained stock and the fat sets into a thick, golden cap you lift off in one piece. Do not throw it out. That is rendered duck fat, the gold standard for roasting potatoes and crisping up confit, and it keeps for weeks in the fridge.

Underneath, a good duck stock should be dark and set to a firm jelly, since duck bones are rich in collagen.

Simmering and Using It

Skim the foam in the first half hour, then hold a bare simmer for three to four hours. A roasted carcass gives up its flavor a little faster than raw bones.

Duck stock loves to be reduced. Cooked down hard it becomes a glossy, intense sauce base for the duck itself, the backbone of a classic preparation like Long Island Duck with Grapefruit.

It also carries bold braises, standing up to chiles and aromatics in a dish such as Braised Duck (Or Mussels) With Red Curry. And it makes an extraordinary pot of rice or risotto when you cook the grains in it instead of water.

Substitutes and Storage

There is no exact swap for duck. The closest is a rich, well-reduced chicken stock with a little extra chicken fat or a spoon of duck fat stirred in to mimic the body and flavor.

Lamb or beef stock can stand in for color and richness in a braise, though each brings its own flavor rather than duck's.

Homemade duck stock keeps about four days in the fridge under its fat cap. Freeze the rest in flat bags or cubes for around three months, and leave headroom since it expands as it freezes.

Quick facts

In Chinese

鸭股票

British (UK) term

Duck stock

en français

canard

en español

pato Stock

Recipes using duck stock

There are 5 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 5 recipes