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Recipe · Reverse-sear · Medium

Reverse-sear duck magret with crackling skin

Two 380 g duck magrets, diamond scoring on the skin, 15 minutes at 120°C indirect and a final 90 seconds at 280°C. Skin like a cracker, meat pink edge to edge.

Magret de pato con cebolla caramelizada y piel crujiente
Prep
20 min
Cook
25 min
Servings
4 servings
Temperature
120 °C

Ingredients

  • duck magrets (350-400 g each)2 ud
  • coarse-grain salt1 cda
  • freshly ground black pepper1 cdita
  • large orange (juice + a little zest)1 ud
  • rosemary honey1 cda
  • sherry vinegar1 cda
  • fresh thyme (optional, for the sauce)1 rama

Method

  1. 01

    Temper and dry

    Take the magrets out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Pat them dry on both sides. The skin must be perfectly dry before scoring so the fat renders rather than steams.

  2. 02

    Diamond scoring

    With a very sharp knife, score the skin in a diamond pattern every 1 cm: diagonals one way, then the other. Cuts deep into the fat but never into the meat. If you reach the meat, the juices will leak during cooking and the magret will dry out.

  3. 03

    Season

    Sprinkle coarse salt generously on the skin (it falls into the scoring cuts) and moderately on the meat side. Freshly ground black pepper on both faces. No oil — the magret has plenty of its own fat.

  4. 04

    Stabilise at 120°C

    Set the kamado for indirect with the deflector in place. Climb to 120°C and let it settle 15 minutes. Check the temperature holds steady before loading the magrets.

  5. 05

    Indirect phase, skin up

    Lay the magrets on the grate skin side up. Sink the probe into the thickest part of one of them, away from the edge. Cook until 50°C internal — 12 to 15 minutes. Do not lift the lid.

  6. 06

    Pull and ramp to 280°C

    Move the magrets onto a board. With gloves remove the deflector (heads up: heavy and very hot). Open the bottom damper and top vent fully. In 5-6 minutes the kamado clears 280°C.

  7. 07

    Sear skin down

    Return the magrets to the grate skin side down. Time 90 seconds untouched. The skin should turn deep golden brown and bubble up. Flip and 30 seconds on the meat side, purely for colour. Pull quickly.

  8. 08

    Quick sauce and slicing

    Move a tablespoon of the rendered duck fat into a hot pan. Add the orange juice, honey, sherry vinegar and thyme. Reduce over medium heat for 3-4 minutes to a light syrup. Meanwhile the magrets rest for 5 minutes. Slice 1 cm thick across the grain, spoon over the sauce and finish with a touch of orange zest.

About this recipe

Duck magret is one of the kamado cuts with the best return-per-hour: under 30 minutes of actual cooking gives you an editorial dish with skin crisp as a roof tile and meat pink throughout. The trick is not temperature — it is the skin scoring and the reverse-sear order.

Scoring: diamond, without cutting into the meat

Before anything else, score the skin with a very sharp knife in a diamond pattern every 1 cm. Cuts deep into the fat but never into the meat beneath. This serves two purposes: it increases exposed surface for the fat to render during the indirect phase and, at the final sear, it creates the crisp scales that separate a great magret from a flabby one. Season with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper — generous on the skin, moderate on the meat side.

Indirect phase at 120°C, skin up

Kamado stabilised at 120°C with the deflector. Lay the magrets on the grate skin side up, probe in the thickest part of one of them. Cook until the probe reads 50°C internal — 12 to 15 minutes depending on thickness. The fat starts to render slowly and the meat climbs in temperature without drying. You are not after colour here, just the internal temperature.

Sear at 280°C: 90 seconds, skin down

Pull the magrets, open the vents and push the kamado to 280°C (5-6 minutes). Return the magrets skin side down and time 90 seconds. The skin should be deep golden brown and bubbling. Flip 30 seconds on the meat side, purely for colour. Rest 5 minutes on a board. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, I build a quick sauce with the rendered duck fat, orange juice, honey and a splash of sherry vinegar — the classic French recipe adapted to what is in the pantry. Slice 1 cm thick across the grain.

In 30 seconds

Diamond-score the skin every 1 cm, never into the meat. Coarse salt + pepper. Kamado 120°C indirect, skin up, probe to 50°C internal (12-15 min). Pull, ramp to 280°C. Return skin down 90 sec + 30 sec meat side. Rest 5 min. Quick sauce with duck fat + orange + honey + sherry vinegar in a pan. Slice 1 cm across the grain. Editorial plate, 4 diners, 25 min of cooking.

Editor's tips

  • Score without cutting the meat, full stop: if the knife reaches the flesh, the juices will pool at the bottom of the kamado and the magret turns stringy. Better a very sharp knife and shallow cuts than deep ones gone wrong.
  • Place the probe in the thickest zone, not the edge. Magrets are uneven cuts — if you probe the thin side, you will pull the whole batch late and the thick side will be undercooked.
  • If you do not have a kamado on hand, this reverse-sear works in a screaming cast-iron pan: 12 min indirect in a 120°C oven, then 90 sec in the pan over the rendered fat. The probe still rules.
  • The quick sauce is not optional. Without something acidic and sweet to cut the duck fat, the plate gets heavy by the second slice. Orange + honey + sherry is the minimalist formula; blackberries, pomegranate or quince also work.

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FAQ

  • Is skin scoring really necessary?

    Yes, it is the difference between an editorial magret and a mediocre one. Without scoring, the skin sits like an elastic flap over unrendered fat. With diamond scoring, the fat escapes through the cuts during the indirect phase and the final sear creates the crisp scales that define the dish. Some premium magrets come pre-scored; if you buy those, run the knife over the cuts to make sure they reach fat but not meat.

  • Is the Bluetooth probe mandatory here too?

    Highly recommended. Magrets have a narrow doneness window: at 48°C internal they are raw, at 52°C they are well-done. Sweet spot for medium-rare is 50°C — barely 2-3 minutes of margin. With a Bluetooth probe you pull at exactly the right moment; without one, check with an instant-read every 2 minutes from minute 10. The analogue kamado probe is no use here — it reads chamber, not meat centre.

  • Difference between confit duck and reverse-sear magret?

    Opposite techniques for different cuts. Duck confit uses legs submerged in their own fat at 75-90°C for 3-4 hours — shredded texture, deep flavour, perfect for winter. Reverse-sear magret is the opposite: breast cut, no submersion, fast cooking (25 min total), firm pink texture. Magret is sliced and served; confit is served whole or shredded. They share the duck and nothing else.

  • Without a kamado, does it work in a pan?

    It works and is in fact the classic French technique. The difference: in a pan you start the magrets from cold skin-side down on medium-low heat and let the fat render for 8-10 minutes. Once the skin is golden, flip 2-3 minutes on the meat side. No prior indirect phase. Kamado reverse-sear gives tighter doneness control and a crisper skin because the final sear runs hotter. But the pan works, and plenty of Michelin kitchens do it that way.

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