Whole “pickled” duck in the oven. The meat simply melts in your mouth. I know that many housewives do not like to cook duck – this bird has a wrong reputation, being considered meat that remains tough and dry.**

 Whole “pickled” duck in the oven. The meat simply melts in your mouth. I know that many housewives do not like to cook duck – this bird has a wrong reputation, being considered meat that remains tough and dry.**

I know that many housewives do not like to cook duck – this bird has a wrong reputation, being considered meat that remains tough and dry. But it is not so, it just needs to be marinated and cooked correctly. Then a very tender, juicy and aromatic duck will come out.

**Ingredients:**
– Duck, approximately 1.9 kg;
– Apples, 2 pieces;
– Garlic, 1.5 heads;
– Ground pepper and grains, 1 teaspoon each;
– Salt, 6 tablespoons;
– Bay leaves, 2 pieces.

**Preparation:**
1. Wash the bird thoroughly, cut off the wings and place it in a bowl.
2. Add all the spices and salt, sliced ​​garlic and pour 2 liters of water.
3. Place a weight on top of the bird and leave the bowl in a cool place for 2 days – this is necessary for the meat to salt. After you cook it, the bird salted in this way will be very tender and juicy.
4. Dry the meat with paper towels.

5. Mix in the crushed garlic (half of the head), pepper and other spices to taste.
6. Make punctures with a knife in the duck skin – passing it between the skin and the meat, put the mixture there and “massage” so that the marinade is absorbed into the meat fibers. Do this over the entire surface of the bird and put the rest of the mixture inside, spreading it evenly.

7. Cut the apples into slices and place them inside the bird.
8. Join the skin to the abdomen using a needle and thread or secure with toothpicks.
9. Bake for 2 hours at 180 degrees, periodically sprinkling with the juice that will drain into the tray.
10. When the bird turns brown, remove it from the oven.

Serve on a platter, garnished with fresh apple slices, lemon slices, or tangerine slices. You can make a sauce of tangerine juice and honey to drizzle over the bird