Whole Duck
cooking times
The answer
2 hr – 2 hr 30 minat 350°F
At the most common temperature, 350°F, a whole duck runs about 2 hr – 2 hr 30 min at 5.5 lb. Pick your temperature below for the full chart. Done is always 165°F internal.
SOURCE·USDA FSIS safe minimum internal temperatures·whole duck row of the FSIS chart·REVIEWED JUL 2026
USDA safe zone — 165°F and above
Done is a temperature, not a time. Every figure on this page is a planning range; the green band is the only part that decides. For a whole duck it opens at 165°F and a 15-minute rest.
Source—USDA Food Safety & Inspection Service safe minimum internal temperatures—retrieved 2026-07
How this is worked out
- Anchor. Start from what USDA FSIS publishes for a whole duck — its safe minimum internal temperature of 165°F, and the FSIS roasting timetable where one exists for this cut.
- Rate. Convert the anchor into a planning rate at 350°F: 22–27 min/lb, cross-checked against at least three independently published sources.
- Scale. Multiply that rate by your weight. A 5.5 lb piece lands at 2 hr – 2 hr 30 min; the range is widened to cover source disagreement rather than averaged into false precision.
- First check. The first thermometer reading is set at 85% of the low end of the range — early enough that an under-reading costs nothing and a late one cannot cost the meal.
- Gate. The time is only a plan. It is not done until a food thermometer reads 165°F in the thickest part, then rests about 15 minutes. Time never overrides temperature on this site.
- Round. Every printed figure is rounded to the nearest 5 minutes; precision beyond that would be invented.
plan_low = weight_lb × 22 min/lb
plan_high = weight_lb × 27 min/lb
first_check = plan_low × 0.85
DONE ⟺ internal_temp ≥ 165°F AND rest ≥ 15 min
(USDA FSIS — the gate, not the clock)
SOURCE·USDA FSIS safe minimum internal temperatures·safe minimum for this cut·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Pick your temperature
Every temperature this chart room holds for a whole duck, each with its own worked ledger.
The whole cut, temperature by temperature
| Oven temp | Time for a 5.5 lb whole duck | Per pound |
|---|---|---|
| 350°F | 2 hr – 2 hr 30 min | 22–27 min/lb |
SOURCE·USDA safe-temperature guidance·timing ranges derived, see method·REVIEWED JUL 2026
When it is actually done
165°F internal
The USDA FSIS safe minimum internal temperature for this cut is 165°F, followed by a rest of about 15 minutes. The clock estimates; the thermometer decides. Every time on this page is a planning range, not a doneness test.
SOURCE·USDA FSIS safe minimum internal temperatures·whole duck row of the FSIS chart·REVIEWED JUL 2026
What the ledger does not tell you
- Prick the skin all over (through fat, not into meat) — a duck carries a fat layer a chicken does not, and it needs escape routes to render and crisp.
- Pour off the rendered fat once or twice during the roast; it is the best roast-potato medium in existence — do not discard it.
- Duck breast served pink is a restaurant convention that sits below the USDA 165°F poultry guideline; the timetable above cooks the whole bird to the federal standard.
- Expect less meat than the weight suggests — a 5.5 lb duck feeds three to four, not six.
The clock tells you when to start looking. The thermometer tells you when to stop.
