Twice-Cooked Pork
Pork first simmered, then stir-fried with peppers and bean paste.
← Home duck beer spicy
Beer Duck
Duck braised in a full can of beer with chilli bean paste, dried chilli and Sichuan pepper until the sauce turns thick and glossy. Adapted from the original ClouChef R&D report — 啤酒鸭, report 182.
Original poster image from clouchef.com (poster: 啤酒鸭_182.jpeg). This is the hero poster only, not a step-by-step photo set.
Prep: 15 minutesCook: 45 minutesTotal: 1 hourServings: 2–3Difficulty: Easy–MediumRegion: SichuanFlavour: Spicy, malty
Home adaptation note: The report is one portion (350 g duck, about 400 g finished). Quantities below are that portion. The alcohol mostly cooks off during the 35-minute braise, but a trace may remain; the dish is not suitable for anyone avoiding alcohol entirely. The report's cost table is arithmetically wrong and is omitted — see the source note.
Why this works
Beer does two jobs in this braise that water cannot. Its malt sugars deepen the sauce as it reduces, and its mild acidity helps the duck turn tender without falling apart. The duck is cut into uniform three-centimetre pieces so every piece finishes at the same time, blanched from cold water with ginger and wine for two minutes — the report caps blanching at three minutes, past which the meat dries — and then fried on medium heat for three minutes until lightly coloured, which seals the surface before the long braise. Aromatics are bloomed at one hundred and sixty degrees, bean paste is fried gently until its red oil separates, and then the beer goes in and must cover the meat. The braise runs thirty-five minutes on low heat with a gentle turn every ten minutes to stop sticking, and the finish is a five-minute high-heat reduction to about one hundred millilitres of sauce that coats a spoon. The centre of the duck must reach at least seventy-five degrees.
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Ingredients
| Ingredient | US | Metric | Substitute / note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boneless duck leg meat, cut into 3 cm chunks | 12.3 oz | 350 g | Boneless leg, per the report; bone-in needs longer. |
| Beer (ordinary canned lager) | 1 can (11 fl oz) | 330 ml | About half a 500 ml bottle; must cover the duck. |
| Fresh ginger, sliced | 1 oz | 30 g | 10 g for blanching, 20 g for the wok. |
| Dried chillies, cut into sections | 0.5 oz | 15 g | — |
| Red Sichuan pepper | 1 tsp | 5 g | — |
| Red-oil doubanjiang | 1 tbsp + 1 tsp | 20 g | — |
| Light soy sauce | 1 tbsp | 15 ml | — |
| Sugar | 1 tsp | 5 g | — |
| Shaoxing wine (for blanching) | 1 tbsp | 15 ml | — |
| Neutral cooking oil | 2 tbsp | 30 ml | — |
| Scallion or white sesame (garnish) | To garnish | To garnish | Report lists 5 g scallion or 3 g sesame. |
Equipment
- Wok or large braising pot with a lid
- Thermometer if you want to verify the 75 °C centre
- No steamer needed
Steps
- Prepare and blanch. Cut the duck into uniform 3 cm chunks. Blanch from cold water with 10 g ginger and 15 ml wine; boil 2 minutes, skim, lift out and drain. Do not exceed 3 minutes.
- Bloom the aromatics. Heat the oil to about 160 °C. Fry the remaining ginger, dried chilli and Sichuan pepper for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the bean paste and fry on low heat 1 minute until the red oil separates.
- Sear. Add the duck and fry on medium heat 3 minutes until lightly coloured.
- Braise. Pour in the beer, soy sauce and sugar. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low heat 35 minutes, turning gently every 10 minutes so nothing sticks. The beer must cover the duck; top up with a little water if it does not.
- Reduce and serve. Uncover and reduce on high heat 5 minutes until the sauce is thick and coats a spoon, about 100 ml remaining. Check the duck is cooked through (centre at least 75 °C), garnish with scallion or sesame, and serve.
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Technique: Beer must cover the meat
If the beer does not cover the duck, the exposed pieces dry out while the submerged ones braise. Cut the pieces evenly, pour in the full can, and top up with water rather than letting the top layer steam dry.
Variations
- Milder: Halve the dried chilli and Sichuan pepper; the malt flavour still comes through.
- With potato: Add 100 g potato chunks halfway through the braise (adaptation); they will drink up the beer sauce.
Frequently asked questions
Will the alcohol cook off?
Mostly, over 35 minutes of simmering plus a 5-minute reduction, but a trace can remain. Do not serve it to anyone avoiding alcohol entirely.
Why is my duck dry?
Blanching ran past 3 minutes, or the beer did not cover the meat during the braise.
Can I use dark beer?
The report uses ordinary lager. Dark beer will make the sauce more bitter and malty — a different dish, but not a bad one (adaptation).
Storage
Keeps 2 days refrigerated; reheat to a full boil. The sauce thickens on cooling; loosen with a splash of water when reheating.
Beer Duck — Recipe Card
Duck braised in beer with chilli bean paste until the sauce glosses.
Prep: 15 minutesCook: 45 minutesTotal: 1 hourServings: 2–3
Ingredients: 350 g duck leg; 330 ml beer; 30 g ginger; 15 g dried chilli; 5 g Sichuan pepper; 20 g doubanjiang; 15 ml light soy; 5 g sugar; 15 ml wine; 30 ml oil.
Steps: 1) Cut duck into 3 cm chunks, blanch 2 minutes. 2) Bloom ginger, chilli and pepper at 160 °C, fry bean paste to red oil. 3) Sear duck 3 minutes. 4) Braise in beer 35 minutes, turning every 10 minutes. 5) Reduce 5 minutes to about 100 ml sauce.
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Source note: ingredients, quantities and steps are adapted from the original ClouChef R&D report for 啤酒鸭 (data/reports/182.md). The report's pricing, margin and marketing sections are deliberately omitted here; no B2B cost is presented as a home-cook cost. The report's cost table is arithmetically wrong — it prices the 330 ml beer at 990 yuan against a stated 3 yuan per bottle, giving a total of 1,012.19 yuan — so no cost figure from it is reproduced.