Bricks & stuff

[Filthymutt]

Re: Bricks & stuff

GF, I think I might have a photo from my last dinner at DaDong Duck last year. I will try to post later. Cheers

[Filthymutt]

Re: Bricks & stuff

OK I posted a photo of the Duck Oven at PhotoPlog - Finished Ovens

[GianniFocaccia]

Re: Bricks & stuff

Your Royal Filthyness,

Thanks a bunch! I have always been interested in the evolution of masonry ovens in China, given the rich Chinese history of innovation. It must take a helluva fire to heat an oven with an entry large enough to hang that many ducks in. What I would do to get ahold of some of that rendered duck fat!

[Filthymutt]

Re: Bricks & stuff

Just wrote a lengthy reply, which dissappeared when I tried to post it, Aaarrgghhh
I will try again

[Filthymutt]

Re: Bricks & stuff

Ovens in China are not a very common thing. Chinese cuisine seemed to evolve in a much different way than our own.
Beijing duck is famous in China itself not only for the taste but for the method of preparation, roasting, which is rarely done here for any other dish. It is hard to say how this dish came about since they did not normally use ovens here. It is thought that Beijing roast duck, like the tradition of roast turkey in America, owes its origin to the roast goose that is still popular in Europe on festive occasions. Westerners like Marco Polo brought certain European customs to China and may have introduced the concept of roasting poultry to their Chinese hosts during the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368).
However, there is another school of thought based upon certain records that show roast duck has a much longer history dating back as far as the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420 - 589). So, who knows...
As for the Duck fat you so desire well I don't think you'd be getting it from these ducks because most of that, when you are having Beijing Kao Ya (roast duck) will end up on your plate.
For BJD the bird is normally cooked twice. 1st it is roasted just long enough to get the skin to its nice crispy texture and full of flavor from that thin fatty layer just below the skin, mmm... Then ducky is removed from the oven. The skin, some of which is trimmed very thin with no fat attached will then be put on one plate. Then more skin cut with much of the fat still in place is placed onto another plate and then both put on your table before returning ducky to the oven to continue cooking. Later, after you've finished with the first course the rest of the duck will be brought out prepared into different dishes all the way to the ending duck soup which is normally served at the end of the meal as opposed to the western way of having it before.
I have been over here for 13 years so far. I have traveled over much of the country, more than 40 towns and cities. And can tell you that I have only ever noticed ovens in use in one other region, XinJiang.
There they use a brick oven which is I think more like the Tandoori ovens. They are vertical or nearly so with the opening at the top. In XinJiang they make breads and these little greasy gems Sumsa, Delicious lamb filled breads "pies" baked using this special brick oven. Thes breads, like the Naan of India are adhered to the sides of the oven being placed inside by a guy with a rather long arm and a pillow like thing on his hand that he uses to place and remove the breads onto the walls of the oven.
I will take a look through my photos and post one shortly of this type of oven for you.
Other than these I can not recall seeing other ovens in use. I may be wrong, there may be ovens in other parts of China or even in the places I have been to. I may not have noticed them but I doubt it.
Anyway, I hope to be building my own brick oven in Beijing by this summer! Maybe I'll have to add a duck rack to the ceiling...
Oh, and lastly, regarding the big door of the duck oven, I have read that the door itself is adjustable to modify the temperature and allow the ovens to be used for other purposes besides duck roasting. Though from what I have seen they tend to keep the doors wide open all the time for the ducks.
FM

[Filthymutt]

Re: Bricks & stuff

Ok I posted to the finished ovens page a China Ovens album. Not real sure Finished ovens was the right spot but seemed the best choice
PhotoPlog - Error
Don't mind the ERROR message. If you click on it it still brings you to the right page. Go figure.

[brickie in oz]

Re: Bricks & stuff

When I click the link I get this.

Sorry, brickie in oz: No Item or Item is Now in Moderation Queue - Check Back Later

[Filthymutt]

Re: Bricks & stuff

Strange, when I click it it still goes to the right place. I will try to re-post

[Filthymutt]

Re: Bricks & stuff

try this but when I tried it this way before it only brought me to one picture instead of the albumPhotoPlog - Finished Ovens

[brickie in oz]

Re: Bricks & stuff

You will be seeing the cached version on your local computer.

[Filthymutt]

Re: Bricks & stuff

tell me if you can see the whole album from that last post please

[brickie in oz]

Re: Bricks & stuff

Only 1 pic.

[brickie in oz]

Re: Bricks & stuff

If you right right click on each pic > copy image location, > click this icon then paste in the url in the bar, each pic will show, slow but it works.



Edit, hmm its flawed.
You have to delete the (small/) in each image to get a larger image to appear, otherwise you just get a thumbnail pic.

[Filthymutt]

Re: Bricks & stuff

mmm will give it a go

[brickie in oz]

Re: Bricks & stuff

The images have to hosted remotely as it wont work from a local (your) computer.