Duck confit is one of those dishes I figured I would never make at home. Poaching duck legs in fat sounds messy, difficult and expensive — duck fat isn't cheap. But I learned there is an easier, cheaper way to make duck confit, and now I'm tempted to give this classic cooking and preservation technique a try.
In place of pricey, hard-to-find duck fat, regular olive oil can be used to poach duck legs and thighs. The meat is rubbed with salt and herbs and dry-brined in the refrigerator for a couple days before being placed in a pot, covered in olive oil, and simmered in a low oven for several hours, until it is falling off the bone. Cooled and left submerged in the fat, the duck will keep refrigerated for up to three weeks.
The confited duck can be shredded and used for appetizers like duck rillettes or roasted whole until warm and crispy. Either way, it's an ingredient I'd always be happy to have on hand.
→ Get the recipe: The Cheat: Duck Confit at Feast
Have you ever made duck confit?
Related: Leek Confit: A Useful & Delicious Condiment
(Image: Jennifer Silverberg/Feast)
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Interesting recipe. I think the crock pot might be a better choice than the oven. Regulating the simmer of the oil in the oven sounds pretty awkward to me.
Yes, interesting. Duck fat is expensive, but if you roast a whole duck or goose, or some duck breasts, you can save the fat, which keeps indefinitely if refrigerated in glass jars. When making confit, I use about half a tablespoon of coarse salt per leg (I also add aromatics such as garlic, star anise, cinnamon and thyme, although these are not traditional). I brine for 12-24 hours (any longer, and it's just too salty), and rinse the duck well before simmering for 2-3 hours in a low oven. I sometimes add a few pieces of Chinese dried peel to the fat, it gives a subtle, warm tang.
@Mdorothy: bring the duck to a slow simmer on the stove (just a few small bubbles rising slowly in the fat), cover and transfer to oven on very low for 2-3 hours. A dutch oven would be perfect for this.
I have had wonderful success with a slow cooker. I have used both store-bought duck fat and rendered duck fat that I saved and both worked equally well. And really, duck fat isn't all that expensive, especially when you consider that you can re-use it to make the world's most exquisite fried potatoes.
I know this is not for everyone but the easiest way that I've found to make duck confit is using sous vide. This has many advantages. 1) You only need a few TBs of duck fat per leg rather than 6+ cups 2) You are able to make just one or two at a time and don't feel obligated to make a bunch to make it "worth" it. 3) There's no oven in use for hours at a time heating up your house. It also leaves the oven free so you can use it for something else like baking or cooking another meal. 4) The bag , if properly sealed, serves as it's own storage vessel. You don't need to use up a Tupperware container. The bag also allows you to weigh down the bird after removing it from the bath, to flatten it, for better crisping.
Elise Bauer of Simply Recipes has a really easy duck confit that requires a very small amount of fat (olive oil)and slow cooking in the oven. I've made it and its delicious, took about 2 hours.
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/easy_duck_confit/
Wait, I can reuse duck fat after making confit? I roasted a duck tonight and now have 1.5 pints of fat in my fridge...
Absolutely - don't discard it! I was still using the fat from our Xmas goose 6 months later. Duck/goose fat elevates otherwise humble ingredients such as eggs or sauteed potatoes to something really special. Just remember that it will be saltier after making confit, and adjust the seasoning in your recipe accordingly. As animal fats go, it's one of the healthier ones - it stays liquid at room temperature, unlike pork or beef fat.
Duck fat can reused a dozen times, but I seal mine in tupperware and chill it in my work fridge, it can last for years. You will find a brown layer of gelatin on the bottom of your tub, and it doesn't keep as well as the fat does, so scrape it off. To clean the used fat after cooking, cook at 300f for 10 minutes, cool for 30 minutes and then strain through 6-8 layers of cheesecloth. The jelly makes a fantastic base for a sauce, add some grand marnier, chicken stock, cornstarch and salt and pepper ... Golden