French · Main · Medium
Duck Confit
Duck legs cured overnight with salt and herbs, then poached slowly in their own fat until the meat falls off the bone. Finish in a hot oven for shatteringly crisp skin.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Duck Confit, in 5 ideas
- The long salt cure is what seasons the meat deeply, do not shorten it below 12 hours.
- Keep the fat between 190 and 210F, a gentle poach, never a hard simmer or the meat toughens.
- Save the rendered fat after cooking, it is liquid gold for roasting potatoes.
- Confit keeps for weeks submerged in its own fat in the fridge, making it perfect for entertaining.
- Crisp the skin under the broiler for the last 2 minutes if it is not browning evenly.
What you need
Ingredients
- 4 duck leg quarters (about 2.5 lbs)
- 1/4 cup kosher salt
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns, crushed
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves, crumbled
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 4 cups rendered duck fat (or as needed to cover)
How to make it
Directions
- Rub the duck legs with salt, pepper, thyme, bay, and garlic. Refrigerate covered overnight, 12 to 24 hours.
- Rinse off the cure and pat the legs completely dry. Warm the duck fat in a heavy pot to 200F.
- Submerge the legs in the fat, keeping it below a simmer, and cook in a 250F oven for 2.5 to 3 hours until very tender.
- Cool the legs in the fat, then refrigerate in the fat for up to 2 weeks, or move on to crisping right away.
- To serve, wipe off excess fat and roast skin side up at 425F for 15 minutes until the skin is golden and crisp.
- Rest 5 minutes and serve over lentils, a frisee salad, or roasted potatoes.
Duck fat feels extravagant, but it is fully reusable, strain and freeze it for months of incredible roast potatoes.