[USA] Duck Confit

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Thu Jan 26, 2012 18:34

I bought some domestic ducks after Christmas when they were in the bargain bin. I got one out to thaw and it is six and half pounds. So I decided to bone it out and have four nice pieces that I can roast as fresh instead of having five pounds of leftover roast duck.
I removed the wings and started from the center of the back and cut the breast meat free of the ribs. I cut the legs away from the back and all of the loose skin I rendered for the fat and cracklings. I am simmering the bones for stock and to loosen the meat to use for some boudin sausage. The packers didn't include the liver so I will use some chicken liver.
Anyhow this is what a dismantled duck looks like:

story28 · Post by **story28** » Thu Jan 26, 2012 19:22

Hi Ross.
Please tell me you still have the legs and thighs intact with the bone still...? I really think you should do some duck confit. I can help if you haven't made it before

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Thu Jan 26, 2012 20:14

Yes the legs still have the bones They were only separated at the hip. YES! to the help with the confit, Please and thank you.

story28 · Post by **story28** » Thu Jan 26, 2012 21:08

Alright!

For two legs you will need...

Green Salt

1/4 C kosher salt
1 bay leaf
1 T chopped thyme
1/8 C packed flat leaf parsley
1/2 t black peppercorns
rendered duck fat, as needed

Procedure:

1. Combine all ingredients in a spice/coffee grinder and pulse until thoroughly blended.

2. Rinse duck legs and pat dry.

3. The proportion of green salt to duck leg is 1 T for every 8oz leg. Adjust quantities as needed.

4.Rub the salt into the meat, especially along the joint. Place in a nonreactive container and refrigerate for 24 hours.

The Next Day

Preheat your oven to 190F

1. Rinse the salt from the duck with cold water. Thoroughly pat dry.

2. Gently warm the duck fat and pour into an appropriate sized ceramic vessel or casserole dish.

3. Add the duck legs, making sure they are completely submerged in fat. Cover with foil and place in the oven.

4. Cook the duck until meltingly tender. This should take about 10 hours unless you have drastic temperature fluctuations in your oven.

5. Remove the duck from oven and cool to room temperature IN THE FAT.

6. Once the fat and duck are near room temperature, cover and place in the refrigerator overnight.

The Next Day

1. Remove the duck from the refrigerator and set on the counter to temper and soften the fat.

2. Gently remove the duck and slowly, slowly, slowly "saute" in an appropriate sized pan. You want some fat in that pan and listen for GENTLE cracking. Almost like a saute with too much oil. As more fat renders during the saute, remove it from the pan. GENTLE!

3. Once the skin has become nice and crispy, transfer to a sheet tray lined with a rack and finish warming in a 300F oven.

This looks like a lot to read but I promise it is not a lot to do. It is likely you might not have quite enough duck fat. It is ok to compensate with rendered pork fat.

If you follow this, you will have some VERY tasty stuff on your plate. I tried to keep it very basic, but if you like it and want to give it another shot, we can keep refining the technique.

Let me know if you have any questions and Good Luck!

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Thu Jan 26, 2012 22:27

Jason that is grand! I have about a pint of duck fat. I can get these legs started tomorrow and perhaps have them ready by Monday for supper.

On the boudin effort, I was able to pick 9 ounces of meat from the carcase and added to that 4 ounces of poached chicken liver.
My grinder plates are in the shop so I chopped everything by hand. I measured the salt and spice porportionately the the kilogram recipe in out companion site http://www.wedlinydomowe.com/sausage-recipes/boudin
I cooked a third cup of rice in too much stock so it was nice and wet and combined it with the mince. Nancy came home about the time I finished and I gave her a spoonful on a cracker then she got another on her own.
The yield from this recipe starting with 9 ounces of carcase meat and four ounces of liver was a pound and a half of very tasty sausage mix.

story28 · Post by **story28** » Fri Jan 27, 2012 01:01

That sounds like you are definitely going to be getting your money's worth out of that duck! I think one pint of fat should be enough, but you will know better than I once you get things rolling. If you happen to end up just a tad shy, keeping the breasts skin side up will help protect the meat. Also, those thighs will provide extra fat as they render as well.

You will have to let me know how it all turns out.

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Fri Jan 27, 2012 01:23

Oh yes! you and the forum will hear the results and I promice not to substitute ingredients.

Chuckwagon · Post by **Chuckwagon** » Fri Jan 27, 2012 06:29

Thanks gents,
This recipe looks wonderful.
The only question I have is... if we took a "dis-mantled", dilapidated, decrepit, and demented DUCK apart...
(I've got El Duck-O in mind) heh,heh,heh....

would he look like the DUCK in your first photo?

Jason, your recipe and instructions are exquisite. Going into the MRI on Sunday! Thank you.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Fri Jan 27, 2012 17:34

Back to confit!
The legs:

And now the question. After the oven time covered with fat how long will they keep if they are left in the fat and undisturbed and covered and refrigerated?

And now to the boudin. the meat picked from the carcase:

And the meat chopped with the chicken liver:

And finally last night's supper:

story28 · Post by **story28** » Fri Jan 27, 2012 20:37

As long as you separate out the stock that duck lets out during the cooking process it will keep well. But, you have to make sure that you are only preserving with the pure fat. If there is residual stock left in during the preservation period, it will spoil the whole batch. If you follow that method, then you can age the duck in the refrigerator for months. In fact, it will get better with age.

Traditional French method preferred a little rancidity, which was a sign of properly aged duck confit.

But, if you do this technique, it is wise to use a little curing salt during the initial salting phase. That way, you have lowered the risk of C. botulinum. Also, if you decide to mature the legs for this long, they should be given another sprinkle of salt when they are taken from the fat after cooking/before the cleaned fat is re-poured over the legs.

That duck fat can be reused about three times before it becomes too salty. One of the most popular accompaniments to duck confit are potatoes fried in a bit of that duck fat.

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Fri Jan 27, 2012 21:14

I always save poultry fat and always make certain that it is completely dry. To do that I skim it from the stock and then let the stock cool and jell and pick the rest of the fat from the surface. Then I heat it to about 250°F until it stops bubbling. Just a little stock will cause it to spoil quickly.
My thoughts concerning keeping were short term like perhaps a week at 34°F
I should think that the stock that cooks out while in the oven is of fine flavor.

story28 · Post by **story28** » Fri Jan 27, 2012 21:30

One week and you don't even have to worry about separating the two. But it will be harder to get out with the legs in there. I would still separate it out after cooking. I would definitely use that stock as your sauce.

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Fri Jan 27, 2012 22:53

I have two corningware pans that are just the right size for each leg. At 10 ounces each one leg will serve two people. Thanks.

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Sat Jan 28, 2012 20:27

After I had boned the duck and cooked the carcase I had a quart and a half of stock.
I made soup with that stock and added carrots, onions, celery, some of the collard greens that were left and some of the meatballs that I made from the last batch of sausage when I pushed the last of the mince out with a handful of rice. There is enough soup for two people for lunch for three meals. So from one duck we will have roast duck breast for two meals duck confit for two meals and soup for lunch for three meals. That gets me my monies worth .

[USA] Duck Confit

[USA] Duck Confit

soup is good food