Traditional Duck Confit Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What does duck confit consist of? ›

Duck Confit is an adored, age-old French preparation for duck. Called Confit de Canard in French, duck legs are slow-cooked in duck fat until the meat is meltingly tender, then the skin crisped to golden perfection. This is a traditional Duck Confit recipe that's low-effort and DOESN'T require buckets of duck fat!

If you thought Duck Confit on its own would already exceed your week's intake of calories, the dish is traditionally served with pommes de terre à la Sarladaise, which are slices of potatoes cooked in duck fat (thick coin-sized French fries). If you are going to indulge, you may as well do it properly.

Once the duck has been confit'd, remove it from its fat bath, and dry it. Dab it with paper towels to make sure the skin side is dry. Then place the meat, skin side down in a hot pan, and do not move it. The skin will get crispy and will eventually come away from the pan with no resistance.

Use Quality Oil

Whether you're leaning towards olive, grapeseed, or canola, always ensure it's of top-notch quality. A good-quality oil doesn't just preserve the garlic; it transforms into a beautifully flavored oil that you can use in myriad ways later on, especially in other recipes with garlic confit.

Confit refers to the process of slow cooking and storing food in fat. Confit is a French word that means "preserved." In the confit method, meats are cooked in fat for a long time at low temperatures. This renders tough cuts like duck legs more tender, and when stored in duck fat in a cool place, they last all winter.

Select a traditional duck confit recipe and simply use an equal amount of quality extra virgin olive oil in lieu of fat. According to Fat Secret, duck fat and a typical extra virgin olive oil have about the same amount of calories and overall fat, but has less than half the saturated fat found in duck fat.

There are several health advantages to duck confit. Monounsaturated fats, which are excellent for your heart, are abundant in duck fat. A good supply of protein, iron, and amino acids that your body needs to operate correctly is also included in duck confit.

It is true of any confit recipe, but it's imperative when cooking duck, which is naturally lean and gamey. Cook the meat slowly and gently, at a low temperature of 250 to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the key to producing tender results if you're cooking with whole leg quarters (instead of just the legs).

Cook until duck is completely tender and meat shows almost no resistance when pierced with a paring knife, and skin has begun to pull away from bottom of the drumstick, 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

How long does confit duck last? ›

The preserved duck can be stored in the fridge for 6 months or more. When required, it is freed from its suspended animation in the solid fat, and given a quick, hot blast of cooking that crisps the skin. The best and most cost-effective way of making duck confit is to buy a whole duck.

And remember, the oil can also be reused. What else can I confit? Any meat that has a lot of connective tissue is delicious in a confit. The long cooking time will break down the tough cut of meat and the oil will keep it from getting dry.

The process of confit differs from deep frying in one key way: temperature. While deep frying typically takes place at temperatures between 325 and 450°F (165 and 230°C), confit preparations are done much lower—an oil temperature of around 200°F (95°C), sometimes even cooler.

Garlic confit will last up to 2 weeks in the fridge, and up to 3 months in the freezer. Refrigerate the garlic confit immediately after cooled. Freeze it with the oil or puree it and freeze it separately for up to 2 months. You can even freeze it into covered ice-cube trays for easy removal when you want some.

Duck confit, for example, has a rich, savory flavor with a hint of sweetness from the fat and spices. The slow cooking process helps to tenderize the duck and give it a melt-in-your-mouth texture. Pork confit has a similarly rich, savory flavor, and is often served with a side of potatoes or vegetables.

Why It Works. Curing duck legs with salt, alliums, and aromatics seasons the meat deeply and gives it a subtle background vegetal sweetness. A gentle and slow cook in a low oven yields tender and silky duck confit.

This classic French dish sees duck legs slow cooked until tender. Delicious served in a cassoulet or simply with sautéed potatoes and veg.