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Duck Confit - French slow roasted duck legs
Recipe video above. A traditional recipe for Duck Confit from a French chef! 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 Duck Confit recipe is low-effort and DOESN'T require buckets of duck fat! Simple, yet a lusciously indulgent dish worthy of gracing restaurant tables. This might just be the ultimate dish for a low-stress dinner party or treating your loved ones!Recipe courtesy of our resident French Chef Jean-Baptiste Alexandre. Meet Chef "JB" here.
👥 4 Servings⏱️ Prep & Cook: 9h 5m⏳ Prep: 15 min🔥 Cook: 8h 50m👤 Nagi📖 recipetineats
🥘 Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you prepare them:
🍳 Cookware
- ●bowl
- ●oven
- ●pan
- ●stove
- ●microwave
📝 Preparation Steps
1
Cure duck:
2
Coat duck with dry cure: Place duck legs and all the Dry Cure ingredients in a large bowl. Toss well with your hands.
3
Cure ⏱️ 12 - 24 hrs: Transfer to a ceramic or glass dish large enough so the duck fits in a single layer but snugly. Cover and refrigerate for ⏱️ 12 - 24 hours (no longer is necessary).
4
Rinse: Brush off cure and rinse duck under tap water to clean them (remove all salt and black bits). Pat dry with paper towels.
5
Slow cooking (confit):
6
Preheat oven to 100°C/210°F (80°C fan) with a shelf positioned in the middle of the oven.
7
Roasting pan: Place duck in a small metal roasting pan with high sides. They should fit snugly, touching each other, but in a single layer. (Note 5)
8
Cover with duck fat: Pour fat over duck. It should pretty much cover the legs. (Note 6)
9
Heat fat in pan: Place pan on the stove over medium-high heat. Heat fat until bubbling energetically all across the surface (ie not just around the edges).
10
Cover with paper: Turn off stove. Cover surface with baking / parchment paper, cut to size so it sits on the surface of the fat over the duck. Gently push down to remove air bubbles. Cover pan tightly with a double layer of foil.
11
Slow cook: Carefully transfer to the oven. Cook for ⏱️ 8 hours.
12
Check flesh: Remove one duck leg (gently). Turn over to check the flesh side – meat should be fall-apart tender. Leg should also give easily when pressure is applied to the joint (see video).
13
Storing cooked Duck Confit (optional):
14
Duck can be stored submerged in fat at this stage. The meat juice should be strained off first.
15
Remove duck to a non-reactive container in which they fit snugly. (Note 7) Pour over cooled duck fat, leaving juice sediment behind. Ensure it fully covers the duck (push duck under while warm and pliable as needed, using tongs).
16
Once fully cool, cover with lid and place in fridge (5 days) or freezer (3 months). Fat will solidify.
17
To cook, heat duck gently in a container in microwave to melt the fat. Proceed with recipe.
18
Crisping skin and finishing Duck:
19
Preheat oven to 240°C/465°F (220°C fan). Place a rack over a deep roasting pan.
20
Remove duck from fat: Remove duck from fat, allowing excess oil to drip off. Pat excess oil off with paper towels.
21
Prepare for roasting: Pour 2.5cm / 1" of boiling water water into the roasting pan (steam keeps flesh moist). Place duck on rack, skin side up.
22
Crisp skin: Roast duck for ⏱️ 40 minutes until the skin is a deep golden and crispy. Rotate pan as needed for even colour. (You won't have problems with fat smoking as it drips into the water)
23
Serve: Rest briefly to cool, and serve! A classic French side dish for Duck Confit is Lentil Ragout. (pictured in post)
Nutrition Facts
calories
463 kcal
fat Content
30 g
serving Size
1 serving
sodium Content
1934 mg
protein Content
46 g
cholesterol Content
207 mg
saturated Fat Content
8 g
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