Duck Confit
French preserved duck legs cured overnight, then slow-cooked submerged in their own fat until silky and falling off the bone. Crisp the skin before serving.
Photo by Manek Singh on Unsplash
Ingredients
- 4 whole duck legs
- 3 cups duck fat
- 3 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 whole bay leaves
- 6 cloves garlic
How to Make It
- 1
Cure duck legs: mix salt, black pepper, fresh thyme, bay leaves, and garlic. Rub all over duck. Refrigerate 24 hours.
- 2
Rinse off cure, pat dry thoroughly.
- 3
Place duck legs in an oven-safe pot, cover completely with duck fat (or a mix with olive oil).
- 4
Cook at 200°F (95°C) for 2.5-3 hours until meat is very tender and pulls from bone easily.
- 5
Cool in fat, then refrigerate. Keeps for weeks preserved in fat.
- 6
To serve: remove duck from fat, scrape off excess.
- 7
Heat a skillet over high heat. Place duck skin-side down, cook 5-7 minutes until skin is deeply golden and crackling-crisp.
- 8
Serve with white beans, lentils, or roasted potatoes.
Your Cook's Notes
Sign in to keep personal notes on this recipe — substitutions, timing tweaks, family modifications.