Description
Succulent duck confit originated in southwestern France as a preservation technique. Duck legs slowly roast in their own fat, creating golden crispy skin and tender meat that melts in your palate’s embrace.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 duck legs (skin-on, bone-in)
- 2 tbsps (30 g) coarse sea salt
- 1 tsp (5 g) black pepper
- ½ tsp (2.5 g) ground allspice
- 3 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 cups (960 ml / 32 oz) duck fat
- 1 tbsp (15 ml / 0.5 oz) duck fat (reserved from cooking)
- Roasted or sauteed potatoes
- Green beans or a fresh salad
- Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Preparation: Thoroughly pat duck legs dry with clean paper towels, eliminating all surface moisture to ensure optimal seasoning absorption and future crispy texture.
- Seasoning: Create a flavor-packed rub by vigorously massaging salt, black pepper, and allspice into every surface of the duck legs, ensuring complete and even coverage of the meat.
- Herbal Infusion: Layer the seasoned duck legs in a ceramic dish, strategically surrounding them with whole garlic cloves, thyme sprigs, rosemary branches, and bay leaves to impart deep, aromatic complexity.
- Marination: Securely cover the dish with plastic wrap or a tight lid, then refrigerate for 12-24 hours, allowing the salt to draw out moisture and deeply penetrate the meat while herbs intensify the flavor profile.
- Cooking Method: Preheat the oven to 225°F (107°C), gently submerge the duck legs in rendered duck fat or olive oil in a deep, oven-safe dish, ensuring the meat is completely covered and cooking low and slow for 3-4 hours until the meat becomes supremely tender and begins to pull away from the bone.
- Crisping Finale: Remove the confit from the fat, transfer to a preheated cast-iron skillet or baking sheet, and roast at 425°F (218°C) for 10-15 minutes to achieve a gloriously golden, crisp exterior that crackles with each bite.
Notes
- Ensure Complete Dryness: Pat duck legs thoroughly with paper towels to remove all surface moisture, allowing perfect salt absorption and crispy skin development.
- Master Seasoning Technique: Massage salt, pepper, and allspice deeply into duck meat, ensuring every crevice receives intense flavor penetration for maximum taste complexity.
- Optimize Marination Time: Refrigerate between 12-24 hours to allow salt to extract moisture and concentrate seasonings, creating rich, deeply flavored meat texture.
- Herb Infusion Strategy: Strategically place whole garlic, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves around duck legs to enhance aromatic profile and impart subtle herb nuances during curing process.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes (+12 hours curing)
- Cook Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 685
- Sugar: 0 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 68 g
- Saturated Fat: 18 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 50 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 0 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 24 g
- Cholesterol: 140 mg