Duck Confit Recipe Alton Brown Food

"CHEATER'S" DUCK CONFIT

Steps:

• Season the duck legs with salt. Coat a large wide pot lightly with olive oil. Lay the duck legs skin side down, in a single layer, in the pan.
• Cook the duck legs low and slow over low heat to render the fat. This process will take a while, don't rush it. It is really important to render as much fat out of the duck legs as possible. Once the pan is full of fat, turn up the heat and brown the duck legs on both sides.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Once the legs have rendered and are nice and brown, remove them from the pan and reserve. Add the onions and season with salt. Stir to coat with the duck fat. Cover and cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes. Once the onions are really nice and wilted, remove the lid and cook for another 15 minutes or until the onions start to caramelize. Taste to make sure they are very well seasoned, add salt if needed. Return the duck legs to the pan, snuggle them in with all the onions and add the wine, thyme and bay leaves.
• Cover the pan and place in the preheated oven. Braise the duck in the oven for about 90 minutes. Stir the onion and duck every 30 minutes to be sure that the onions are not burning. When done, the duck should be incredibly flavorful, tender and falling off the bone.
• Remove the tough lower stems from the dandelion greens, wash and spin them dry. Cut them into 1 -inch lengths. Place the greens in a large bowl with red wine vinegar. Season with salt and some of the warm duck fat. Strain some the onions out of the duck fat and toss them in with the greens.
• Place a large mound of the dressed dandelion greens on each serving plate, lay a duck leg on the greens and top with a little more of the onions.
• It's just ducky!!!

DUCK CONFIT

Steps:

• Place the duck breasts in the insert of a 5 1/2 to 6 quart slow cooker and add the fat, garlic, shallot, salt, pepper, and herbes de Provence. Cover, set the slow cooker on HIGH, and cook for 1 hour. Reduce the heat to LOW and cook until the duck is very, very tender--at least 4 and up to 8 hours. Use a slotted spoon to remove the duck from the fat, which can be strained, frozen, and reused. Serve the duck hot or at room temperature, or use it to make cassoulet.
• There are three ways to get chicken fat for this recipe: You can skim congealed fat off the top of chicken soup or stock, buy it in a plastic tub from a kosher butcher, or make it yourself. To make your own, place raw chicken fat in a heavy saucepan and cook very slowly over medium-low heat until the fat has melted, the connective tissue has darkened and crisped, and any water has evaporated. Strain the rendered fat into a bowl. Rendered chicken fat can be kept in a sealed container in the freezer for up to 6 months.

DUCK CONFIT

Steps:

• Lay the leg portions on a platter, skin side down. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the kosher salt and the black pepper. Place the garlic cloves, bay leaves, and sprigs of thyme on each of 2 leg portions. Lay the remaining 2 leg portions, flesh to flesh, on top. Put the reserved fat from the ducks in the bottom of a glass or plastic container. Top with the sandwiched leg portions. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt. Cover and refrigerate for 12 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
• Remove the duck from the refrigerator. Remove the garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and duck fat and reserve. Rinse the duck with cool water, rubbing off some of the salt and pepper. Pat dry with paper towels.
• Put the reserved garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and duck fat in the bottom of an enameled cast iron pot. Sprinkle evenly with the peppercorns and table salt. Lay the duck on top, skin side down. Add the olive oil. Cover and bake for 12 to 14 hours, or until the meat pulls away from the bone.
• Remove the duck from the fat. Strain the fat and reserve. To store the duck confit, place the duck leg portions in a container, cover with the reserved cooking fat, and store in the refrigerator. Alternately, pick the meat from the bones and place it in a stoneware container. Cover the meat with a thin layer of some of the strained fat. The duck confit can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
• The excess oil can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and used like butter for cooking. The tinge of duck taste in the oil is wonderful.

MIGHTY DUCK

Steps:

• Combine the salt, pineapple-orange juice, peppercorns, thyme, and garlic in a plastic container with a lid. Place the lid on the container and shake to dissolve the salt.
• Remove the pop-up thermometer, liver, gizzards, and heart from the duck. Cut off the wings with a knife or kitchen shears.
• Using kitchen shears, locate the spine at the base of the neck. Cut up the line of the backbone towards the neck cavity. Turn the duck and cut straight towards the rear cavity. Remove the backbone and reserve for another use, like stock.
• Turn the duck over and cut straight down the middle of the breastbone, leaving 2 equal duck halves. To separate the legs from the breast, flip your halves over so the flesh side is facing up. Using a knife, make a crescent shape cut between the leg and the breast. Lay your knife flat against the skin and make 3 marks in one direction and then in the other, making an X. Make sure that you are cutting through just the skin and not the meat.
• Line the inside of a food-safe plastic container or pot with a zip-top bag. Place the duck quarters inside the bag, and pour the brine over the duck. Seal the bag, removing as much air as possible. Brine the duck for 2 to 2 1/2 hours in the refrigerator.
• When ready to cook, place a 12-inch cast iron skillet in the oven and heat oven to 475ºF. Meanwhile, bring 1 1/2 to 2 inches of water to a boil in a large pot. Place a colander into the pot and line the sides of the colander with the duck. Do not stack the duck quarters on each other. Cover and turn the heat to medium low. Steam the duck for 45 minutes to render out some of the fat.
• Remove the duck pieces from the steamer (Save the water for another use, like cooking potatoes.) and place the legs, skin-side down, into the hot skillet. Return the skillet to the hot oven immediately and roast the leg quarters for 10 minutes. Add the breasts, skin-side down, and cook until the duck takes on a deep mahogany color and the skin is very crisp, about 7 more minutes.
• Remove the duck from the skillet and rest under foil. Add the chard and the shallots to the skillet. Toss the chard in the fat until it barely wilts. Season with the sherry or balsamic vinegar.
• Serve the duck with the chard.

DUCK CONFIT

Steps:

• Season the duck legs with kosher salt on both sides. Place them in a large resealable bag. Add the lemon zest and slices, garlic, allspice berries, juniper berries and fresh thyme. Seal, and massage the duck legs through the bag until all of the ingredients are evenly dispersed. Refrigerate for 24 hours to marinate.
• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F (93 degrees C).
• Remove the duck legs from the marinade. Rinse them off and pat dry. Place the rest of the contents of the bag into the bottom of an oven safe dish just large enough to hold the legs in a single layer, preferably enameled cast iron or glass. Arrange the duck legs skin side down in the dish. Pour the duck fat into a small saucepan and warm over low heat until liquid. Pour over the duck legs until they are completely covered. If the legs are not covered, you can top it off with some olive oil. As the legs cook, more fat will be rendered from the skin. Cover the dish with a lid.
• Bake for 6 to 7 hours in the preheated oven, until the meat pulls easily from the bone. Remove the duck legs from the fat and place in a sealable container. You may leave the bones in or remove them. Make sure there is room at the top of the container. Strain all of the solids from the remaining fat and discard the solids. Pour the fat over the duck in the container, covering completely. Seal and allow to come to room temperature. Once the jar is cool, place in the refrigerator and let the duck meat cure for 2 months. Reserve any leftover duck fat for other uses.

CONFIT OF DUCK

Steps:

• The day before you want to make the dish, scatter half the salt, half the garlic and half of the herbs over the base of a small shallow dish. Lay the duck legs, skin-side up, on top, then scatter over the remaining salt, garlic and herbs. Cover the duck and refrigerate overnight. This can be done up to 2 days ahead.
• Pour the wine into a saucepan that will snugly fit the duck legs in a single layer. Brush the salt off the duck legs and place them, skin-side down, in the wine. Cover the pan with a lid and place over a medium heat. As soon as the wine starts to bubble, turn the heat down to the lowest setting and cook for 2 hours, checking occasionally that the liquid is just barely simmering. (If you own a heat diffuser, it would be good to use it here.) After 2 hours, the duck legs should be submerged in their own fat and the meat should feel incredibly tender when prodded. Leave to cool.
• The duck legs are now cooked and can be eaten immediately - or you can follow the next step if you like them crisp. If you are preparing ahead, pack the duck legs tightly into a plastic container or jar and pour over the fat, but not the liquid at the bottom of the pan. Cover and leave in the fridge for up to a month, or freeze for up to 3 months. The liquid you are left with makes a tasty gravy, which can be chilled or frozen until needed.
• To reheat and crisp up the duck legs, heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Remove the legs from the fat and place them, skin-side down, in an ovenproof frying pan. Roast for 30-40 mins, turning halfway through, until brown and crisp. Serve with the reheated gravy, a crisp salad and some crisp golden ptoatoes.

DUCK CONFIT

Steps:

• Mix or grind together the salt, thyme, bay leaves, and pepper. Put the duck in a roasting pan or broad, shallow bowl and rub this mixture all over it. Nestle the garlic if you're using it in among the legs and refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours.
• Remove the duck from the salt mixture and rub off any excess salt. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Warm the duck fat so that it is pourable. Place the duck and garlic in a baking dish in one layer. Cover the legs with the duck fat. (You may not need all the fat, depending on the size of your pan; and if you do not have enough, add olive or other oil as necessary.) Put in the oven and cook, undisturbed-the mixture should send up a few bubbles a minute, but no more than that; adjust the heat accordingly-for 3 to 4 hours or until a fork pierces the leg with little resistance. Cool in the fat for about an hour.
• The legs can be stored in or out of the fat. To store them in the fat, simply refrigerate the whole roasting pan or combine the duck and the fat in a bowl and refrigerate. To store out of the fat, remove from the fat while still warm, then cool to room temperature. Wrap each leg individually and refrigerate. The legs (and garlic) will keep for up to 2 weeks; the fat will keep, refrigerated, indefinitely.
• To serve, heat a couple of tablespoons of the fat in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add 1 or more legs (and a clove or 2 of garlic) and brown slowly, turning as necessary, until crisp, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with a salad (see the headnote) or with warm crusty bread.

DUCK OR CHICKEN GIZZARD CONFIT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Cut the garlic bulb in half and put it in a small mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, put the cleaned gizzard and rub in some salt, then rub it with the garlic followed by the thyme. Let the gizzards sit in the refrigerator for approximately 3 hours.
• After this time take them out of the fridge and the marinade and rinse under cold water.
• In a heavy-bottomed pan over a medium-high heat with a slick of duck fat, roast the gizzards for a couple of minutes. Meanwhile, in another saucepan gently heat the remaining duck fat over a medium heat. Slide the gizzards into the duck fat and move the pan to the oven to cook for 2 hours.
• Lift the gizzards from the fat with a slotted spoon and drain any excess fat on paper towels. Slice the gizzards and use them for canapés, garnish on rice or even as a spread on toast.

DUCK CONFIT, THE RIGHT WAY

Steps:

• Combine shallot, sugar, salt, pepper, garlic, and thyme in a small bowl. Rub all over duck legs, thighs, and wings.
• Arrange duck parts skin side-up in a dish and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until the seasoning is well absorbed, 24 to 48 hours.
• Rinse off the seasoning and pat the duck dry. Arrange duck in a single layer in a 9x13-inch baking pan. Let duck stand until it reaches room temperature, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 225 degrees F (110 degrees C).
• Melt duck fat in a saucepan over medium heat until bubbles begin to form, 6 to 8 minutes. Pour duck fat over the room-temperature duck.
• Bake duck in the preheated oven until tender and the juices run clear, 2 to 3 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read 135 degrees F (57 degrees C). Pour off the duck fat.
• Brush a grill pan with some of the used duck fat and heat over medium-high heat until smoking. Add baked duck; cook in batches until skin is crispy, about 90 seconds per side.

EASY DUCK CONFIT

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaf pieces. Sprinkle duck generously with mixture. Place duck legs in a pan in one layer. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours.
• The next day, heat oven to 325 degrees.Place duck legs, fat side down, in a large ovenproof skillet, with legs fitting snugly in a single layer (you may have to use two skillets or cook them in batches). Heat duck legs over medium-high heat until fat starts to render. When there is about 1/4 inch of rendered fat in pan, about 20 minutes, flip duck legs, cover pan with foil, and place it in oven. If you have used two pans, transfer duck and fat to a roasting pan, cover with foil and place in oven.
• Roast legs for 2 hours, then remove foil and continue roasting until duck is golden brown, about 1 hour more. Remove duck from fat; reserve fat for other uses.
• Serve duck hot or warm, over roasted potatoes or noodles or sturdy salad greens.

DUCK CONFIT

Steps:

• Put the duck legs into a large container (a large, heavy-duty ziplock bag works well) and add the salt, pickling spices, garlic, onion, and thyme. Mix together thoroughly, making sure each leg is coated with the salt. Cover with plastic wrap (if not using a bag) and refrigerate for at least 18 hours and up to 2 days.
• In a very large Dutch oven or other large heavy-based pot, melt most of the fat slowly over low heat. Remove the duck legs from the refrigerator. Reserve the garlic from the marinade. Rinse each duck leg well under cold running water to rinse the salt off, and pat dry well, using paper towels.
• Heat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Slip the legs and the garlic into the pot of warm fat. The fat should cover the duck completely. If it does not, add more fat. Cook the legs over medium heat until the temperature of the fat reaches 190 degrees Fahrenheit on a candy/ frying thermometer, then cover the pot and carefully move it into the oven. Bake at 200 degrees until the legs are fork-tender, about 3 hours.
• Remove the pot from the oven and allow the duck legs to cool in the fat for about half an hour. Have ready one or more clean containers to hold the duck legs and the fat. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the legs into the containers. Remove the garlic from the pot, but do not add it to the duck legs - set it aside (see note at end of recipe).
• Allow the duck fat to cool, but do not let it solidify. Using a fine-mesh strainer, strain the fat over the duck legs, leaving behind any debris or juices from the duck legs, which will have sunk to the bottom of the pot. Make sure that the legs are completely covered, and tap the containers lightly on the counter to help remove any air bubbles. Reserve any remaining clear strained duck fat and store in the refrigerator.
• Refrigerate the confit until the fat hardens fully. When the fat is hard, add another 1/2 inch layer of melted fat (which you saved from earlier, in the fridge. If you did not have enough to save, you could use fresh pork lard or peanut oil) to ensure that the legs are completely sealed in fat. Refrigerate the confit to allow the legs to "mellow" and develop flavor for at least a few days and up to 1 month before using.
• To use the confit, let the fat in the container soften at room temperature. Or set the container in a pan of warm water. Take out as many pieces as you plan to use. Cover the remaining pieces with more fat or peanut oil (the confit becomes more perishable once the seal is broken, so use the rest within a week or so). Scrape away the fat clinging to the confit and use as you like or as directed in a recipe. If you are using the confit on its own in a salad, heat it under a broiler until the skin is crispy.
• Note on garlic: press the garlic through a mesh strainer. You now have an excellent garlic purée to add to sauces, stews, or to spread on bread.

DUCK CONFIT

Steps:

• 1. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of salt in the bottom of a dish or plastic container large enough to hold the duck pieces in a single layer. Evenly scatter half the garlic, shallots, and thyme in the container. Arrange the duck, skin-side up, over the salt mixture, then sprinkle with the remaining salt, garlic, shallots, and thyme and a little pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 days.
• 2. Preheat the oven to 225°F. Melt the duck fat in a small saucepan. Brush the salt and seasonings off the duck. Arrange the duck pieces in a single snug layer in a high-sided baking dish or ovenproof saucepan. Pour the melted fat over the duck (the duck pieces should be covered by fat) and place the confit in the oven. Cook the confit slowly at a very slow simmer - just an occasional bubble - until the duck is tender and can be easily pulled from the bone, 2-3 hours. Remove the confit from the oven. Cool and store the duck in the fat. (The confit will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks.)

DUCK CONFIT

Steps:

• To cook one duck, you need about 2 1/2 cup duck fat. A 4.5 lb. duck renders at least 1 cup of fat. Ask your butcher for extra duck fat, or you'll need another cooking fat to supplement. I'd use a mild lard; it's flavor isn't obtrusive. A 4.5 lb. Long Island duck typically yields about 8 oz confit meat (equal parts leg and breast meat).
• PREPARE THE DUCK: Cut the legs and each breast half from the duck. Trim any excess skin and fat from the legs and save for rendering.
• Gently but firmly pull the skin from the breast meat. Set the skin aside and put the breast and legs in a baking dish.
• Sprinkle liberally with the salt. Nestly the bay leaves, thyme and garlic among the duck pieces. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 24 hours.
• RENDER THE FAT: Trim all the skin and fat from the carcass. Put the skin and fat, including the skin from the breasts and trimmings from the legs in a small heavy saucepan over low heat. Cook, partially covered, at a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent the skin from sticking.
• After about 1 1/2 hours, the skin will be a deep golden in color and crisp, meaning it has rendered almost all of its fat. Take the pan off the heat and let it cool slightly.
• Strain the fat into a container, seal it, and refrigerate until ready to use. The crisped skin may be eaten or discarded.
• COOK THE DUCK: In a heavy, 1 1/2 qt saucepan, melt the rendered fat over low heat. Blot the duck pieces with paper towels to remove any excess salt and to dry them. Put the duck in the pan, along with garlic, thyme and bay laves. Arrange the pieces so that they're all submerged. If needed, add more lard.
• Cook, uncovered, at a very gently simmer, between 185 degrees and 195 degrees, for 2 hours. Do not stir, and never let it boil. After 2 hours, the duck confit will be very tender and will come easily off the bone.
• Lift the duck from the fat using tongs and either use imediately or cool and store, covered, in the refrigerateor for up to a week.