Tulo

Duck Confit Recipe

Classic French duck confit: duck legs salt-cured overnight, then slow-cooked submerged in fat until fall-off-the-bone tender.
Photo by Nadin Sh on Pexels

Curing the duck legs in salt overnight seasons them deeply and draws out moisture, and cooking them fully submerged in fat at a low, steady temperature turns the tough dark meat meltingly tender without ever drying it out.

Prep
20 min
Cook
180 min
Total
1460 min
Servings
4

Ingredients

Servings4
  • 4 whole duck legs
  • 2 tbsp salt
  • 4 cloves garlic cloves, smashed
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme sprigs
  • 2 leaves bay leaves
  • 1 tsp black peppercorns, cracked
  • 4 cups rendered duck fat, enough to submerge the legs

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Instructions

  1. 1Rub the duck legs all over with salt, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, and cracked pepper, then arrange in a single layer in a dish, cover, and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.
  2. 2Rinse the cure off the duck legs and pat them completely dry.
  3. 3Preheat the oven to 225°F (110°C).
  4. 4Melt the duck fat in a small saucepan or in the oven, then arrange the duck legs snugly in a deep baking dish or Dutch oven and pour the melted fat over them until fully submerged.
  5. 5Cover and cook in the oven for 3 to 3.5 hours, until the meat is fork-tender and pulls easily from the bone.
  6. 6Let the duck cool in the fat until just warm, then carefully lift out the legs.
  7. 7To serve, heat a skillet over medium-high heat and crisp the duck skin-side down for 3-4 minutes before serving.

Tips & variations

  • Not enough duck fat on hand? Top off the dish with a neutral oil or rendered pork fat, the flavor will be a little less rich but the technique still works.
  • Strain and save the cooking fat after use, it can be reused for future confit or for roasting vegetables and keeps refrigerated for months.
  • Confit legs stored submerged in their fat in the refrigerator actually improve over the first week or two, a classic way to hold them longer.

Storage & reheating

Store the confit legs fully submerged in their strained fat in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. To serve, warm gently to loosen the fat, wipe off the excess, and crisp skin-side down in a hot skillet for a few minutes.

Nutrition

A rich, protein-heavy dish; the meat absorbs relatively little of the cooking fat, though it's higher in saturated fat than a leaner cut of poultry.

Tips from the Tulo kitchen

  • Don't skip patting the legs dry after rinsing off the cure, wet duck skin won't crisp properly at the final searing step.
  • Check that the legs are truly submerged before they go in the oven, any exposed meat above the fat line will dry out during the long cook.

FAQ

Do I need a full 4 cups of duck fat?

You need enough to fully submerge the legs, which depends on your dish's shape, closer to 3 cups can work in a narrow, deep pot. Store-bought rendered duck fat is sold specifically for this.

Can duck confit be made ahead of time?

Yes, that's traditional. Confit is meant to be made in advance and stored submerged in its fat, where it keeps for weeks and the flavor only improves.

Why cure the duck legs in salt first?

The salt cure seasons the meat deeply and draws out some moisture, both of which help the meat hold its texture during the long, slow cook in fat rather than turning mushy.

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