How long to confit duck?

Duck confit is pretty great, n'est pas? But what is the optimum time to leave your duck legs in the fat?
At 200 F, some recipes say 2-3 hours, some say 10-12. What is the truth?

paulkog
  • Posted by: paulkog
  • March 4, 2011
  • 4637 views
  • 5 Comments

5 Comments

nogaga March 5, 2011
I remember eating duck confit during my childhood and having the impression it had been comfortably seasoning itself in its own fat for months; it was part of the magic of confit for me. I just looked it up (wikipedia) and found the following: "A sealed jar of duck confit may be kept in the refrigerator for up to six months, or several weeks if kept in a reusable plastic container. To maximise preservation if canning, the fat should top the meat by at least one inch. The cooking fat acts as both a seal and preservative and results in a very rich taste."

Go for it! Its delicious.

 
TiggyBee March 5, 2011
Gosh, I fall right in the middle here on this one. More inclined to aargersi's answer on the 3 hours, however, 7 hours is when I got my best flavor ever. Really hard call! The only advise I can offer is to salt the duck overnight and rinse.
 
aargersi March 5, 2011
I am a BIG fan of the duck leg, and while I don't usually confit them, I do a low and slow - the duck and apple salad as well as the po'boy feature low and slow legs ... I find 3 hours at 225 usually does the trick. By then they are falling off the bone. That said, longer may infuse more flavor, not sure ... I would research and pull your favorite thoughts and ideas from several recipes. ps I have also done the po'boy for a crowd using a whole duck spatchcocked plus additional legs with great results ...

http://www.food52.com/recipes/search?recipe_search=duck
 
hardlikearmour March 5, 2011
Once the meat is really tender I don't know what you'd gain by additional cooking. I'd say the 2 to 3 hours. Hopefully someone with more extensive knowledge will chime in!
 
sygyzy March 5, 2011
Closer to 10.
 
Recommended by Food52