Duck Leg (Confit)

Duck legs are built for confit. The high collagen content in the thigh and drumstick breaks down beautifully at 160°–170°F over 10–14 h, giving you fall-off-the-bone meat that traditional confit takes days to achieve.

Cook the legs skin-on in the bag. After the bath, pat dry and sear skin-side down in a hot skillet for 3–4 min. The skin should be glass-crispy - this is the whole point of duck confit.

Duck leg bag juices are essentially concentrated duck stock. Strain, skim the fat (save it!), and reduce for a finishing sauce or add to soups and risottos.

For shredded duck, cook at 175°–180°F for 14+ hours. The meat pulls apart effortlessly and works beautifully in ragu, fried rice, or lettuce wraps.

Anti-tip: do not discard the rendered fat from the bag. Duck fat from a 12-hour confit is liquid gold. Strain it through cheesecloth and refrigerate. It keeps for months and makes the best roasted potatoes on earth.

Pat the legs completely dry before broiling so the skin blisters instead of steaming.

Rest cooked legs on a rack to keep the underside crisp.

Reserve the rendered fat for pommes Anna or roasted vegetables.

Store confit submerged in strained duck fat for up to a week; reheat by warming the fat until it liquefies.

For salads, crisp the skin separately and crumble over the greens to keep it crunchy.

Use the gelatin-rich bag juices to mount pan sauces or enrich soups.

Shred while piping hot so collagen doesn’t seize; use gloves to protect your hands.

Spread meat in an even layer before broiling to maximize crispy bits.

Add a splash of the bag juices or stock after crisping to keep meat succulent.