If you can’t find Duck Legs at your local meat market or grocer you can buy on line at many sites. Just google Duck Legs for Confit and it will bring you to places to order. I found that Whole Foods Market sometimes carries them especially at the holidays. This recipe is quite large and can easily be cut in half. I often due a lot of legs at once and store them in containers that hold 3 or 4 legs. This way you can use just what you need at the moment.
12 Duck Legs with Thighs Attached
½ Cup Kosher Salt
2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
2 Teaspoons Whole Peppercorns
12 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
6 Bay Leaves, Broken in Half
6 Pounds Vegetable Shortening (Crisco)
Preheat Oven to 300°F.
In a small bowl combine the salt, sugar and peppercorns. Rub the duck legs all over with the salt mixture and put the pieces in a container large enough to hold them flat in a single layer. Distribute the thyme springs and bay leaves over the duck legs. Sprinkle with the remaining salt mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours and no longer than 24 hours.
Rinse the salt mixture from the duck and dry the pieces on paper towels. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and lay the duck pieces in the pan, skin-side down, and cook gently for 15 minutes to render the fat and the skin is browned evenly. You will do this in batches. Don’t crowd the pan.
Transfer the duck pieces and fat to an oven proof baking dish large enough to hold them flat in a single layer and add enough melted shortening to cover them. (You may have to use two baking dishes.) Cover with doubled aluminum foil and seal the baking dish completely (do not let the foil touch the duck fat or legs). Cook in the oven until the duck has rendered all its fat and is so tender that it is almost falling from the bone, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
To preserve the duck, remove from the baking dish to a clean ceramic terrine and pour enough of the fat over the duck pieces being certain to completely cover the legs and straining the fat of any thing other than the fat. Tap the container gently on the counter to be sure there are no air bubbles. Cover and refrigerate for at least a week to allow the flavor to mellow. If you keep the duck completely covered with the fat by at least two inches the confit will keep for several months. The longer it is left to mature, the better it will be.
To serve the confit, preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a sheet pan with foil. Warm the container of confit in a low heated oven to melt the fat. Lift out the pieces of duck, wiping off the excess fat, and put them on the foil lined sheet pan. Bake the duck pieces in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the legs are heated through and the skin is very crispy but not burned.
OR
Heat a pan large enough to hold a few duck legs without crowding over medium heat. Add a couple of tablespoons of the duck fat to the pan. When the fat is hot place the legs skin side down in the pan. Don’t move the legs until they come away from the pan easily. Heat the legs until the skin is super crispy but not burnt. Flip them over and heat for a few more minutes until warmed all the way through. Server immediately.
Don’t discard the fat as it is wonderful to use when cooking roasted or sautéed potatoes instead of butter or oil. The fat will keep indefinitely in the freezer.
