My decadent, luxurious, and super easy duck confit recipe uses duck leg quarters slow-cooked in duck fat until the meat is ultra-tender! Anyone can make duck confit like a professional chef with this simple recipe!
duck fat(melted, enough to cover the bottom of your baking dish or skillet - *see note)
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Instructions
To begin, rinse your duck legs and pat them dry with paper towels. Using a very sharp knife, prick the skin of the duck all over. Do this at an angle to avoid piercing the meat underneath.
Salt your duck generously all over. If time allows, let the duck dry brine for 8 hours in the fridge, uncovered, on a wire rack for good air circulation. If that's not an option, set the salted duck legs on the counter at room temperature for at least 40 minutes, or up to an hour.
For this recipe, do not preheat your oven. Place the salted duck legs skin-side-up in a baking dish or oven-safe skillet. They may be close enough to touch, but should not be overlapping. Add the melted duck fat (or other fat, *see note) to the dish so that the legs are almost fully submerged.
Place your duck legs on the center rack in the oven and set the heat to 300°F (150°C). Let them bake for 2 hours.
Remove your duck confit from the oven. Take the duck legs out of the fat and set the fat aside (*see note). To brown and crisp the skin, you can increase the oven temperature to 400°F (205°C), or pan-sear the duck legs skin-side-down over medium-high heat until crisped to your satisfaction.
Notes
If you don't have duck fat on hand, other fats you can use include bacon fat, tallow, or cooking oil. However, duck fat is preferred.
Refrigerate cooked duck confit for up to 1 month in an airtight container with enough fat to cover the legs (they should be fully submerged).
Save the duck fat, it can be used at least 2 more times to make more duck confit! After that, taste it before using it as it will eventually become too salty.
You can also save the duck fat to use later in other recipes. For longevity, it is best to strain the fat before storing. I usually pour it through a cheesecloth and discard the lumps of coagulated fat. Strained duck fat will keep for 6 weeks when strained and kept in an airtight container.