Grandpa Joe's
Whole Duck Confit

The juiciest, crispiest, duck imaginable!

About this recipe

Confit (pronounced con-FEE) Style simply means cooking a meat in its own fat.  It is also a preservation technique if the meat is stored in the fat after cooking.  The entire process typically begins with a curing step using salt, brown sugar, garlic, and a variety of fresh herbs.

I have always been intrigued with preparing foods Confit Style.  Duck Legs Confit, for example, are always moist and delicious.  Roasting a whole duck, on the other hand, was always a challenge for me.  I never seemed to achieve that perfect result of having the meat moist throughout.

It occurred to me that perhaps cooking the entire duck confit style might be the answer.  After seemingly "cornering the market" for duck fat, I experimented with my idea and was amazed at the result.

Ingredients

  • 1 Long Island duck
  • rendered duck fat, enough to cover halves entirely
  • fresh thyme sprig
  • fresh rosemary sprig
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • kosher salt

Directions

  1. Using a sharp knife, remove the duck's backbone, and then cut down the middle of the breast bone, leaving 2 equal halves.
  2. Season the duck halves with herbs, salt and pepper.  Place in a Dutch oven and cover completely with duck fat. 
  3. Roast for 2½ hours (with the cover slightly ajar to allow moisture to escape) in a preheated 300° F oven.
  4. Remove the duck halves from the fat, place on a rack on a sheet pan, season with salt and pepper, and finish in a 375° F convection oven for about 15 minutes, or long enough to crisp the skin.
Roast Duck Confit with Risotto Milanese and Cranberry Sauce.

Notes

  • Alternatively, finish in a 400° F conventional oven.
  • Fresh and frozen ducks, and rendered duck fat is available online from the Jurgielewicz Family Farm.
  • After each use, the duck fat should be strained and frozen.  It will last for months.
Posted: February 2014; picture added: March 2015.