Duck legs salt-cured, then cooked submerged in fat at low temperature for hours and stored under that fat. A preservation method that turned out to produce the best possible version of the cut, which is why it survived refrigeration.
Duck leg quarters — thigh and drumstick — cured overnight with salt, garlic, thyme and bay, rinsed, then fully submerged in duck fat and held at 200-215°F until the meat pulls from the bone. They're cooled and stored in the fat, which sets solid around them. Moulard legs from foie gras production are the traditional and largest; Pekin legs are smaller and more common in shops. The skin stays soft during the confit and is crisped separately at serving.
Two mechanisms in sequence. The salt cure lowers water activity and seasons the meat throughout, and historically was the main preservative step. The fat then does two things: it conducts heat gently and evenly at a temperature that converts the leg's substantial collagen into gelatin over three hours, and once cooled it forms an airtight seal that excludes oxygen and prevents aerobic spoilage. Fat is a poor solvent for the compounds that cause rancidity at low temperature, so properly sealed confit keeps for months refrigerated. The meat cannot dry out during cooking because there's no evaporation into fat.
The full traditional method, and the storage stage genuinely improves the result over a few weeks.
HowSalt the legs with garlic, thyme and bay for twenty-four hours. Rinse and dry thoroughly. Submerge in duck fat at 200-215°F for two and a half to three hours until the meat pulls from the bone. Cool in the fat, then store submerged in the fridge.
Confit skin is soft, and the contrast between crackling skin and yielding meat is the whole dish.
HowScrape off excess fat, then skin-side down in a dry pan over medium heat, eight to ten minutes without moving, until deep brown and crisp. Or 425°F oven for fifteen minutes.
Achieves the same collagen conversion with a fraction of the fat, since the bag holds it against the meat.
HowCure as normal, then bag each leg with two tablespoons of duck fat at 167-175°F for eighteen to twenty-four hours. Chill in the bag. It won't keep like traditional confit, since there's no fat seal in a jar.
Confit meat is the base for cassoulet, rillettes, hash and countless bistro dishes.
HowPulled from the bone and folded into beans, potatoes or a salad. The fat it was stored in comes with it and is part of the seasoning.
Confit legs are already cooked through, so warming them in the fat achieves nothing except making the skin flabby — and the skin is the reason to eat the dish. Take them out, scrape the excess fat off, and crisp them skin-side down in a dry pan or a hot oven. That contrast between crackling skin and meat that falls off the bone is the entire point, and it takes eight minutes. The storage error matters more. Confit keeps for months only while the legs are completely submerged and the fat has set as an unbroken seal; any part of the meat above the fat line is exposed to air and becomes a spoilage point. Once you break the seal to remove a leg, either re-melt the fat and reseal properly or treat the remainder as ordinary cooked meat with a week's life.
Sold vacuum-packed or in tins at French delis and better supermarkets, usually two legs per pack. Ready-made is a legitimate purchase and saves finding a litre of duck fat; the main complaint is that commercial versions run salty, so rinse and pat dry before crisping. Look for legs fully coated in fat with no exposed meat. Making your own is straightforward if you can source the fat, and rendered duck fat from cooking breasts accumulates over time. The fat is reusable indefinitely — strain it after each batch and it improves. One leg per person, two for large appetites.
Doneness: Confit at 200-215°F ambient for two and a half to three hours, until the meat pulls from the bone. Sous vide 167-175°F for eighteen to twenty-four hours. To serve, crisp skin-side down over medium heat or at 425°F. Store submerged in fat, refrigerated, for months.
For traditional confit intended to keep, yes — the fat seal is the preservation mechanism and any exposed meat spoils. For cooking and eating within a few days, a narrow deep dish that lets less fat cover more, or a vacuum bag with a couple of tablespoons of fat, both work fine. The distinction is whether you're preserving or just cooking.
Yes, indefinitely, and it gets better. Strain it through cloth after each batch to remove meat particles and any jelly that has settled at the bottom — that jelly is concentrated flavour and worth keeping separately for sauces. Stored in the fridge, strained duck fat keeps for many months and is the best roasting fat available.
Several months refrigerated while fully submerged with an unbroken seal, which is what the technique was invented for. Once the seal is broken, about a week, treated as ordinary cooked meat. Sous vide confit in a bag keeps only as long as any cooked meat — a few days — because there's no protective fat cap.