I'm a bird hunter, primarily pheasants. Most of my fellow pheasant hunters just breast the bird and toss the rest, the wings and legs are very tough. A few years back I tried to confit some of the leg/thigh pieces, I used a couple of the D'Artagnan containers of duck fat mixed in with rendered pork fat. I was pleased with the results. The meat was nutty and falling off the bone. Two year ago I saved about 20 leg/thigh joints and bought my duck fat from Hudson Valley Fois Gras. I live within a couple hundred miles so I was able to get a 7.5lb. tub, about 1 gal., of rendered duck fat UPS'd to me overnight for about $35.00. The confit turned out good, perhaps a little bland to my taste. I used the method from Polcyn & Ruhlman's "Charcuterie". Ikept it coverd in the fat for about 5 month in the back of the fridge after drawing off the clear juices from the bottom. After it was all gone I strained the fat back into the tub and put it in the deep freeze. Last night it was time to confit last years kill, approximately 12 lbs of pheasant legs/ thighs, close to 35 pieces. This time I used a little more spice and used last years fat. I have some pics to post and will do it in a separate thread. I can't recommend Hudson Valley Fois Gras highly enough, quality products at a reasonable cost, and the fat was much more flavorful than the smaller containers.
