Duck ragu

[annachan]

I got two duck legs defrosted in the fridge. I'm thinking of making duck ragu for dinner. When searching for recipes online, I came across 2 methods of cooking the duck.

1) Braise duck in sauce

2) Roast the duck in the oven and add to the sauce later

What the advantage and disadvantage of each method?

Also, if I go with the braised method, I would take the skin off the legs first. What is a good way to deal with the skin? I like to be able to render the duck fat for later use as well as have some good cracklings. How?

[heidih]

I would favor the braised or simmered method to get the most moist result for something like a ragu that you will probably shred into a sauce; especially if you are removing the skin prior to cooking.

Here is an older topic that discusses rendering duck fat.

[annachan]

Thanks heidi. I think I'm going to try rendering the skin in my slow cooker!

[heidih]

I do tend to trust Paula Wolfert

[weinoo]

I would do the same. Brown the duck well, add your aromatics, deglaze and then braise the duck in some duck or chicken stock. Tomatoes added as you prefer.

[ChrisTaylor]

I'd braise it on the bone, as the bones and various other bits and pieces will add to the flavour of the sauce. I'd let some (but not all, obviously) of the fat stay in the sauce.

[annachan]

I'd braise it on the bone, as the bones and various other bits and pieces will add to the flavour of the sauce. I'd let some (but not all, obviously) of the fat stay in the sauce.

Definitely will do. I always cook on the bone whenever possible.