Duck Confit

[howard88]

I just finished putting together my first duck confit using legs and thighs from D'artagnan. They are resting under duck fat in the refrigerator. I was thinking about doing the same with chicken thighs and legs. I have not seen this process done with chicken. Anyone out there with chicken confit experience?

[Ling]

I've seen it on restaurant menus, but I haven't had chicken confit before.

Edited October 24, 2003 by Ling (log)

[Dave the Cook]

Yes. I've not done it as chicken-chicken fat, but rather as chicken-duck fat. It works beautifully.

[slkinsey]

Yes. I've not done it as chicken-chicken fat, but rather as chicken-duck fat. It works beautifully.

Chicken-chicken fat would probably be fantastic, but it would take a long time to accumulate the required amount of fat... unless one employs inventolux' confit-in-cryovac technique as described here

[Dave the Cook]

Yes. I've not done it as chicken-chicken fat, but rather as chicken-duck fat. It works beautifully.

Chicken-chicken fat would probably be fantastic, but it would take a long time to accumulate the required amount of fat... unless one employs inventolux' confit-in-cryovac technique as described here

Oy.

I note that among the meanderings there, guajolote actually got used a schmaltz/duck fat combo to do his confit. So the answer is: let somone else render your chicken fat.

[howard88]

slkinsey: thanks for the thread. very good and very intense. Started reading in my office, but had to defer finishing it until I arrived home and opened a bottle of sauvignon blanc. Dave the Cook or anyone I have a couple of questions. I have done a lot of brining with great results; i.e. chicken whole and parts, pork large and parts and rabbit. I accumulate chicken fat, duck fat and goose fat when cooking the aforementioned. Is there any down side to brining a duck? (haven't done that yet) in terms of finished product or the rendered duck fat to use again for various confit?

[slkinsey]

Is there any down side to brining a duck? (haven't done that yet) in terms of finished product or the rendered duck fat to use again for various confit?

First, you may have some interest in Dave's brining course

That said... in re to duck, it strikes me that duck is fatty enough that brining is usually not required for the meat to stay moist, so there is likely very little to gain. If you are searing the breasts and serving them rare, they will be moist no matter what. If you are making confit with the legs, a lot of the liquid will cook out of them no matter what. Even slow roasted, falling-off-the-bone whole duck has been plenty moist for my taste.

I don't see how brining would effect the rendered fat for further use, so no worries there.

[howard88]

Thanks again for the input Slkinsey.

[elyse]

I'm wonderin... what would happen if you used bacon fat for chicken? Or every time you made a roast, you saved the fat when making the gravy, keeping the different fats together or separate. I mean, I know different fats taste different, but in a pinch, whould it be a good thing, or a bad thing?

[howard88]

I'm just thinking; its not a bad thing to have to roast a giggle of ducks to accumulate more duck fat.

[ExtraMSG]

I've "confited" chicken in lard before. It comes out a bit porky. I've wrapped it in bacon, too, and used lard to slow cook it. It just depends on what you're looking for. It definitely imparts flavor.

If you're trying to keep it "chickeny", you might try doing half and half either shortening or vegetable oil and duck fat. I've done that before. It retains a lot more of its chicken character while giving it that wonderful moist and tender texture.

[Sweet Willie]

I was thinking about doing the same with chicken thighs and legs.  I have not seen this process done with chicken.  Anyone out there with chicken confit experience?

Had this dish at Tallgrass in Lockport, IL: Crispy Capon Confit: House Whole Wheat Noodles, Peanuts, Haricot Vert, Scallions, Mixed Greens, Tahini Dressing. As soon as I saw this dish, I wanted it for my main course. The earthy goodness of the noodles, greens, dressing, mixed w/the richness crunch of the capon confit, peanuts, was heaven, just incredible. Full Tallgrass review: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...14&hl=tallgrass

I really like the idea of the chicken confit in chicken-duck fat mentioned above!

[fimbul]

Mark Bittman offered a recipe for chicken confitted in olive oil in his Minimalist column in the NY Times. I don't think I have the recipe, but it's pretty much what you'd expect: rub chicken legs with salt and spices, cover in oil, cook slowly at a low temp.

I've never done this with chicken, but I have, in times of duck fat famine, confitted pheasant legs in olive oil. It works well enough, and you can strain and save the oil for other uses.

[Dave the Cook]

Is there any down side to brining a duck? (haven't done that yet) in terms of finished product or the rendered duck fat to use again for various confit?

First, you may have some interest in Dave's brining course

That said... in re to duck, it strikes me that duck is fatty enough that brining is usually not required for the meat to stay moist, so there is likely very little to gain. If you are searing the breasts and serving them rare, they will be moist no matter what. If you are making confit with the legs, a lot of the liquid will cook out of them no matter what. Even slow roasted, falling-off-the-bone whole duck has been plenty moist for my taste.

I don't see how brining would effect the rendered fat for further use, so no worries there.

I have to disagree with Sam on one point. I think duck can benefit from brining, as most of its fat is subcutaneous, rather than intramuscular. If you skin a duck and trim the extraneous fat, even a domestic bird is pretty lean, and wild ducks are exceptionally so. I've brined ducks a couple of times, and I recommend it as an alternative approach for relatively slow methods, e.g. smoking and roasting. Obviously, this is a is a matter of taste.

I would not brine for confit, for the reason Sam stated, and I agree that a sear-and-slice technique with the breasts makes brining moot. But if you're roasting or grilling, it's worth a try to see if you like the results.

I also support the contention that brining will have no deleterious effect on rendered duck fat. It might be a little salty, but I'm not sure that's a bad thing, either from a taste or a preservation standpoint.

[maggiethecat]

Miscellaneous Confit Chat:

Has anyone tried Sally Schneider's "Revisionist Confit" from "A New Way to Cook?" She seasons the duck gams, then seals them tightly in a foil package (hm...aluminum cryovac?) and bakes them at 350 for two hours. She "guarantees a lean but tender confit."

[Dave the Cook]

Miscellaneous Confit Chat:

Has anyone tried Sally Schneider's "Revisionist Confit"  from "A New Way to Cook?"  She seasons the duck gams, then seals them tightly in a foil package (hm...aluminum cryovac?) and bakes them at 350 for two hours.  She "guarantees a lean but tender confit."

No added fat? That is revisionist. But is it confit?

[helenas]

another discussion of the subject

[maggiethecat]

Miscellaneous Confit Chat:

Has anyone tried Sally Schneider's "Revisionist Confit"  from "A New Way to Cook?"  She seasons the duck gams, then seals them tightly in a foil package (hm...aluminum cryovac?) and bakes them at 350 for two hours.  She "guarantees a lean but tender confit."

No added fat? That is revisionist. But is it confit?

I'm not sure, Archie. She does, however ,give instructions on how to store the rendered fat, so you'll have it around next time you make real confit.

(She has a recipe for "homemade margerine" that sounds pretty good. Sorry...back to confit.)

[Dave the Cook]

Miscellaneous Confit Chat:

Has anyone tried Sally Schneider's "Revisionist Confit"  from "A New Way to Cook?"  She seasons the duck gams, then seals them tightly in a foil package (hm...aluminum cryovac?) and bakes them at 350 for two hours.  She "guarantees a lean but tender confit."

No added fat? That is revisionist. But is it confit?

I'm not sure, Archie. She does, however ,give instructions on how to store the rendered fat, so you'll have it around next time you make real confit.

(She has a recipe for "homemade margerine" that sounds pretty good. Sorry...back to confit.)

I retrieved this definition from the Food TV Encyclopedia (sorry, Lily, I left my Larousse at home):

[kohn-FEE; kon-FEE] This specialty of Gascony, France, is derived from an ancient method of preserving meat (usually goose, duck or pork) whereby it is salted and slowly cooked in its own fat. The cooked meat is then packed into a crock or pot and covered with its cooking fat, which acts as a seal and preservative.

So I think Schneider's recipe, like the one Helenas used in the thread she linked, is baked duck legs. Does Schneider claim that the legs can be stored as if they were non-revisionist confit?

[Chad]

I retrieved this definition from the Food TV Encyclopedia (sorry, Lily, I left my Larousse at home):

[kohn-FEE; kon-FEE] This specialty of Gascony, France, is derived from an ancient method of preserving meat (usually goose, duck or pork) whereby it is salted and slowly cooked in its own fat. The cooked meat is then packed into a crock or pot and covered with its cooking fat, which acts as a seal and preservative.

So I think Schneider's recipe, like the one Helenas used in the thread she linked, is baked duck legs. Does Schneider claim that the legs can be stored as if they were non-revisionist confit?

Thank you! I was wondering if I was insane (a distinct possibility) or simply ignorant (an even more distinct possibility). I keep seeing things called "confit" that contain neither meat nor fat. Just yesterday I was reading Gray Kunz's "Elements of Taste," and he has both a pickled lemon confit and a ginger confit. Both look more like chunky jams too me (with a little vinegar and they'd be chutneys, I believe).

What gives? Is this another instance of a chef playing with a familiar term? Expanding its definition? The recipes are in the "pickles" section, so he might be referring to the "conserved" connotation of the word. Or is he just screwing with us?

Chad

Edited October 30, 2003 by Chad (log)

[slkinsey]

Has anyone tried Sally Schneider's "Revisionist Confit"  from "A New Way to Cook?"  She seasons the duck gams, then seals them tightly in a foil package (hm...aluminum cryovac?) and bakes them at 350 for two hours.  She "guarantees a lean but tender confit."

I'd like to clear up one thing in re to confit: Confit is not fatty. This is because the confit process renders out almost all of the fat. I would be willing to bet that a confit duck leg is leaner than a roasted duck leg, and probably leaner than a roasted chicken leg.

[slkinsey]

I keep seeing things called "confit" that contain neither meat nor fat. Just yesterday I was reading Gray Kunz's "Elements of Taste," and he has both a pickled lemon confit and a ginger confit. ... What gives? Is this another instance of a chef playing with a familiar term? Expanding its definition?

How are they prepared? I don't think it's entirely inappropriate to call something that has been cooked slowly completely submerged in fat a "confit" -- although it is stretching the definition when the ingredient is not meat (technically, it is stretching the definition when it is not meat cooked in its' own fat, but that's really splitting hairs).

[Dave the Cook]

Chad: I'm not willing to guess what Gray Kunz is thinking.

I too find the elasticity employed when applying classical terms to new dishes confusing sometimes. But I can easily see how it happens:

I have this thing I do with frozen artichoke hearts, where I simmer them over very low heat for about 45 minutes in a mixture of butter and EVOO. I actually got the idea from an article in the LA Times by Keller and Ruhlman (apparently no longer on line) about barigoule. Normally you would start with fresh artichokes, but I don't always have time to do the prep work. Anyway, what I do is a way to make a mediocre product a good bit more palatable.

One of the kids asked what I called this dish. I don't remember how I replied.

So you tell me. Is it: "Artichokes Poached in Olive Oil and Butter"? "Revisionist Barigoule"? Or "Confit of Artichokes"?

[slkinsey]

So you tell me. Is it: "Artichokes Poached in Olive Oil and Butter"? "Revisionist Barigoule"? Or "Confit of Artichokes"?

Can there be any question? It's Artichokes Poached in Olive Oil and Butter.

Now... that might not sell as many portions as Confit of Artichokes.

[Dave the Cook]

So you tell me. Is it: "Artichokes Poached in Olive Oil and Butter"? "Revisionist Barigoule"? Or "Confit of Artichokes"?

Can there be any question? It's Artichokes Poached in Olive Oil and Butter.

Now... that might not sell as many portions as Confit of Artichokes.

Exactly.