duck confit

[offcentre]

as I'm in the posting frame of mind...

I made duck confit the other night for a few friends. Unfortunately my car had been towed away by the fascist Brighton parking police the week before, so I had to buy frozen duck legs. Bought a bucketload of duck fat for the purpose too - which, incidentally, is now taking up half my bloody fridge and I refuse to throw away despite disgusted noises from the wife. (fabulous roast potatoes last night though from the bit at the bottom of the pan!)

Anyway, it was far too salty and a big disappointment for all concerned, not least the cook.

I had soaked (if thats the right term) the legs in salt for a day and a half in the fridge as Alastair told me to, to remove moisture.

I am now presuming that I didn't give them a good enough rinse, but was a bit worried that running the damn things under the tap would negate any benefit done by the salt bath.

Whats the trick here - a good scrubbing to get the salt off, or has the fact that they were frozen got anything to do with it?

[Basildog]

We salt overnight and give a good rinse.How much salt did you use and i assume it was rock salt?

[offcentre]

It was rock salt, but, having run out of that, was topped up with table salt.

This is the root of the problem then is it?

[Gary Marshall]

having sampled it, i can vouch for basildog's mastery of the confit duck

gary

[Jon Tseng]

by "topped up" do you mean you buried it in the salt?

J

[endless autumn]

If your legs were frozen they are likely to have come from not-so-great birds, bred quickly and killed very young. Their legs are proportionally smaller than more naturally-reared birds and so will have absorbed more salt given their larger surface area/volume ratio.

You do not need to bury your legs in salt: a rough layer underneath and a similar amount on top (3 tablespoons or so) should do it.

[offcentre]

okay - thanks very much folks. I will try again, with the following amendments:

- fresh rather than frozen

- rock salt all the way

- smaller qualtity of salt

- more thorough rinse of said legs before cooking.

One of my favourite restaurant dishes, so if I master it at home, and am able to keep a handy supply of confited legs in the fridge, I will be a very happy man.

cheers.

[chefdg]

- more thorough rinse of said legs before cooking.

This is the first thing that came to my mind. Cured food is cured no matter how much you rinse it.

[fimbul]

I think less salt is good. I give mine a good rub with kosher salt, rather than burying them entirely, and I rub/rinse them off before cooking.

edit: And keep that fat! It's marvelous stuff, good for potatoes and even for cooking the odd pork chop or fish fillet.

Edited July 28, 2004 by fimbul (log)

[FoodMan]

I think less salt is good. I give mine a good rub with kosher salt, rather than burying them entirely, and I rub/rinse them off before cooking.

That's what I do as well.

I made the mistake of not rinsing once, and they did come out way too salty.

Elie

[Wolfert]

Try the following next time: weigh your duck pieces. For every pound use 4 1/3 teaspoons salt for long term ripening (more than a week). Use half the amount of salt if you intend to keep confit less than one week.

the larger amount is to ripen the duck more fully and the duck will last about 3 to 6 months. Think of wine and how it changes. The salt flavor dissipates a little if you steam it in a couscous cooker.

Edited July 28, 2004 by Wolfert (log)

[Steve Martin]

It doesn't have to be rock salt, but it absolutely has to be coarse.

Maldon's is very good for this, but pricey. Sea salt is better for every use actually, because it has the natural crystaline structure. This allows it to absorb water very well, without dissolving into the meat.

Rock salt has an amorphous structure, due to grinding, and is not so efficient. Won't do any harm though, as long as it is coarse.

A good rinse under the tap is best, or take it in the shower.

I have more fat than anything else in my fridge. Duck, goose, beef, lard and a block of lardo. Oh, and a jar of fishy goose fat as well.

[FoodMan]

Oh, and a jar of fishy goose fat as well.

What's that?

[Steve Martin]

Oh, and a jar of fishy goose fat as well.

What's that?

The goose fat that I confit salmon in.

Sometimes tuna or swordfish. Just a few minutes at 80C.

[Busboy]

As long as you're stuck with salty confit I recommend that stew a little bit of it with white beans, olive oild, sage and some tomato (the canned will do fine) or serve some crumopled up atop with orrecheti and grated romano cheese. Put a layer of it in with your pommes anna, as well as a layer of gruyere.

Think of the stuff as an exotic ham and use appropriately, and you can still get some good eating out of it.

And then, of course, once more into the breech.

[Suzanne F]

Oh, and a jar of fishy goose fat as well.

What's that?

The goose fat that I confit salmon in.

Sometimes tuna or swordfish. Just a few minutes at 80C.

Not to get too far off course, but --

I use olive oil for tuna confit. Nothing fancy in the way of oil, in fact I re-used some in which I had slow-poached spiced shrimp (aka Mosca's barbecue shrimp).

How long does yours keep? I've got more than I can finish up this week (made it about 2 weeks ago) and hope it will still be good for another couple of weeks (fully immersed in oil).

[Steve Martin]

Oh, and a jar of fishy goose fat as well.

What's that?

The goose fat that I confit salmon in.

Sometimes tuna or swordfish. Just a few minutes at 80C.

Not to get too far off course, but --

I use olive oil for tuna confit. Nothing fancy in the way of oil, in fact I re-used some in which I had slow-poached spiced shrimp (aka Mosca's barbecue shrimp).

How long does yours keep? I've got more than I can finish up this week (made it about 2 weeks ago) and hope it will still be good for another couple of weeks (fully immersed in oil).

Olive oil is excellent for confit. I started with goose fat because it is a classic combination with salmon, like trout and lard.

Although confit does mean preserved, I have never kept fish under the fat. Just a few minutes cooking and onto the plate. The fat itself keeps for many months in the fridge. If heated up and strained occasionally, it could keep forever.

I have kept goose legs confit in the fridge for 6 weeks.

The salting and long, long cooking leaves little scope for the water activity that will lead to spoiling. This probably isn't true for fish, cooked rare in a home environment. The freezer beckons

[fifi]

Try the following next time: weigh your duck pieces. For every pound use 4 1/3 teaspoons salt for long term ripening (more than a week). Use half the amount of salt if you intend to keep confit less than one week.

OK... I am curious. Given the variability in the moisture content of a duck, why would you be so precise as to call for 4 and 1/3 teaspoons of salt per pound of duck? Why wouldn't 4 1/2 or 4 teaspoons work as well?

[Wolfert]

When one makes duck confit in large batches, the weight of theduck and the weight of salt is followed very carefully. This is especially important for long term storage. I just reduced the amount of duck to a pound. I should have offered the weight of the salt in the same terms. Sorry.

[offcentre]

god I love this website - my next batch can't possibly fail!

thanks very much to all.

[offcentre]

okay - the duck is in the salt in my fridge with a bit of garlic a crumbled bay leaf or two and a bit of thyme. Its going in the pot tonight ready to be reheated for dinner on tuesday.

I was going to serve it with some saute potatoes, but those beans in Steve's photo above look good (I have never made a cassoulet. It is also on my list of dishes to make before too long - but looks a little daunting, not to mention expensive).

Anyone care to suggest a simple bean recipe to serve with it - I can soak them overnight tonight if you're quick on the draw.

I wonder what Basildog serves with his.....?

[hathor]

Do you have white beans on hand? Cook as you usually do (in some stock, salt water).

Chop up some fresh basil, add some olive, then toss with the drained beans. Little coarse salt on top. Simple and divine!

[fifi]

We got obsessive about beans here.

If you plow through the thread, you will come across the "russ parsons method" of cooking beans. No soaking required. If you have good (not old) dried beans, it works every time and will only take a couple of hours. Basically, you do your seasoning thing in a heavy pot on the stove top. Then you add the water, put the lid on, bring to a simmer and move to a 250F oven for a couple of hours. The thread provides the details.

[Busboy]

Do you have white beans on hand? Cook as you usually do (in some stock, salt water).

Chop up some fresh basil, add some olive, then toss with the drained beans. Little coarse salt on top. Simple and divine!

Great minds think (nearly) alike.

As long as you're stuck with salty confit I recommend that stew a little bit of it with white beans, olive oild, sage and some tomato (the canned will do fine)

Edited August 2, 2004 by Busboy (log)

[offcentre]

thank you fifi - found, intrigued and may well try tomorrow if I can.

Let you know how I get on if I do.