Duck Confit

[M_Meer]

I go to 99 Ranch if I’m there or LA Fresh Poultry, which go about $13-18 a bird:

LA Fresh Poultry - Los Angeles, CA

Looks like there’s a butcher in Van Nuys: https://www.yelp.com/biz/van-nuys-fresh-poultry-los-angeles
If you go the live duck route, make sure to call ahead for availability and so they can dress it, which can save you a wait.

Whole Foods should be good too.

[Kent_Comley]

Alan this is a grea prep with a twist - five spice duck confit with pink peppercorn and pomegranate glaze.
https://steelehousekitchen.com/5-spice-duck-confit-with-pink-peppercorn-pomegranate-glaze

[alan_weinberg]

@Kent Comley

Alan this is a grea prep with a twist - five spice duck confit with pink peppercorn and pomegranate glaze.
https://steelehousekitchen.com/5-spice-duck-confit-with-pink-peppercorn-pomegranate-glaze

cool!

[David_J]

I use the Keller sous vide recipe for it and it’s excellent. Doesn’t require as much duck fat either.

[Jay_Miller]

@Craig G

@Jorge Henriquez

@Corey N.

That said I never thought to ask for extra skin. Thanks Jorge.

The Lord giveth and the Mohel taketh.

That’s why we render it unto the Lord.

But seriously

[Nola_Palomar]

You know, you can use EVOO to keep it submerged too right? The villagers did not have refrigeration until way late so many of the old recipes are still used. Many use a clay pot with a lid (orza), essentially cook the meat with the spices & salt, place in orza and cover with the same oil you cooked it in. You can keep it in the frig or out on the counter if you want.

[Tom_Moore]

We went to a cooking school in France (http://www.twobordelais.com/cooking-classes-wine-in-bordeaux/) and made duck confit the traditional way, similar to your version Alan. After it was made we packed it in mason jars full of fat and set in pantry.

When we ate it a few days later he also had jars that were 90 days old and 1 year from the pantry (no refrigeration). The 90 day was markedly better than the new but the 1 year old was one of the best flavors I have ever experienced. Of course we had to make it when we got home and we let it rest in pantry for 1 year +. It was awesome, but not as great as there.

The restaurant where I bought some duck fat locally said they are not allowed to sell this type of product because of health codes - too bad because it is amazing!

[alan_weinberg]

@Tom Moore

We went to a cooking school in France (http://www.twobordelais.com/cooking-classes-wine-in-bordeaux/) and made duck confit the traditional way, similar to your version Alan. After it was made we packed it in mason jars full of fat and set in pantry.

When we ate it a few days later he also had jars that were 90 days old and 1 year from the pantry (no refrigeration). The 90 day was markedly better than the new but the 1 year old was one of the best flavors I have ever experienced. Of course we had to make it when we got home and we let it rest in pantry for 1 year +. It was awesome, but not as great as there.

The restaurant where I bought some duck fat locally said they are not allowed to sell this type of product because of health codes - too bad because it is amazing!

you are brave. Crazy story.

[Matt_Thomas]

@Tom Moore

We went to a cooking school in France (http://www.twobordelais.com/cooking-classes-wine-in-bordeaux/) and made duck confit the traditional way, similar to your version Alan. After it was made we packed it in mason jars full of fat and set in pantry.

When we ate it a few days later he also had jars that were 90 days old and 1 year from the pantry (no refrigeration). The 90 day was markedly better than the new but the 1 year old was one of the best flavors I have ever experienced. Of course we had to make it when we got home and we let it rest in pantry for 1 year +. It was awesome, but not as great as there.

The restaurant where I bought some duck fat locally said they are not allowed to sell this type of product because of health codes - too bad because it is amazing!

I’d imagine Botulism was a major concern.

[alan_weinberg]

re botulism, you might be right: Chowhound

[Betty_C]

^Thanks for the info. I have some duck confit that’s been in the fridge for over two weeks now. I’ll be sure to heat it to 250 °F if I eat it.

[Tom_Moore]

I think the important point is the duck be 100% submerged in the fat and then stored in a dark, stable temp pantry/cellar. Apparently was the norm before refrigeration. Probably need to take into consideration how cold it got in France in the winter as well. I have to admit after about 6 months in our home pantry we did move the jars to refrigerator.

I am sure worse things are served to us dining out in restaurants.

We were at a new local Pakistani restaurant that has phenomenal food. To get to the restroom you had to walk thru the kitchen. The scene in the kitchen would scare most diners to never come back, including our son. I guess I have an iron stomach!

[alan_weinberg]

@Tom Moore

I think the important point is the duck be 100% submerged in the fat and then stored in a dark, stable temp pantry/cellar. Apparently was the norm before refrigeration.

no, the 100% submerged in fat creates an anaerobic (no oxygen) environment that allows Botulism to flourish, making it more likely. I am now freezing my confit after a week in fridge. Article says development continues but at a slower rate frozen.

[Nate_Simon]

I do it sous vide, which is clearly the best, allowing precision control of texture, and a guaranteed airtight environment with vacuum bags. Also, you don’t need to go looking for a bunch of duck fact, since you add none.

[alan_weinberg]

@Nate Simon

I do it sous vide, which is clearly the best, allowing precision control of texture, and a guaranteed airtight environment with vacuum bags. Also, you don’t need to go looking for a bunch of duck fact, since you add none.

clearly the best? You end up with cooked duck, not confit.

[Nate_Simon]

Without delving into the details too much, the idea that something submerged in fat has special cooking properties is completely false. The fat molecules are far too large to penetrate into the product. While the confit technique may have had value in times gone by, before refrigeration, there is nothing inherently special about cooking something submerged in fat.

[alan_weinberg]

@Nate Simon

Without delving into the details too much, the idea that something submerged in fat has special cooking properties is completely false. The fat molecules are far too large to penetrate into the product. While the confit technique may have had value in times gone by, before refrigeration, there is nothing inherently special about cooking something submerged in fat.

I’d be interested in a comparison, but by definition confit means slow cooked in oil, so you’ve got cooked duck, not necessarily confit, though, again, I’d love to try both.

[Nate_Simon]

Sous vide wins by virtue of temp control. Drowning the duck in fat makes no difference in flavor. The sous vide version actually renders a bit out during cooking.

[alan_weinberg]

@Nate Simon

Sous vide wins by virtue of temp control. Drowning the duck in fat makes no difference in flavor. The sous vide version actually renders a bit out during cooking.

how long and what temp?

[Matt_Thomas]

@Betty C

^Thanks for the info. I have some duck confit that’s been in the fridge for over two weeks now. I’ll be sure to heat it to 250 °F if I eat it.

Assuming this is in response to the Botulism concern, the toxin is heat stable. Temperature will not make it safe.

Edit: Reading suggests the toxin is heat inactivated. I stand corrected. The spores are heat stable.