Duck Confit - Cassoulet Prep

After talking to a few people, I decided it was worth it to try and make the duck confit for the cassoulet myself rather than buy it. While it takes few days to make (about 2 days of salting and 3 hours of cooking), it's a pretty straightforward method of cooking. The hardest part was finding the duck legs and enough fat. I managed to get both at Fox & Obel. The butcher I talked to also let me in on a little secret; you can substitute some of the duck fat with canola oil. So when I didn't have quite enough duck fat (I had a half cup from a duck we made a couple of weeks ago then bought 2 more lbs) to cover the legs I had a back up plan.

Confit is a preserving method for meat. Here's a definition posted on Epicurious: "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. Confit can be refrigerated up to 6 months. Confit d'oie and confit de canard are preserved goose and preserved duck, respectively."

I used a recipe from Tom Colicchio:

3 tablespoons salt
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 shallot, peeled and sliced
6 sprigs thyme
Coarsely ground black pepper
4 duck legs with thighs
4 duck wings, trimmed
About 4 cups duck fat

Preparation
1. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of salt in the bottom of a dish or plastic container large enough to hold the duck pieces in a single layer. Evenly scatter half the garlic, shallots, and thyme in the container. Arrange the duck, skin-side up, over the salt mixture, then sprinkle with the remaining salt, garlic, shallots, and thyme and a little pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 days.

2. Preheat the oven to 225°F. Melt the duck fat in a small saucepan. Brush the salt and seasonings off the duck. Arrange the duck pieces in a single snug layer in a high-sided baking dish or ovenproof saucepan. Pour the melted fat over the duck (the duck pieces should be covered by fat) and place the confit in the oven. Cook the confit slowly at a very slow simmer — just an occasional bubble — until the duck is tender and can be easily pulled from the bone, 2-3 hours. Remove the confit from the oven. Cool and store the duck in the fat. (The confit will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks.)

The duck fat can be strained, cooled and reused. I'm hoping that I'll have enough to make duck fat fries!