Confit de canard recipe (Duck Confit)

Cure:

1. Seasoning: Crush the salt, peppercorns, and juniper berries in a mortar and pestle or in a small food processor. Add the thyme and stir well.3 tablespoons coarse sea salt + 1 teaspoon black peppercorns + 1 teaspoon juniper berries + 1 teaspoon dried thyme
2. Cure duck legs: Trim the excess fat from the underside of the duck legs. Thoroughly rub the duck legs with the salt mixture. Wrap each leg in plastic foil/cling film and refrigerate for 24 hours or up to 2 days.4 duck legs

Duck confit:

1. Assemble duck confit: Wash and dry the duck legs. Place in a large Dutch oven, large enough to hold them all snugly without too much space left in between. They have to sit in a single layer, but the more space in between, the more fat you will need.
2. Cover with fat: Melt the fat in a jug saucepan and carefully pour it over the duck legs. Check with a kitchen thermometer if possible, the temperature of the fat should be between 160 -175°F/ 70-80°C.3 lbs duck fat 1.3 kg
3. Make sure that the meat is completely submerged in the fat. To ensure that the meat stays submerged during cooking, cut a piece of parchment paper, place it directly over the meat, and place a heavy lid (from a smaller Dutch oven) on top.
4. Temperature: It is very important that the fat's temperature is always constant and about 175°F/80°C. The fat should only barely simmer and never boil.
5. Cook confit de canard: Reduce the heat to very low and cook the duck legs for 2 hours and 30 minutes. Check the temperature of the fat with the thermometer from time to time to make sure that it doesn't get too high. The duck legs are done when you can easily pierce the meat with a fork.

Fry the duck legs:

1. To fry the duck legs, heat a large cast-iron or non-stick pan over medium heat. Add the duck legs, skin side down, and fry for 5 minutes or until the skin is deeply golden and crispy. If you notice that the skin turns too dark too soon, lower the heat slightly.
2. Flip the legs and fry them for another 5 minutes or until deeply golden. Serve as suggested above.

Preserve confit de canard:

1. Transfer the legs to a large canning jar.
2. Sieve the melted fat to remove any impurities, let it cool for about 5 minutes, and pour the fat over the duck legs. Make sure that the duck legs are completely submerged in fat; the fat should top the meat by at least 1 inch/ 2.5 cm.
3. Storage: If kept in sealed jars the duck confit will keep in the fridge for a couple of months. If kept in a plastic container, it will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks.