Duck Confit

Ingredients

• 4 duck leg quarters
• 4 duck wings, trimmed
• 4 cups duck fat
• 1 shallot, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 sprigs thyme, chopped
• ¼ C evaporated cane sugar
• ¼ C kosher salt
• 3 tbs coarsely ground black pepper

Directions

1. Combine shallot, sugar, salt, pepper, garlic, and thyme in a small bowl. Rub all over duck legs, thighs, and wings.
2. Arrange duck parts skin side-up in a dish and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until the seasoning is well absorbed, 24 to 48 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 225°F
4. Rinse the seasoning, pat dry, arrange in a single layer in a 9x13" baking pan, and allow the duck to come to room temperature
5. Melt duck fat in a saucepan over medium heat until bubbles begin to form (6-8 min), then pour duck fat over the room-temperature duck
6. Bake @225°F until tender and the juices run clear, 2-3 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read 135°F

Same-day Service

1. Pour off the duck fat and use some to brush a grill pan
2. Heat over medium-high heat until smoking. Add baked duck; cook in batches until skin is crispy, about 90 seconds per side.

Later Service

1. Store the duck in its cooking fat. To serve, remove it from the fat and gently warm in a pan to crisp the skin following the heating instructions above.

Chef's Notes

• Regular sugar can be substituted for cane sugar.