Confit duck leg layered on herbs and root vegetables

Shopping List for 4 adults

4 pieces. Duck leg a 200 g
1 kg Duck fat (1 bucket can be bought in Føtex)

Seasoning salt mixture for 4 pcs. Duck leg
16 g fine table salt
8 g nitrite salt 0.6%
4 g brown sugar
2 g onion powder granules
2 g garlic powder granules
2 g black pepper from the mill
4 sprigs of thyme

Vacuum packs
Vacuum bags or 28x600 cm rolls
A duck leg measures approx. 17 x 9 x 3 cm

See under Tip:
24 g of salt for 800 g of meat gives
a degree of salinity of 3%

With this recipe for confit duck leg, it is not intended to provide a complete recipe for a dish that includes confit duck leg. I have mentioned under "Serving" a dinner dish with herbs on a base of root vegetables and a good lunch dish with rye bread and "tooth butter" sprinkled with Kosher salt.
I am an angler in Scandinavia
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Recipe No. 142
Confit duck leg layered on herbs and root vegetables
Confit duck leg layered on herbs and root vegetables

Procedure without liability: 4 pieces. duck legs of 200 g are prepared for dry salting in vacuum bags. Take them out of the freezer 24 hours before they are to be salted and thaw them in the fridge. Finely grind the duck legs for tendons and blood before salting. Wipe them off with a clean tea towel so that they are ready for a one-time seasoning salt mixture.

Prepare Seasoning salt mixture: Start by weighing out salt and all the spices and mix it well in a bowl. For those people who absolutely do not want to use nitrite salt, just use 24 g of fine table salt, so that the salting level of 3% is maintained. I can inform you that with 0.6% nitrite salt, a maximum of 60 mg nitrite per kg of meat is obtained.

Dry salting: All duck legs are well and thoroughly rubbed into the whole seasoning salt mixture. Prepare a large vacuum bag for 4 duck legs by welding one end, I usually weld 2 times at 5mm distance, the welding holds better. Place the 4 duck legs in the bag with the skin side down, if there is any seasoning salt left in the bowl, distribute it over the duck legs. The bag is vacuumed and welded in the same process - remember to weld an extra time.
The vacuum bag is placed in the refrigerator for 48 hours and turned twice a day. Longer time gives a more salty taste and turning the bag several times gives a more uniform salting. I usually give full "Power" - 48 hours and 4 turns per day and of course Nitrite salt to achieve the beautiful red color in the meat. In addition, nitrite salt also gives meat a slightly longer shelf life.

Confiting: When the time is up, take the duck legs out of the fridge and brush/rinse under running cold water to remove excess salt and the seasoning. Dry the duck legs with a clean tea towel and place them to dry on a wire rack while the ingredients are prepared for the confit. Find a suitable pot for 4 duck legs and the amount of duck fat that is needed so that the duck legs can lie completely under the melted duck fat. If the pot is too big, too much duck fat is used. Too small, it may bubble over.
Add 1 kg of duck fat to the pot and turn on the heat. When all the fat has just melted, place the duck legs in the pot and place the frying thermometer in the pot - without touching the bottom of the pot - and monitor the temperature closely - without the lid on the pot. The temperature must only be 90 °C and must be maintained at this temperature for the next 3 to 4 hours. I have done the exercise on my own stove by filling a pot halfway with water and a fixed temperature of 90 °C. On the smallest plate, the position should be 3 when the 90 °C had been reached. However, there was a minor fluctuation of +- 1 °C. Have fun and look forward to the taste. NB: I used 3/4 kg of duck fat and 1/4 kg of lard, as I had used some duck fat previously.
When the duck legs have become completely tender, remove the pot from the heat and cool the pot uncovered as quickly as possible to room temperature with the thighs in the pot. You can see the legs when the meat is tender, because then the skin pulls away from the bottom of the lower thigh. When the pot has cooled, put the lid back on and put the pot in the fridge. The thighs must be covered in duck fat throughout the process and confit duck leg can last up to 1 month in the fridge. If the meat is not covered with duck fat, oxygen can get into the meat and oxidation - oxygenation - begins and the meat begins a "Randinize". proces.

Packing: Duck legs can be vacuum packed with some of the duck fat when it has become cold and frozen for a few months. When they are to be eaten, you can heat them in a microwave, normal. oven or on a pan. It promotes the flavor and tenderness of the meat.

Serving: The confit duck legs can be served warm on a bed of herbs and root vegetables with Hasselback potatoes and a "gravy sauce" from the dish.
As a lunch dish with rye bread and butter. You may eat the duck legs with your fingers and "gnaw" on a piece of rye bread.

Garnish: Tomato slices and a sprinkling of chives. Salt? and pepper from the mill.

Drinking: As a dinner dish, I would recommend a light red wine. Maybe a Pinot Noir. It is also good with cheese afterwards.
For lunch, perhaps a beer from Warwik Brewhouse in Varde. A Lause is a bottom-fermented Schwarzbier from Thuringia with muted bitterness.

Hint: I have created an Excel spreadsheet for calculating salt, nitrite salt, sugar and spices for any amount meat and meat of any kind. But that's only for vacuum salting. The duck fat from the confit can be reused up to 3 times, after which it becomes too salty. But see below.

Regeneration method of duck fat: Take a suitable large pot for the duck fat that you want to regenerate. Put it in the pot along with half the water. Bring it up to 95 °C and stir the pot for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the pot to cool. The next day, the duck fat has solidified and lies on top of the water. Carefully remove the duck fat, put it in a container and freeze it until next time. The explanation is that salt does not dissolve in fat but only in water. Impurities become bound to the water and settle on the bottom of the pot.

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