While I love to preach the pork word to all who will listen, specifically how to enjoy cuts from snout to tail, I greatly appreciate a perfectly cooked grass-fed steak, the savory flavors that often go hand-in-hand with lamb, and the rich, buttery taste of a good duck dish.
Haven’t cooked with duck before? I can’t encourage folks enough to give this quickly overlooked form of poultry a try! The flavor is a whole different level of delicious, and duck makes for a great protein source rotation.
If you aren’t sure where to begin with duck, I recommend first contacting your local butcher of choice to see if they stock duck (our preferred source of duck is US Wellness Meats). Once you have your duck in hand, I recommend using the recipe below from Gabriella of Beyond the Bite. Her recipe is light on the work, yet heavy on the results – think amazing flavor combos!
Leave us a comment below on your thoughts on cooking with duck and how you like it prepared!
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There is nothing like a piece of duck slow roasted until the meat is succulent and tender, and the skin is crispy. Confit is a term derived from the French word “confire,” which refers to the preservation methods that they used to store not only meat, but fruits and vegetables as well. After many hours, or even days, of very slow cooking, the food was then preserved in glass jars where it was submerged in its own fat, and kept sealed until ready to eat in early spring.
That being said, this cooking technique derived from France has become more of a delicacy in today’s modern world, rather than a necessity. You can’t cook duck fast, that is just a fact. In doing so, you trap all of the excess fat inside the skin, making it rubbery, chewy, and just not fun to eat. The same goes for goose leg and thighs as well.
As far as today’s recipe goes, if you are not a fan of grapefruit or turmeric, by all means, simply omit them and just cook your duck confit with sea salt. However, if you are like me and tend to have duck on a monthly basis, today’s recipe will come as a special treat. Not only does the duck turn out amazing, but the slices of grapefruit become sticky and sweet, which pairs perfectly with the rich, tender meat.
Ingredients
- 2, US Wellness Meat duck legs
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp grapefruit zest (this tool is perfect for zesting!)
- 2, 1/4 inch round slices of fresh grapefruit
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Allow your duck legs to sit at room temperature for a half an hour.
- Place the meat in a round pie dish, or any other baking dish that allows them to fit snuggly next to each other without overlapping.
- Thoroughly dry the duck, and use the tip of a serrated knife to prick tiny holes in the skin of the duck, making sure not to cut through the meat underneath.
- Rub the prepared duck legs with grapefruit zest, turmeric, and sea salt.
- Cut the two round slices of grapefruit in half, creating four pieces, and place them in the dish with a the duck leg.
- Cover the dish with tin foil and place in an oven, turning the heat to 300 degrees, and allowing the duck to cook for 1 hour.
- After 60 minutes, remove the tin foil from and then allow the duck to continue cooking for another 45 minutes, after which you will turn the oven heat up to 375, and allow it to cook a remaining 15 minutes until the skin is golden brown and crispy.
- Carefully remove the duck from the oven and allow it to sit for 10 minutes before serving. (you may want to place the tinfoil back over the dish to minimize the fat from splattering all of your kitchen.)
Notes
If you want a simpler recipe, omit the turmeric and grapefruit and cook the duck as is with only sea salt. Confit is a great dish to cook off, cool, wrap up or vacuum seal, and then store in the fridge or freezer for future meals. You can save the rendered duck fat in a small mason jar for later use in cooking as well.
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]http://paleoparents.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/IMG_4810-Edit-2.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Hi everyone, my name is Gabriella Schneider, and I am the teenage blogger behind Beyond the Bite, where I share my journey through Chronic Lyme Disease, as well as primal food and lifestyle information. In my early high school years, life was turned upside down, as my body deteriorated under the weight of untreated, neurological Lyme Disease. Because the infection had been present in my body for so many years prior, the damage that Borrelia has had are innumerable. Therefore, it was not long into my illness that I began (and still am) doing my own research to learn as much about food, the human body, and the science behind these two, as a way to do all in my power to heal. Overall, this is what sparked my passion for cooking, creating dishes for those with complications in their health like myself, and using this as a way to serve and bring hope to others. Though fighting against the effects of Lyme may be completely debilitating at times, I remain steadfast in believing that one day, I will be able to completely heal my body, through both real food and medicine. Connect with Gabriella: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest [/author_info] [/author]
