This recipe is simple to follow and produces excellent results.
Ingredients:
- 6-8 whole duck legs with thighs attached
- 3 tbs coarse salt such as grey salt, celtic salt or even kosher salt
- 2 garlic bulbs, sliced in half (about 20 cloves)
- zest of 2 lemons
- 3 bay leaves, crushed
- A few twists of coarse lack pepper
- large bunch fresh thyme
- roughly 2.5 lbs of melted
Method:
- Using a cleaver cut off the very top knuckle joint (the tip of the leg)
- Lay duck legs into a large dutch oven in a single layer fat side down.
- Sprinkle with half the salt, 1/2 of crushed bay leaves, pepper, some cut garlic cloves, some lemon zest and some fresh thyme
- Add remaining legs, salt, remaining bay leaves, pepper, zest, garlic and thyme
- Cover with plastic wrap “in contact” with duck, cover pot and refrigerate for at least 24 hours..press plastic wrap tightly down on the duck
- After at least 24 hours of curing rinse off duck legs then pat them dry
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees
- Melt duck fat on the stove in a pot
- Arrange duck legs in a large dutch oven with tight fitting lid skin side up, pour over melted duck fat to cover, place parchment paper on top of fat, cover pot, place in oven for 3 hours
- Remove pot from oven and remove lid, let cool at least an hour before removing duck legs.
COOKING:
Heat a skillet over medium high heat, add some melted duck fat then lay legs in fat side down, cook until nice and crisp, turn over cook an additional 2 minutes on meat side. Serve with your favorite potatoes and vegetables.
STORING:
Place duck legs into sterile straight-sided plastic or stainless bowl. Stand legs up so top of leg bone is pointing towards heaven. Cover with room temperature but melted duck fat, cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to 3 months.