Has anyone made confit from puddler leg/thighs?
- Thread starter RLLigman
- Start date
Chris Finch
Well-known member
I was going to try it one year but then I just decided to make duck leg pot pies like I do every year with my thighs.
The thighs on puddlers are actually quite mild and in a pot pie are a great way to introduce the squeamish to duck.
The thighs on puddlers are actually quite mild and in a pot pie are a great way to introduce the squeamish to duck.
Mark W
Well-known member
One of my hunting buddies does this every year - and stopped doing it this year. I've never had it and all I can tell you is what he said.
The first few years all he could talk about was how much he and his wife loved it and that it was a great way to get his wife to eat duck. This year he didn't bother to take the legs and thighs and said his wife said not to bother.
That's all I have. He also said it was a lot of work.
Mark W
The first few years all he could talk about was how much he and his wife loved it and that it was a great way to get his wife to eat duck. This year he didn't bother to take the legs and thighs and said his wife said not to bother.
That's all I have. He also said it was a lot of work.
Mark W
I had the chef at a local restaurant do it for me. It is a long process and I don't have the time or patience. If you can get a trained chef to do it, you can see if you like it. If so then you can have the chef train you how.
Just my experience.
It is delicious and I liked the wild duck better than domestic I've had.
Just my experience.
It is delicious and I liked the wild duck better than domestic I've had.
That is part of my reasoning; wild duck should have a broader and richer flavor array versus Pekin legs.
We just snuck back prior a major thaw from a yurt camping/snowshoeing trip over the Christmas Holiday week. Now everything is iced-up for at least a week, so my "dance card" has been cleared significantly.
This is the option I am going to try: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/confit-duck-legs-243544
With a shelf-time said to be months, I view the upfront prep. and cooking time as minimal when spread across the consumption interval.
Thanks for sharing your perspectives!
We just snuck back prior a major thaw from a yurt camping/snowshoeing trip over the Christmas Holiday week. Now everything is iced-up for at least a week, so my "dance card" has been cleared significantly.
This is the option I am going to try: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/confit-duck-legs-243544
With a shelf-time said to be months, I view the upfront prep. and cooking time as minimal when spread across the consumption interval.
Thanks for sharing your perspectives!
I've generally taken all my puddler thighs and made stock and soup with them. I like the idea of pot pies.
Ian McCarthy
Member
Its been on my list of things to try for the past couple years. I always end up using the legs for something before i get enough saved up for it.
Actually, Carl,that is a great approach, conceptually, since you would add another flavor layer imparted via the EVOO as well as using a largely poly-unsaturated fat volume doing the "cooking". I have a recipe for a grilled venison sauce that employs roast garlic cloves, olive oil, kosher salt, course ground black and white peppercorns, and roast Jalapeno peppers processed via a blender. The olive oil and roast garlic cloves (two heads worth) impart a rich buttery flavor with a little heat at the end from the pepper complex.
Shawn Linn
Active member
I have not made confit from wild duck, but I have made it several times using peking ducks. The only real drawback that I can see is that when you make confit you use all of the excess fat from the duck, render it and cover the legs completely. Season with loads of salt, rosemary, garlic, pepper and cook slowly for 3 hours with a sheet pan and three or four bricks to weigh it down on top of the legs. Let cool in the fat and refrigerate. Remove legs as you use them using the fat to seal in the remaining legs.
Kristan
Well-known member
My wife makes it for me pretty regularly when I am able to go hunting. This recipe does take time and has been tested over at least 40 ducks in last three years.
Glove of garlic, 3 to 4, chopped fine
Salt about 2 teaspoon
One small onion, cut in half and chop fine
Pepper ground
Enough duck fat to cover bird in glass pan, 4 to 5 cups (Grimaldi Farms). It's expensive but you can use the fat over and over. It starts to taste better after two or so birds.
Simple but time cosuming recipe she does. You can search and find faster recipes but on wild birds we have not found a better method.
1. I first have to de-feather the whole bird, gut, cut legs to knuckle.
Do not clip the wings....also if you can get your wife to do this your a winner in my book!
2. Cut bird in half. You can break into quarters if you desire
3. Clean and pat dry each piece.
4. Using a sharp serrated knife score the skin of the duck without cutting the meat. Do not cut the meat
5. Take all ingredients except the duck fat and rub on bird.
6. Place duck into glass pans skin side up and cover with plastic wrap and let sit in fridge for 1 day. After this time frame pat off any excess salt and garlic
7. Place the duck fat in a sink of hot water and let heat up until it liquifies.
8. Pour duck fat over duck in glass pan to cover all pieces of the bird.
9. Place back into fridge 1 to 2 days is all that is need.
The last step is very important...wild ducks do not have near the body fat of your grocery bought duck. Also the random trips you will take to the fridge just to look as the plate of duck in duck fat wondering how it is going to taste.
10. About an hour before you are ready to cook pull the duck out of the fridge and let the fat come to room temp. You can also put a stopper in sink a fill enough to put pan in but not to get any water in the pan.
11. When ready to cook heat the oven to 225...
12. Place glass pan in oven covered with aluminum foil.
13. After about 1 to 1.5 hours you will notice the fat is slightly bubbling very slowly.
14. Let cook for 2 and take off aluminum foil. Check temperature of fat. Do not ever, ever, ever let fat get above 220. You will want to use again. Keep duck still in oven. It is usually at this point you throw on some wild rice and let cook.
15. She usually around the 2.5 Hour mark pulls duck out of oven
This would be a great time to get the asparagus out and have them lightly frying in a skillet turning regulary. Dash of garlic salt or maybe just a sprinkle of old bay?
16. Transfer the bird skin side up to a cookie, baking pan. Make sure to covere pan with aluminum foil. Let glass pan cool and put back into fridge to use again and again.
17. Turn broiler on an pop back into oven about 5 to 8 minutes to crisp skin.
Warning 1: Do not let it touch your face. You'll knock yourself out trying to lick it off.
If you really want to put it over the top! Follow step 15.5. Start this prior to asparagus about 15 minutes from taking birds out to baste in broiler.
Take a 1.5 cups of balsamic vinegar, 4 tablespoon of honey, 1 garlic clove fine chopped and some thyme. About 20 minutes from taking out of oven, cook over medium heat in a sauce pan continously stirring until it thickens. Brush onto skin side of bird before putting into broiler.
Warning 2: Now you know why you covered the pan with aluminum foil before put into oven with broiler on. The baste will make a hardened material similar to tungsten carbide after cooling. I am more than sure it will test your patience when trying to clean the pan. Oh by the way, you will let the pan sit and cool, oh yes, forgeting, the smell stimulates the most primal aninimal instinct....EAT! An after eating your meal and now fat and happy in the joy of a great dinner, well the foil was a great bet.
Back to cooking: About 3 to 4 minutes take bird out and brush with sauce again. Place back under broiler for 3 to 4 minutes. It's marvelous!
Warning 3: Do not invite any dinner guest. You will feel obligated like a market hunter to fill their tummies every Wednesday of the week. Why Wednesday, well that is usually the time it is ready to cook after a Saturday hunt. Being the closest thing to a mare hunter you now must painstakingly go sloshing through the wettiest of weekends of duck season. Whom am I kidding! I love it!
Last regards: My wife swears a pinot puts the flavor over the top, I go to my old standby of a three fingers of 1792 with 4 rocks.
Enjoy a safe hunt and wonderful feast,
Kristan
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note®|PRO, an AT&T 4G LTE tablet
Glove of garlic, 3 to 4, chopped fine
Salt about 2 teaspoon
One small onion, cut in half and chop fine
Pepper ground
Enough duck fat to cover bird in glass pan, 4 to 5 cups (Grimaldi Farms). It's expensive but you can use the fat over and over. It starts to taste better after two or so birds.
Simple but time cosuming recipe she does. You can search and find faster recipes but on wild birds we have not found a better method.
1. I first have to de-feather the whole bird, gut, cut legs to knuckle.
Do not clip the wings....also if you can get your wife to do this your a winner in my book!
2. Cut bird in half. You can break into quarters if you desire
3. Clean and pat dry each piece.
4. Using a sharp serrated knife score the skin of the duck without cutting the meat. Do not cut the meat
5. Take all ingredients except the duck fat and rub on bird.
6. Place duck into glass pans skin side up and cover with plastic wrap and let sit in fridge for 1 day. After this time frame pat off any excess salt and garlic
7. Place the duck fat in a sink of hot water and let heat up until it liquifies.
8. Pour duck fat over duck in glass pan to cover all pieces of the bird.
9. Place back into fridge 1 to 2 days is all that is need.
The last step is very important...wild ducks do not have near the body fat of your grocery bought duck. Also the random trips you will take to the fridge just to look as the plate of duck in duck fat wondering how it is going to taste.
10. About an hour before you are ready to cook pull the duck out of the fridge and let the fat come to room temp. You can also put a stopper in sink a fill enough to put pan in but not to get any water in the pan.
11. When ready to cook heat the oven to 225...
12. Place glass pan in oven covered with aluminum foil.
13. After about 1 to 1.5 hours you will notice the fat is slightly bubbling very slowly.
14. Let cook for 2 and take off aluminum foil. Check temperature of fat. Do not ever, ever, ever let fat get above 220. You will want to use again. Keep duck still in oven. It is usually at this point you throw on some wild rice and let cook.
15. She usually around the 2.5 Hour mark pulls duck out of oven
This would be a great time to get the asparagus out and have them lightly frying in a skillet turning regulary. Dash of garlic salt or maybe just a sprinkle of old bay?
16. Transfer the bird skin side up to a cookie, baking pan. Make sure to covere pan with aluminum foil. Let glass pan cool and put back into fridge to use again and again.
17. Turn broiler on an pop back into oven about 5 to 8 minutes to crisp skin.
Warning 1: Do not let it touch your face. You'll knock yourself out trying to lick it off.
If you really want to put it over the top! Follow step 15.5. Start this prior to asparagus about 15 minutes from taking birds out to baste in broiler.
Take a 1.5 cups of balsamic vinegar, 4 tablespoon of honey, 1 garlic clove fine chopped and some thyme. About 20 minutes from taking out of oven, cook over medium heat in a sauce pan continously stirring until it thickens. Brush onto skin side of bird before putting into broiler.
Warning 2: Now you know why you covered the pan with aluminum foil before put into oven with broiler on. The baste will make a hardened material similar to tungsten carbide after cooling. I am more than sure it will test your patience when trying to clean the pan. Oh by the way, you will let the pan sit and cool, oh yes, forgeting, the smell stimulates the most primal aninimal instinct....EAT! An after eating your meal and now fat and happy in the joy of a great dinner, well the foil was a great bet.
Back to cooking: About 3 to 4 minutes take bird out and brush with sauce again. Place back under broiler for 3 to 4 minutes. It's marvelous!
Warning 3: Do not invite any dinner guest. You will feel obligated like a market hunter to fill their tummies every Wednesday of the week. Why Wednesday, well that is usually the time it is ready to cook after a Saturday hunt. Being the closest thing to a mare hunter you now must painstakingly go sloshing through the wettiest of weekends of duck season. Whom am I kidding! I love it!
Last regards: My wife swears a pinot puts the flavor over the top, I go to my old standby of a three fingers of 1792 with 4 rocks.
Enjoy a safe hunt and wonderful feast,
Kristan
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note®|PRO, an AT&T 4G LTE tablet
andy naiser
New member
Hello:
I am wondering if you are the fellow that carved some mallard duck decoys made out of basa wood that came from World War 2 life boats that had basa wood in them. This was over 15 years ago. I lost his name and address. The decoys look like LL Bean cork decoys. Wonder if this is you. If so, are you carving these and selling them made out of the same type of basa wood.
Thanks,
Andy
I am wondering if you are the fellow that carved some mallard duck decoys made out of basa wood that came from World War 2 life boats that had basa wood in them. This was over 15 years ago. I lost his name and address. The decoys look like LL Bean cork decoys. Wonder if this is you. If so, are you carving these and selling them made out of the same type of basa wood.
Thanks,
Andy
Andy, yes I did carve some balsa bodied decoys from life raft scraps:
However, none of these are George Soule style birds. The first and third heads are Pat Godin copies; second and fourth are Carl Sullivan's and the last is a P.E, Murphy.
I also made a couple of wood ducks from balsa wood, but I don't have any pics of those birds.
However, none of these are George Soule style birds. The first and third heads are Pat Godin copies; second and fourth are Carl Sullivan's and the last is a P.E, Murphy.
I also made a couple of wood ducks from balsa wood, but I don't have any pics of those birds.
As several posters stated, it is a lot of work, not really hard in terms of prep time and effort, but time consuming from start to finish. I used extra virgin olive oil instead of duck fat (flavor and lower saturated fat content) and split the legs to try both recipes. Outcome? Both taste great, so the real determiner is whether you like or hate garlic in your food.
Kristan, your wife is right. Pinot was a better pairing than Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. I was surprised how mild the flavor of the legs was versus standard cooked duck. I did "steal" your sauce recipe to use with teal we kill and eat for a meal on the opening weekend.
Chris, I am not a fan of dark meat in pot pies, but you did give me an idea on what to do with a bunch of pheasant legs...usually, I make paprikash with the meat bits.
Kristan, your wife is right. Pinot was a better pairing than Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. I was surprised how mild the flavor of the legs was versus standard cooked duck. I did "steal" your sauce recipe to use with teal we kill and eat for a meal on the opening weekend.
Chris, I am not a fan of dark meat in pot pies, but you did give me an idea on what to do with a bunch of pheasant legs...usually, I make paprikash with the meat bits.
Last edited:
roy brewington
Well-known member
Damn, just read your post and the selava is running!Going to have to try that recipe. Haven,t done a pan roasted duck in quite a while .Think it might go down good with a little Glenlivet 12 over ice!