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Effortless French Cuisine: Mastering Slow-Cooked Duck Confit

Imagine savoring tender, flavorful duck meat with minimal effort. That’s exactly what you’ll get with this slow-cooked duck confit recipe. By using a slow cooker, you’ll achieve restaurant-quality results without the hassle of constant monitoring.

The Magic of Slow Cooking

Duck confit is a staple in French cuisine, often used in dishes like rillettes and cassoulet. However, traditional oven-cooking methods require constant attention to maintain a steady fat temperature. With a slow cooker, you can simply combine the ingredients and let the magic happen.

A Simple yet Impressive Recipe

This recipe yields six servings and takes approximately five hours and ten minutes to prepare, plus curing time. The active time is a mere ten minutes, making it an ideal option for busy home cooks.

Curing the Duck Legs

To begin, combine kosher salt, fresh thyme sprigs, bay leaves, white peppercorns, and juniper berries in a small bowl. Stir to mix thoroughly, then rub the mixture onto the duck legs, making sure to cover all surfaces evenly. Place the legs in a large baking dish, cover, and refrigerate overnight or for at least 12 hours.

Slow-Cooking the Duck Legs

Once the curing process is complete, place the duck fat in a slow cooker and melt on high. Rinse the duck legs under cold water, pat dry, and carefully add them to the melted fat. Cook at a simmer, monitoring the heat to ensure the fat doesn’t create more than one or two bubbles per minute. Cook for approximately four hours, or until the meat is tender and pulls away from the bones.

Serving and Storing

Remove the duck legs from the fat and serve immediately, or let them cool on a wire rack. You can store the confit in the refrigerator for several weeks, returning the legs to the fat once cooled. To use, simply remove the confit from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature until the fat becomes liquid, about one hour.

Tips and Variations

Shred the cooked duck meat to use in other dishes, or sear the legs skin-side down in a hot pan until golden-brown and crispy. Serve with Braised White Beans with Chard, Potato-Parsnip Gratin, and a simple green salad with sharp vinaigrette to cut through the richness. You can also reuse the duck fat for frying potatoes or making Potato-Turnip Latkes Fried in Duck Fat.

With this effortless recipe, you’ll be enjoying authentic French cuisine in no time. So go ahead, give it a try, and indulge in the rich flavors of slow-cooked duck confit!