How can I make duck fat from whole duck for duck confit?

Get a whole duck. Remove the legs. Remove the breasts. Remove the rest of the skin with the fat and put in all in a pan with water and simmer over low heat. The fat will render out.

We eat a lot of duck, but a whole one is too much for the two of us. I buy them whole, cut them up, and freeze the parts. There's a lot of fat that can be removed in the cutting up. I also sometimes skin the birds before freezing or cooking. (They're easier to skin whole than, say, a chicken, because of the thick layer of fat under the skin. I end up with little ducky union suits. :lol:) Then I save up the skin and fat in the freezer until I need to render it for a batch of confit.

Rendering it is about the same as rendering chicken fat: cut up the large chunks, put in a pot with a little water, and cook gently until the water has evaporated and the fat has melted. Strain and cool.

I once tried it Paula Wolfert's way, grinding up the skin and fat with water in the food processor first, but that way you don't get the yummy cracklings/gribenes. I've heard of people doing it in the oven, but never tried that method.

Heresy

You could use the breast meat skinless, (i know it's probably a crime in France) but i've done it with good results grilled, stir fried in a wok and olive oil or butter poached. Then you would have all the fat and skin from the breasts, wings, neck, that big ol butt/tail piece and the belly flaps. Now render that in a pan with some water and use it to confit the leg quarters. And you brown those first and get alot of fat that way. We use the rendered fat from roasted whole ducks in our confit, which is only leg quarters. So you could roast this duck and save the fat (it keeps really well in an airtight container) and make confit with your next duck...Im up to my ears in duck fat, you want some? you are in my neck of the woods.

:look:

Abe, the time for the confit depends on the temp of the oven. At 350 3 hrs max. At 250 4-5 hrs. The Alto Sham guys probably do it all night at like 180 for 10 hours. We did babyback ribs at Houston's in the Sham like 14 hours. The size of the leg, the curing and the temp all factor in the equasion.

I've found the best way to render the duck fat is a good old slow cooker / electric crock pot. You can skip the water with this method. I also find you get a nice layer of gelatine at the bottom of the pot, too. The clarified fat comes out very creamy and white from this gentle heat. Enjoy your confit, and save a little of the fat to brown some potatoes...almost worth the cost of the duck for these alone!

--Al

350 degree's sounds to high to me, this will basically "fry" the legs and thighs.

I fat poach between 165/175 f for 4 to 5 hours is using pekin duck, and up to 7/8 hours for Muscovy's.I like to cure pekins for 24 hours max, and Muscovy's for 32 max.

The best results for rendering fat for confit is in the 250 degree range, long and slow. You will get a much longer life from your fat this way.

I agree, except the natural duck aspic that forms on the bottom should be removed and used for another application. This is a harbinger for bacteria since we want to mature confit for a # of weeks.

Cape Chef,

Totally agree about the aspic, sorry I didn't mean to imply that it should be melted into the confit itself. But do save the stuff, if for no other reason than to mount it into a sauce.

--Al

It's the semi-solid jelly of pure flavor at the bottom of the pot. Since fat rises, any water-based juices will be on the bottom. Save that aspic! It's GOLD for sauces.

Al, I'm going to try the slow cooker method next time. I don't usually need a huge amount of schmaltz (rendered poultry fat), but I could vacuum seal it and freeze it, I think.

You know after reading this thread perhaps it's time to bite the bullet and get me a couple o' ducks this winter! We love duck but rarely have it, and you sure can't make 2 legs for confit! Maybe I'll splurge and get 3, maybe 4 of them. That should make us a whole lot o' ducky meals!

Well, you've gotten a few tips from the pros already, it seems, but I thought I'd share what I do with a duck that renders a lot of fat. I'll usually roast a whole one, but before I roast it I steam it (stuffed w/ aromatics, trussed, and tiny small slices in the skin but not the meat) in a pressure cooker. If you don't have a pressure cooker you can use any large pot with a rack and a lid. Anyhow, a lot of fat is rendered into the water. I save the water and put it in the fridge, & the fat rises and solidifies on the top. I either scrape it off the top or make two holes in it and pour out the water. As long as I make sure it's moisture free and sealed in a container it's good for a while. It's a great thing to have lying around to fry some eggs in, or for a light roux. Anyhow, that's how I always have duck fat in my fridge.
RTF

Contact a local wholesale Meat vendor and buy it....comes in 1/2 gallon
buckets usually....you can use it over and over.....sometimes time is worth
more, and its not that expensive....good luck

Or just go get some schmaltz from the regular grocer.

Yeah, I usually let it go about 15-20 minutes in the pressure cooker, 45 to 1 hour if its a regular/makeshift steamer. Enjoy your duck!

approximately how long do you steam them for? Minutes/lb? Guess I should have looked at the rest of the post

The best way I've found to make duck confit......is almost 'sous-vide'.   I render the fat from the duck -- all the skin and all the bits that arent either the breast, or the legs. Then I let it kind harden, and then I scoop out a bit, crisco style, and throw it in a foodsaver bag with a leg, and vacuum seal it. ....then confit it that way. 

 

MUCH less fat needed (1 duck can yield enough fat for both it's legs)...any when it's done. it's already packaged!!!

 

funny, I actually did this on black friday of 2008! Here is some details.

http://randallpmcmurphy.blogspot.com/2008/11/what-to-do-with-3-ducks-while-everyone.html

 

and an example of the confit in the vacuum sealer bags.

http://randallpmcmurphy.blogspot.com/2008/12/duck-confit-part-2.html