tomahawk66 Posted September 13, 2015 Report Share Posted September 13, 2015 Prepping for my folks visit next week so getting on as many sous vide cooks as possible so I won't have to be running around cooking while they are here. Like most of the sous vide cooking I do these duck legs would be perfect finished on the KK... One of the few quality meats we can get cheap here in Shanghai is duck: I picked up these legs for just over US$12 First the dry cure/brine. I used sea salt, garlic, fresh thyme, bay leaves and pepper These will go in the fridge uncovered for 24 hours before washing them off, vacuum packing them with duck fat, thyme, bay leaves and pepper and sous vide for 12 hours at 170F. I then ice bath them and let them mature in the fridge until I need them (they tend to get better after a week and I believe should be safe to eat a lot longer than that). To finish, it depends on my mood... Duck salad is a good one, or just grilled/pan fried and served with gratin dauphinois and some greens with a pan sauce (a fat separator is essential for this!). I keep all the fat and use it for roasting potatoes - AMAZING! I'll update this thread as they progress! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinyfish Posted September 13, 2015 Report Share Posted September 13, 2015 Thats sounds like it will be great. I might not look at a duck the same way again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted September 13, 2015 Report Share Posted September 13, 2015 Tomahawk - I can't wait to see how these duck legs turn out! I use my sous vide all the time, but I never thought of your technique. Have fun with your folks and enjoy the fruits of your efforts with your sous vide. Looking forward to your posts on this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syzygies Posted September 13, 2015 Report Share Posted September 13, 2015 Yes, those look great, and your technique is roughly the same as mine. One needs very little fat this way. If one wants some fat to borrow for pan-frying later, that's how much to use. Otherwise, less. The gelée is also worth separating, don't waste it on the fire. Various stellar cooks (Thomas Keller) have weighed in that the only authenticity one loses by this approach is the faintly rancid taste to the fat that the original technique produces. I'll pass. Same idea as burning a paella socarrat on the beach, and waxing philosophic about how good it is, because one is at the beach. I'll take golden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoFrogs91 Posted September 13, 2015 Report Share Posted September 13, 2015 Sounds awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomahawk66 Posted September 13, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2015 Yes, those look great, and your technique is roughly the same as mine. One needs very little fat this way. If one wants some fat to borrow for pan-frying later, that's how much to use. Otherwise, less. The gelée is also worth separating, don't waste it on the fire. Various stellar cooks (Thomas Keller) have weighed in that the only authenticity one loses by this approach is the faintly rancid taste to the fat that the original technique produces. I'll pass. Same idea as burning a paella socarrat on the beach, and waxing philosophic about how good it is, because one is at the beach. I'll take golden. Agreed! Who wants rancid if you can avoid it! Socarrat is an interesting one: my Spanish friend from near Barcelona likes his a few shades darker than golden but certainly not burnt. I guess it's similar to toasting white bread in that there are a lot of shades from blond to dark browned. With regards the gelée, I separate this from the fat but usually use it to make a super thick pan sauce, first deglazing the pan with red wine, adding the gelée and a spoonful or two of maranello cherry preserve. Any other uses for the gelée? Any other uses for duck leg confit rather than straight up or in salads? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomahawk66 Posted September 13, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2015 Sounds awesome! Thanks GoFrogs! And like with so many sous vide dishes it involves a lot of passive cooking time but is actually extremely easy to do, hard to get wrong and quicker in active time than doing it any other way! Friends are always astounded when I tell them how long a dish takes: "2 days? are you crazy?!?" and think I'm a very dedicated chef rather than just a big boy with his toys! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilburpan Posted September 13, 2015 Report Share Posted September 13, 2015 Looking forward to progress updates! The dark meat parts of a duck are underrated for cooking. When we were in China last year, in Beijing we made a habit of stopping by this hole in the wall dumpling place by our hotel for breakfast, and my younger son always had a duck drumstick for breakfast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poochie Posted September 14, 2015 Report Share Posted September 14, 2015 The reason I really like duck it that to me, all the meat is dark meat. Very tasty with a unique flavor. If you try duck and sausage gumbo, you're getting a preview of heaven! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomahawk66 Posted September 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2015 Looking forward to progress updates! The dark meat parts of a duck are underrated for cooking. When we were in China last year, in Beijing we made a habit of stopping by this hole in the wall dumpling place by our hotel for breakfast, and my younger son always had a duck drumstick for breakfast.i love duck also: I plan to try your Peking duck recipe this week 😄Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomahawk66 Posted September 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2015 The reason I really like duck it that to me, all the meat is dark meat. Very tasty with a unique. If you try duck and sausage gumbo, you're getting a preview of heaven! I'm sad to say that I've actually never tried any gumbo, let alone duck and sausage... 😱 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5698k Posted September 14, 2015 Report Share Posted September 14, 2015 Duck gumbo is definitely my favorite, I wish I had some ducks right now!! Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted September 14, 2015 Report Share Posted September 14, 2015 Looks interesting can't wait to see the outcome. I love gumbo but never had duck and sausage gumbo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomahawk66 Posted September 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2015 Duck gumbo is definitely my favorite, I wish I had some ducks right now!! Robert Got a good recipe ? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5698k Posted September 15, 2015 Report Share Posted September 15, 2015 http://duckcommander.com/recipes/duck-gumbo You can half this, and play with flavors. I like my roux really dark. The trick is you have your veggies cut and ready, so when the roux gets really dark, throw the veggies in to stop the roux from cooking. Enjoy! Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomahawk66 Posted September 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2015 Thanks Robert, I'll check that out. I'm very used to cooking French/Spanish/Italian so a lot of the american dishes are new to me (Gumbo is american right?!?) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5698k Posted September 15, 2015 Report Share Posted September 15, 2015 I suppose it is. Its origins date back to early Louisiana, with heavy influx from various places, but it did start in the U.S., I think. Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomahawk66 Posted September 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2015 Update: after curing for 48 hours in a herb & garlic salt rub I washed down the duck legs and then bagged them in pairs with a couple of bay leaves, handful of thyme, black pepper, a little garlic powder and a good knob (or three!) of duck fat: Then into the water bath at 78C. I'll take them out in around 12-18 hours time before chilling them and letting them mature in the fridge. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoFrogs91 Posted September 16, 2015 Report Share Posted September 16, 2015 Cool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syzygies Posted September 16, 2015 Report Share Posted September 16, 2015 Any other uses for duck leg confit rather than straight up or in salads? It's a classic ingredient for Cassoulet, a great bean dish. Indifferent versions won't make a believer, but the best versions are astounding. This is sometimes our favorite dish of the year, but it's a lot of work. I now hover at the Basque border, making Spanish Fabada. This is often a simpler dish, but the French elaborations and technique are welcome here. (Though actually adding bread crumbs is a mythical way to accomplish the oven crust that should occur on its own, even if tourists have trained French restaurants to adopt this cheat.) (Also bear in mind that you can't get any two people in southwest France to agree on what is correct here.) The killer ingredient in any bean dish, such as either of these, is Italian pork skin sausage (Cotechino). Spotty availability, usually before Christmas; this is what chest freezers are for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
