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Recipe · Duck legs

Duck Leg Confit

Confit is the most forgiving duck there is: a salt cure, a long poach well below a simmer, and a hot finish whenever you are ready to eat. The cook is almost entirely hands-off, and the result improves after a night in the fridge — which makes it the rare duck dish you can serve to guests without standing over a pan.

Prep 25 min · Cook 3 hr · Total 3 hr 25 min · 4 servings · Intermediate

Duck Leg Confit, finished and sliced

Ingredients

Cure

  • 4 duck leg quarters, about 1.2 kg (2.6 lb) total
  • 18–24 g (1–1½ tbsp) coarse sea salt, roughly 1.5–2% of the leg weight
  • 4 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 6 sprigs thyme
  • 2 bay leaves, torn
  • 1 tsp cracked black pepper

Poach

  • 1–1.5 L (4–6 cups) rendered duck fat, enough to submerge the legs
  • Neutral oil to top up, if you are short on duck fat

Cooking for a different number? Scale the quantities rather than guessing — fat and salt do not scale linearly with guest count.

Equipment that matters

  • Snug, deep oven-safe pot

    The narrower the vessel, the less fat you need to keep the legs fully covered.

  • Instant-read thermometer

    Domestic ovens are least accurate at low settings — measure the fat, not the dial.

    Thermometer buying guide

Before you start

Plan backwards from dinner

Cure overnight (12–24 hours), poach for 2.5–3.5 hours, then either serve immediately or cool and refrigerate under the fat for 3–4 days. The crisping step at the end takes 10–15 minutes.

Build a fat supply

Confit needs a lot of fat. Save the rendered fat from every duck breast and roast you cook — see the rendering guide — and top up with neutral oil if you are short. The legs must stay submerged, but they do not have to be submerged in duck fat alone.

Method, step by step

  1. Cure the legs

    Mix salt, garlic, thyme, bay and pepper. Rub over the legs, lay them skin-side up in a single layer, cover, and refrigerate 12–24 hours. Shorter gives lighter seasoning; longer gives a firmer, more intense result.

    Watch for More salt is not better. Above roughly 2% by weight the meat turns noticeably salty and dense.

  2. Rinse and dry thoroughly

    Rinse off the cure completely and pat the legs dry. Residual surface salt concentrates unevenly over three hours of poaching.

  3. Submerge in warm fat

    Melt the fat gently and pour it over the legs in your pot until they are fully covered. Any part sticking out will roast rather than confit.

  4. Poach low and slow

    Hold the fat at 190–210°F (88–99°C) for 2.5–3.5 hours — an oven set to 200–225°F (93–107°C) usually gets there. You want the occasional lazy bubble, never a simmer.

    Watch for Vigorous bubbling means the fat is too hot; the meat will fray and dry out even while sitting in fat.

  5. Test for doneness

    The legs are ready when a skewer meets no resistance and the meat retracts from the drumstick bone. The internal temperature will be well past the USDA 165°F (73.9°C) minimum long before this point.

  6. Cool and store, or crisp now

    To store, cool the legs in their fat, then refrigerate submerged and use within 3–4 days. To serve, lift a leg out, scrape off excess fat, and crisp skin-side down in a dry hot pan or under a hot oven for 10–15 minutes until the skin shatters.

    Watch for Fat-sealed storage is a refrigerator technique, not shelf-stable preservation. Keep it cold.

Temperatures and timings

Confit timing at a glance
StageTemperatureTime
CureRefrigerated, 4°C / 39°F12–24 hours
Poach190–210°F (88–99°C) fat2.5–3.5 hours
Crisp to serve400–425°F (205–220°C) oven or hot pan10–15 minutes
Fridge storage under fatBelow 4°C (39°F)3–4 days (USDA cooked-poultry guidance)

Quack Fix

The four ways this recipe usually goes wrong, what to do about it mid-cook, and how to stop it happening again.

  • Meat is stringy and dry despite sitting in fat

    Likely cause
    The poach ran too hot and squeezed moisture out of the muscle.
    Fix now
    Shred it and use it in rillettes, ragù or hash, where texture matters less.
    Prevent next time
    Measure the fat temperature directly and keep it under 210°F (99°C).

  • Finished legs taste too salty

    Likely cause
    Over-long cure, too much salt, or cure not rinsed off.
    Fix now
    Serve with unsalted starch — plain potatoes, lentils, bread — and a sharp, acidic salad.
    Prevent next time
    Weigh the salt at 1.5–2% of leg weight and rinse thoroughly.

  • Skin will not crisp at service

    Likely cause
    Too much clinging fat, or a pan that was not hot enough.
    Fix now
    Scrape the skin clean, blot it dry, and start in a properly hot dry pan.
    Prevent next time
    Bring legs to room temperature and dry the skin before crisping.

Use the Whole Duck

Nothing here needs to go in the bin. Each of these is worth more than the packaging suggests.

  • Poaching fat

    Strain and refrigerate — it improves with each batch and can be reused several times.

    Fifteen uses for duck fat

  • Jelly at the bottom of the pot

    That is concentrated duck stock. Spoon it into sauces, beans or a ragù.

  • Picked confit meat

    Fold into rillettes, cassoulet, hash or a tart with sharp greens.

Shop this guide

Where to source what this recipe needs.

  • Buying duck legs and rendered fat

    Leg quarters are often cheaper than breast and freeze well; jarred rendered fat saves you a rendering session.

    Duck fat buying guide

Common questions

Can I confit duck legs without enough duck fat?
Yes. Use a pot narrow enough to reduce the volume needed and top up with a neutral oil. Full submersion matters more than the fat being 100% duck.
How long does confit keep?
Treat it as cooked poultry: 3–4 days in the refrigerator, fully submerged in fat and held below 4°C (39°F). Traditional cellar-stored confit kept far longer, but we do not publish those durations as safe advice — freeze portions (under fat, up to 2–3 months) if you need to keep them longer, and never hold confit at room temperature.
Can I confit in a slow cooker?
Yes, if the low setting holds the fat below a simmer. Verify with a thermometer; some slow cookers run hotter than 210°F (99°C) on low.

Related guides

The technique guides and calculators behind this recipe.

References

  • Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart — USDA Food Safety and Inspection ServiceAll poultry, including duck and duck pieces, is listed at a 165°F (73.9°C) safe minimum internal temperature.Reference checked 2026-08
  • Duck and Goose from Farm to Table — USDA Food Safety and Inspection ServiceHandling, labelling, storage and cooking guidance specific to duck and goose.Reference checked 2026-08