Buzz
Welcome, everyone, to a sumptuous and hearty edition of Will It Sous Vide?, the weekly series where I prepare your chosen dishes using my immersion circulator.
At last, it's time to savor some duck. (Well, I get to enjoy the duck, while you get to admire photos of it.) This moment has been long-awaited. While duck confit was voted as the top choice in our topic selection a few weeks back, I couldn’t find duck legs in time for that week’s post. Instead, I purchased a whole frozen duck and prepared gator while waiting for it to thaw. Honestly, I didn’t mind the delay.
Now, it’s time to focus on this confit. Before diving into the details, let’s briefly explore the history of confit as a technique: While it’s celebrated for its delicious and tender outcomes, it was initially developed as a preservation method. The process begins with curing the meat, which enhances flavor and removes moisture that attracts microbes. Next, the legs are cooked slowly in their own fat and then stored submerged in that fat, which protects them from air and moisture. The only change we’re making here is replacing the traditional low-temperature oven cooking with an even gentler sous-vide bath.
First, let’s talk about the cure. While a simple mix of salt and pepper works, I prefer using the following blend, which I discovered during a duck workshop at the Portland Meat Collective (enough for eight legs):
8 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon of black peppercorns
6 cardamom pods
2 star anise pods
4 tablespoons coarse sea salt
6 cloves minced garlic
2 minced shallots
8 sprigs of thyme, leaves removed
The zest of 2 lemons
After toasting the spices, I ground them into a fragrant paste and generously coated the duck legs. I wrapped the seasoned legs in plastic and refrigerated them for 24 hours. Once cured, I rinsed off the spice mixture, dried the legs thoroughly, and prepared them for the sous-vide process. While most online sous-vide duck confit recipes didn’t suggest adding extra duck fat, I decided to include a few tablespoons in one bag to ensure the meat was fully submerged, staying true to the traditional confit method.
For the second leg, I wrapped it in its own skin to test whether it could provide sufficient fat during cooking.
Both bags were placed in a 170-degree water bath and left to cook overnight (approximately 12 hours). After the sous-vide process, I removed one leg (the one without additional fat) from its bag.
To achieve the clean, exposed bone shown in the photo, I “frenched” the leg before cooking. This involves using a sharp knife to cut the skin and tendons just below the joint. As the skin contracts during cooking, it pulls back toward the meat, leaving a polished section of bone.
I then seared that delicious little piece of meat in a scorching hot pan, enduring splatters and muttering curses under my breath. (Don’t blame the duck—this was entirely my fault. Only a fool fries poultry while wearing a tank top.)
In any case, as you can see, the skin turned out perfectly crispy, and it was finally time to savor every bite.
The result was tasty, though not significantly better than traditional oven-made duck confit. The meat was infused with flavors from the cure—almost resembling duck ham—but the texture felt slightly less indulgent than I expected. It’s worth noting that authentic duck confit often improves after resting in its own fat for several weeks. While I didn’t have that luxury, I decided to let the second leg (the one cooked with extra fat) chill in the fridge overnight.
The following day, I removed the layer of fat and collagen—saving it for future use—and fried the chilled leg in a hot skillet.
Since the leg was cold and firm from refrigeration, it was a bit trickier to handle in the pan. However, this allowed more time to develop a deep, golden sear as the meat gradually warmed up.
Since I hadn’t frenched the leg or wrapped the skin around the meat, achieving an even sear on all sides of the skin proved a bit tricky. This resulted in a slightly less polished appearance, but aesthetics aren’t the primary focus here.
I found this leg far more enjoyable than the first. It had a richer, more luxurious texture, and the flavors from the cure had softened after the extended time in the fat. It was absolutely delicious.
So, does duck confit work sous vide?
The verdict? Yes, and it works exceptionally well. It’s also incredibly simple and low-maintenance, with no need to monitor an oven, which is ideal for beginners or anyone concerned about overcooking. Based on my experience, here’s how I recommend preparing sous-vide duck confit:
Cure the legs for 24 hours using either a simple salt and pepper mix or aromatic spices.
French the legs to achieve that professional, restaurant-quality presentation.
Apply a couple of tablespoons of duck fat to the meat side and wrap any extra skin around it. This makes searing easier and ensures the entire leg gets crispy skin.
Cook sous vide at 170℉ for 12 hours.
Once done, chill the legs in the fridge for as long as possible, up to three weeks. The longer they sit in the fat, the more flavorful they become, though even an overnight chill made a noticeable difference.
When ready to serve, remove as much fat as possible and fry the legs in a hot pan until the skin is uniformly crispy.
Once the legs are perfectly crispy, allow them to rest for a few minutes before diving in. I highly suggest preparing all your sides in advance because, the first time I made duck confit, I was so captivated that I devoured two legs in quick succession, standing by the sink, completely oblivious to everything else.
