Salt-Cured Duck Legs Slow-Cooked in Their Own Fat

What you need

• 4 duck legs, about 1 kg (2 1/4 lb) in total
• 40 g (3 tbsp) coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp black peppercorns, lightly crushed
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 1 kg (about 4 1/2 cups) duck fat

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Mix the salt and peppercorns and rub the mixture all over the duck legs.

2. 2

   Arrange the legs side by side in a dish and tuck the garlic, thyme and bay around them.

3. 3

   Cover and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.

4. 4

   Heat the oven to 140 °C (275 °F).

5. 5

   Brush the salt off the duck, rinse the legs briefly under cold water and pat them completely dry. Keep the garlic and herbs.

6. 6

   Melt the duck fat in a heavy ovenproof pot just big enough to hold the legs snugly.

7. 7

   Lower the legs into the fat with the garlic and herbs, making sure the meat is fully submerged.

8. 8

   Bring the fat to a bare simmer on the stove, cover and move the pot to the oven.

9. 9

   Cook until the meat is very tender and pulls easily from the bone, 2 1/2-3 hours. The thickest part will be well above 74 °C (165 °F) inside.

10. 10

    To store, cool the legs in a dish and strain the fat over them so they are covered by at least 2 cm. Refrigerate for up to 1 week.

11. 11

    To serve, lift the legs out of the fat and scrape off the excess.

12. 12

    Set a heavy frying pan over medium heat and lay the legs in it skin side down.

13. 13

    Fry until the skin is deep golden and crisp, 6-8 min. Turn and warm the other side, 2-3 min, then serve.

Imported from gourmettraveller.com.au. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.