When you Break Down a Duck, you get two duck legs, which is great…although it presents challenges when your household has more than two people! Faced with deciding between freezing the legs and holding them aside until I bought and broke down another duck or waiting for my wife to work late so there were only two people at dinner, and I chose the latter (risky move!). Luckily, since I made her Rabbit Confit earlier in the summer when my sous chef was away, she was okay with my decision.
Unlike the rabbit version, the more renowned duck version needs no additional fat to cook. So, we simply seasoned the meat and skin with some salt and pepper, poked some holes, and let the slow cooker render the fat and braise the duck leg in it…and then we finished the legs off in the oven to get the skin crispy to the point where it crackled on the outside before subsequently melting away in your mouth.
We served our duck with buttered green peas and tater tots. However, it would also go well with Garlic and Pepper Sauteed Green Beans, Garlic Snow Peas, Mashed Celery Root, Mashed Celery Root, Leek Infused Long Grain Rice, or Sneaky Mashed Potatoes.
Time: 8-9 Hours (mostly letting the slow cooker do its thing)
Ingredients:
- Duck Legs
- Salt
- Black Pepper
Method:
- Pat your duck legs dry, and sprinkle some salt on the flesh and the skin. Then, use a toothpick or fine tipped knife to poke little holes in the skin. Let sit for 15-20 minutes.
- Place your duck legs in your slow cooker so they all fit flatly, and sprinkle some black pepper atop your skins.
- Turn the heat to low, and cook for 7.5-8 hours. We didn’t do it, but once fat renders, baste your skin a couple of times during cooking if you can.
- Towards the end of your slow cooker time, preheat your oven to 425 degrees F, and line a baking pan with foil.
- Carefully transfer your duck legs to your baking pan, and stash it in the oven for 5-10 minutes to crisp up the skin.
- Plate, devour, and enjoy!
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