Sous-Vide-Que Duck Confit Recipe

Steps

1. 1Prep. Season both sides of the duck legs with kosher salt. Wrap the duck legs in plastic wrap and refrigerate for six to 12 hours.
2. 2Prepare a sous vide immersion circulator, such as Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker, according to the manufacturer's instructions and set the water temperature for 145°F (62.8°C).
3. 3Remove the duck legs from the plastic wrap, rinse, and pat dry. Place the duck legs and duck fat in a zipper-lock freezer bag or 1/2 gallon reusable sous vide bag. Carefully submerge the bag in the water bath until most of the air has been removed and then seal the bag. Once the bag is submerged, cook for 24 hours. At this point, the duck legs can be refrigerated in the fat for up to one month before proceeding with the recipe. If you opt to store them for future use, remove the bagged duck legs from the sous vide then submerge the bagged duck legs in a large container filled with a 50/50 mix of ice and water until the meat's core temperature reaches a safe range of 34-38°F (1.1-3.3°C), approximately 15 minutes, before refrigerating.
4. 4Remove the duck legs from the fat, pat them dry, and season with Chinese five spice powder. Let them rest at room temperature as you prepare the grill. Refrigerate the fat for future use.
5. 5Fire up. Prepare a charcoal grill for 2-zone cooking by placing a chimney full of hot charcoal briquets on one side of the grill's charcoal grate in order to create direct and indirect cooking zones. Adjust the smoker or grill vents to bring the temperature to about 325°F (162.8°C) in the indirect zone and add 2 to 3 chunks of your favorite smoking wood to the charcoal for flavor. On a gas grill, adjust the temperature knobs so that one half of the grill is off (the indirect side) and the other half is heated enough to maintain a temperature of approximately 325°F (162.8°C) on the indirect side.
6. 6Cook. Place the duck legs in the indirect zone on the main cooking grate as far away from the heat source as possible. Set the lid on the grill with the top vent fully open and positioned directly above the duck legs in order to force the smoke over and around the meat.
7. 7Allow the duck legs to smoke until they reach an internal temperature of 155°F (68.3°C).
8. 8Place the duck legs skin side down on the hot side of the grill, and grill until the skin is brown and crisp, approximately four minutes.
9. 9Serve. Remove the duck legs from the grill. Serve immediately.