protein
Duck Carnitas
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Prep
10 minutes
Cook
4 hours 30 minutes
Total
4 hr 40 min
Serves
yields about 8 portions
Rich, dark, and crispy on the edges, duck carnitas braised in duck fat are something between a confit and a slow braise. The duck legs go in covered and come out tender, then a short uncovered time crisps the outside before pulling.
Ingredients
- 1.59 kg (3.5 lbs) duck legs
- 397 g (14 oz) duck fat
- 28 g (1 oz) chile de arbol, stems removed
- 283 g (10 oz) orange, quartered
- 28 g (1 oz) whole garlic cloves (about 6–8 cloves)
- 85 g (3 oz) cilantro
- Salt and black pepper for seasoning
Instructions
- 1Season the duck legs all over with salt and pepper.
- 2Place in a deep hotel pan or oven-safe pot.
- 3Add the duck fat, chile de arbol, orange pieces, garlic, and cilantro around the duck.
- 4Cover tightly and cook at 150 °C (300 °F) for 4 hours.
- 5Remove the cover and continue cooking for another 30 minutes, until the duck skin is dark and crisped.
- 6Pull the meat from the bones, discarding any large pieces of fat. Keep in the cooking fat until service.
Cook's Note
Don't skip the uncovered 30 minutes at the end, that's when the skin goes from pale and soft to actually crispy. If you pull it out still covered, you get tender duck but nothing to crunch on.
How to Use This
Taco filling (especially with tomatillo avocado salsa), tostada topping, or quesadilla filling.
Why This Foundation Works
Cooking in duck fat keeps the meat from drying out the way a regular braise might, because the fat never gets as hot as water does. The orange and chile cook into the fat and season the duck from the outside in over four hours.
Make It Yours
- Serve with a bright tomatillo salsa to cut the richness.
- Add a few dried guajillo chiles alongside the arbol for a deeper, less spicy version.
Leftover Strategy
Store submerged in the cooking fat. Keeps 4–5 days refrigerated. Reheat by pressing flat in a hot pan to re-crisp.