Smoked Duck Confit always a special treat

Photo and Text

By RAY MAXWELL

Duck Confit is a dish that I fell in love with eating over the years, and I felt it was always a decadent and wonderful treat to enjoy.

Smoked Duck Confit combines this wonderful dish with smoked food into a very easy and special meal to enjoy when wondering how you wish to reward yourself for a good duck hunt, or for any excuse. The dish is very easy to cook, providing an extra reason to try it.

Ingredients

• 4 duck legs

• 3 to 4 cups of rendered duck fat (based on size of pan and duck leg size)

• 1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons of kosher salt

• 1 tablespoon of basil

• 2 teaspoons of whole black peppercorns

• 1 small to medium white onion (chopped)

• 9 garlic cloves (chopped)

• Half a bunch of parsley (chopped)

• 6 bay leaves

Prep Work

Place the onion, shallots, garlic, basil and parsley into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped but not liquified. Place half the contents into a glass or neutral container with the duck legs on top. Afterward, place the remainder from the food processor over the duck legs and then add the bay leaves, peppercorn and salt. Cover the container very tightly and place in the refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours.

The easiest way to prep for hunting camp is to place the duck legs into a Ziplock bag and pour the contents from the food processor into the bag, then add the salt, bay leaves and peppercorn. Seal the bag, mix all the contents until the legs are covered and place them into the fridge or cooler for the trip.

Cooking

Remove the duck legs from the container and rinse the mixture off. Pat the legs dry and place them into a deep pan, one layer deep.

Melt the duck fat over low heat and pour it over the duck legs until they are submerged in liquid duck fat. You can use a saucer, cast iron skillet or aluminum pan.

Cover the container with aluminum foil but allow an opening for the smoke to pass through with venting on two sides. Place it on the smoker and cook it between 225 and 275 degrees for three to four hours. The meat should then be totally tender, easily pulling away from the skin and bone.

You can store the confit for up to a month by keeping it submerged in the duck fat in a tight container in your refrigerator. The duck fat can also be used more than once by straining out the solids and storing it.

I keep the fat that has been used for smoked duck confit in separate containers from unused duck fat. Taste the used duck fat from time to time to make sure salt, or other flavors have started to overpower the duck fat.

Wine Pairings

I enjoy Missouri Norton and Syrah with Smoked Duck Confit, and there are two directions you can go on the Syrah – the fruit forward style from Australia or the more traditional style. All three wines work with this dish, and it is a matter of preference.

Persimmon Ridge Norton is a wonderful expression of what Norton Wine from Missouri can offer. Big aromas fill the glass with oak, blackberries, spice and coconut. The wine offers great weight, with wonderful flavors from raspberries to blackberries mixed with spice components and hints of oak. This wine pairs great with wild game and smoked food. You can visit Persimmon Ridge Winery in High Ridge Missouri and enjoy a bottle for under $25.

Red Hills Cellars Syrah from Applegate Valley in Oregon provides traditional wine drinkers and wine nerds alike with something fun and exciting – a 100 percent Syrah wine that re-

Rocky Mountain Elk volunteers’ work was worth $26 million in ‘22

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation celebrated National Volunteer Week by shining a spotlight on the significant contributions of its volunteer army in 2022 that amounted to more than $26.3 million in value of donated time and labor.

“When I think of an RMEF volunteer, what I think about is our greatest asset this organization has,” said Kyle Weaver, RMEF president and CEO in Missoula, Montana. “They give us the most valuable thing they have, which is their time. And there’s nothing more important or more impactful for this organization than an individual’s time toward our mission.”

That time is also measurable.

According to the Independent Sector, which uses information supplied by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the current value of one volunteer hour is $29.95.

If you do the math, RMEF has approximately 11,000 volunteers of all ages and backgrounds from more than 500 chapters who each average about 80 hours of service annually. That equates to $26,356,000 of total conservation value for RMEF’s mission.

“Most people recognize RMEF for the work it does to conserve and enhance habitat for elk as well as the beneficial trickle-down effects on mule deer, moose, whitetail deer, wild turkey and a plethora of other wildlife species that result from that,” said Fred Lekse, board of directors chair and also a volunteer. “What they may not fully comprehend minds me of a Croze Hermitage with a little more fruit. The wine has wonderful berry and spice flavors and hints of smoke aromatics. The tannins are heavy but soft and well rounded with a wonderful acidity that cuts through the food. You will love the way the slight bacon fat and smoke components of the wine complement this dish. You can find this single vineyard Oregon Syrah for around $40 a bottle. is how integral of a role our volunteers play in that process. We simply cannot do that work without each of them around the country.”

Saldo Shiraz from the Prisoner Wine Co. provides a treat for those who enjoy different styles of Shiraz. This wine works great for those who want to sip on a red wine while working the smoker or grill. You will love the spice, berry and black fruit components. The wine has wonderful weight and acidity to stand up to food. In addition to the raspberry, blackberry and spice components, plum and coco are present, with a vanilla hint on the finish.

You can find the video version for this recipe at Wild Wine Life at Facebook and Youtube with other wild game recipes and ideas. Please Like and Subscribe to Wild Wine Life.

Volunteers Lead

Volunteers plan and host hundreds of banquets and other events that generate vital funding to ensure the future of elk, other wildlife, their habitat and our hunting heritage. They also give of their time for boots on the ground projects.

Never To Many

“We’ll never have too many people involved. There’s always a need for more,” said Weaver.

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation can be found online at https://www.rmef.org