I made duck confit on November 23rd, using the attached recipe (167° F for 24 hours), and put it in the fridge immediately afterwards to cool. I was planning to eat it this weekend but am now concerned I created an environment for botulism.
How concerned should I be about the potential risk? Would others eat it or give to their families?
Thanks!
by camsqsh
8 Comments
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Confit is a time tested preservation technique.
I wouldn’t hesitate to feed it to my family.
Edit: I have eaten confit duck leg that’s been in the fridge for 6 weeks and it was perfectly fine. I’d trust it even months later.
It’s been in the fridge for 2 weeks? That’s too long – you’ve got around 7 days if it’s sealed in the bag and 3 days if opened. You wont get botulism but it will be spoiled.
EDIT. I’m wrong but leaving this up
Botulism only matters for garlic and other things that grow in the ground, you’re fine here
I made traditional duck confit once. And bagged it when right out of the oven with a bit of fat in the bag
It went into my fridge.
I ate it 18 months later. That was 5-6 years ago now.
It is an ancient preservation technique. I believe it’s in a charcuterie book, but I could be wrong that the small villages in France or Germany would make it and simply store it in their food cellar around 50°F.
They wouldn’t eat last year’s duck, but the year’s before to make sure they had enough food for a winter
True story.
With sous vide confit you do have some of the “juices” in the bag that can go bad tho.
But 2 weeks to a month shouldn’t be a problem in a fridge
Check baldwins charts
Start here: https://www.reddit.com/r/sousvide/comments/9jnx8c/time_and_temperature_guides_links/
I’ve been doing duck legs confit in my sous vide for years and never had an issue. I use the Serious Eats recipe though, curing them in sugar seems weird.
It’s an amazing dish and I absolutely love it. Takes a while (36h) but it’s absolutely worth it. Travels well too.
I am just speculating based on my current knowledge so people correct me if I’m wrong.
My understanding is that botulism is a risk in low acid, low moisture, low salinity, and low oxygen environments. I’m not sure the environment is so low in moisture or so low in salt that botulism should be a concern. Remember, since you’re cooking it sous vide, you’re not losing any moisture to evaporation. Since duck legs are pretty fatty, you’re gonna need a good bit of salt too. I personally wouldn’t worry too much about it unless it’s just been sitting out at room temp for a long time.
I don’t put fresh garlic in mine. When I can get eight duck legs or more, I do, and I sous vide them in twos and threes then freeze them. I do 155 for 36 hours a la Kenji. I wouldn’t age them, though maybe I’ll make some legit confit this winter, do a taste comparison.
It’s handy because 36 hours at 155 means I can also pop in half a chicken for a couple hours. And pop in the other half for dinner the next night. can pop into the bath while it’s going.
We have a little store near us, and it’s great, but the meats etc section is pretty limited. I’m not a huge fan of venison and I like pigs better than I like pork chops, so much of what’s on offer isn’t for me. Duck legs and breast are fun, and the grocery store 30 minutes away frequently has them in stock.