Duck Legs

Duck legs differ from chicken legs in being short and wide, and with relatively little fat. They are reasonably economical and your best bet for getting duck meat without much fat. They always come with the thigh because the thigh isn't large enough to sell as a separate cut as with chicken. A duck leg/thigh weighs about 8.5 ounces.

Buying:

Find duck legs in markets serving a Chinese or Southeast Asian community, generally in the frozen meat section. They are sold with the thigh attached because the thigh is not large enough to be sold as a separate cut. They are reasonably available because the major market is for duck breast, but each duck comes with two legs as well.

Prep:

Duck legs are a little more difficult to debone and disjoint than chicken legs because the joints are much tighter and there is almost no cartilage. If you remove the skin, it has to be carefully cut loose with a sharp knife because it adheres much more tightly to the flesh than with chicken. An 8.5 ounce leg/thigh will yield 4.5 ounces (53%) of skinless boneless meat. It will yield only 1.1 oz (13%) renderable fat

Cooking:

Duck legs and thighs can be used similarly to chicken legs and thighs but need to be cooked at least twice as long or they will be tough. If you are not including the skin in your recipe you can render the fat from it in a small frying pan, and eat the cracklings as a snack. The fat is prized for cooking.

bd_dklegz 090704 - www.clovegarden.com
©Andrew Grygus - agryg@clovegarden.com - Photos on this page not otherwise credited are © cg1 - Linking to and non-commercial use of this page permitted