I’ve been dry brining these pieces in kosher salt that has been mashed about with juniper berries. My mortar & pestle-fu is weak.
I had this much duck fat rendered, from this duck, not quite enough so I added some lard to cover.
While the duck was brining seemed a good time to make stock from the carcass. I ended up with about four cups of that good stock, the kind the jiggles in the bowl after it has chilled overnight.
The duck has been in a 200 oven for about four hours. I’ll cover this with foil and set it outside to cool. The bones are not pulling away with a gentle tug but the meat pierced through easily. Last time I did this the meat fell off when I tried to lift it out by the leg bone. There will be a thin layer of gelatinized duck broth under the fat, it should peel right off tomorrow.
I will admit to nibbling on those duck cracklings but most of those go to the dogs as kibble sweetener. We are managing to stay fueled. There’s leftover pot pie yet, a bit of it anyway. Pictured are a pair of pulled pork sliders with slaw and a nice habanero/citrus sauce from the Caribbean.
Bonus kitteh pic! Young Ollie is bookended by Bea, on the left, and Toby.