If you peek toward the back of my refrigerator, I can almost guarantee that you’d find a jar of rendered duck (or goose) fat hiding among the jumble of duplicate condiments. In my kitchen, duck fat is a versatile ingredient that I’m able to swap with butter, oil, or schmaltz in nearly all recipes. If I’m feeling very decadent, I’d sear venison steaks in duck fat instead of oil/butter. For making tacos, I like to reheat meat in a pan just until the edges turn slightly crispy, and I often reach for duck fat instead of manteca, or lard. I’ve also made some pretty tasty matzo balls with duck fat instead of schmaltz—or chicken fat.
It’s no wonder rendered duck fat has been long appreciated by chefs, and hunters are becoming privy to its uses in the kitchen. Whether you’re a dedicated waterfowler looking to maximize your quarry, or you’re an occasional hunter who came into the good fortune of possessing an extra fatty duck or goose, knowing how to render fat will be worth your while.
Duck confit is a French preparation of slowly cooking duck legs submerged in duck fat until the meat becomes completely tender and silky. (Photo courtesy of Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley) Why is Duck Fat Good for Cooking? Why is duck fat better? Unlike other animal fats, such as lard or tallow, duck fat has a smoother, silkier texture. It has a melting point of 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit, compared to tallow’s melting point of 113-122 degrees and lard at 86-118 degrees. The low melting point gives duck fat a spreadable, pleasant texture that’s not waxy. Duck fat’s silkiness makes it suitable for confit , a technique of slow-cooking and preserving meat submerged in fat, or preparing potted meat for spreading, such as French rillettes .
On the other hand, duck fat has a relatively high smoking point of 375 degrees. It can handle cooking methods such as searing, roasting, and frying without burning or smoking excessively.
Duck fat rendered from wild teal. (Photo courtesy of Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley) Which Ducks to Render Fat From Store-bought duck fat has a rich and nutty flavor that is still considered mild—I’ve had olive oil that tasted stronger. However, when you get into the business of rendering the fat of wild birds, you get the added fun of being able to compare flavors between the different waterfowl species, by region and diet.
The flavor of fat on wild ducks and geese can vary widely, so be selective. Choose better-tasting ducks such as mallards, pintails, wood ducks, and teals. Specklebelly geese have great-tasting fat and Canada geese can make OK rendered fat, depending on what they’ve been eating. In general, stay away from sea ducks and most diver ducks.
Rendering duck fat at home is simple, but it takes some babysitting, and your home will also smell like duck fat—not a bad thing among better company. You will need a substantial amount of fatty parts from wild ducks to make the effort worthwhile, whereas domestic ducks are quite fatty, so one bird will usually give you enough trimmings to yield a small mason jar of rendered fat.
After gutting ducks (or geese), I save the fatty tails, fat deposits found inside the cavity, and trimmings from the neck and back of each bird. Wash the skin thoroughly, trim off any meat and glands (in the tail), dry them thoroughly, and stick them in a zip-top bag in the freezer, squeezing out air each time you add to the bag. Hopefully by the end of the season, you’ll have enough fatty bits to make a project of rendering duck fat. Here’s how to do it.
Steps to Render Duck Fat Cut into Small Pieces – Chop the fat and skin to make more surface area for faster, even rendering.Slowly Heat the Fat – Place the skin/fat pieces in a heavy-bottomed, medium-size pan over medium heat. Add just enough water to cover the fat, which will prevent the fat from scorching.Render the Fat – Allow the fat and water to gently simmer and the fat to slowly render, stirring occasionally. The water will eventually evaporate. Adjust heat as needed to prevent the duck fat from scorching before it is fully rendered.Strain and Store – Once the fat has rendered, the skin and fat pieces will become shriveled, hard, and golden—you have cracklings! Strain rendered fat through a fine mesh strainer, paper towel, or cheesecloth and into a heatproof container, such as a mason jar. Cool completely before screwing on the lid and storing in the refrigerator.Use warm duck fat instead of oil in vinaigrette recipes to toss with potatoes or greens. (Photo courtesy of Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley) Storing Rendered Duck Fat Pure rendered duck fat will last several months refrigerated, or freeze it for long-term storage. If you use a large amount of duck fat for frying potatoes or something similar, strain the leftover fat and reuse.
However, if you used the fat to make duck confit, strain the fat, leaving behind as much cooking liquid as possible, and then freeze it immediately. The herbs, spices and meat juices from the preparation of confit will quickly lead to the fat spoiling, despite your best efforts to strain it.
Instead of using lard, warm up taco meat in a pan with duck fat, as I did to make this venison birria taco. (Photo courtesy of Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley) How to Cook with Duck Fat In addition to confit and rillettes, here are a few more ways to use duck fat:
Roasting Vegetables – Toss potatoes, carrots, squash, or Brussels sprouts in melted duck fat before roasting.Pan Searing and Sautéing – Use duck fat in place of butter or oil to sear meat—it will give steaks a nice golden-brown color and mouthwatering aroma. Or, use duck fat for frying eggs or sautéing greens.Baking – Try using duck fat in place of butter or shortening in your pie crust, cookie, or pastry recipes.Gravies and Sauces – Use duck fat instead of pan drippings or butter as the base of roux for gravies and pan sauces.Deep-Frying – French fries cooked in duck fat are out of this world, assuming you have enough fat to work with. Strain and cool leftover fat to reuse later.Schmaltz - Duck fat makes a fine substitute for chicken fat.Vinaigrette - Shake up warm duck fat in a jar with vinegar or lemon juice, mustard and herbs to make a dressing for greens or potato salad.Yorkshire Pudding - I make these British-style popovers with duck fat instead of beef drippings every Christmas Eve.Frying Taco Meat - Instead of using manteca or lard, slightly crisp up taco meat—such as carnitas, carne asada, or birria—in a pan with duck fat before filling tortillas.Duck fat is more than just grease leftover in the pan after cooking waterfowl—it’s a wonderful ingredient that adds depth and richness to a wide range of dishes. If you’re a waterfowl hunter, learn how to render duck fat at home, and you’ll have this amazing ingredient at your fingertips year-round.
