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Ingredient Guides: Duck Fat

Duck fat is prized by chefs for its rich, savory flavor. Learn why.

Alena Dvorakova / Depositphotos
By Dann Reid,
contributor for Tastyble, author of Cooking For Comfort, and host of the Culinary Libertarian podcast.

Duck confit might be the best way to eat duck legs. Duck legs are cured with an herbed cure of salt and sugar, rinsed, dried, and cooked in rendered duck fat.

Yes. Cooked in fat. “Slow poached” is a better term. The intent is to slowly break down the protein and at the same time penetrate the meat with glorious duck fat. 

I’ll admit the first time I heard of this, I was a bit dumbstruck. How does one get that much duck fat? Back then we butchered a lot of ducks, saved the fat, and rendered it ourselves. Duck confit is well worth making. It has a very long shelf life while the legs are in the fat and they are a superb dinner.

Today, duck fat is available online and maybe in the grocery store.

What Is Duck Fat?

Ducks are fatty birds — much fattier than chickens. Most of the fat is stored in the skin. Like chickens, ducks also have lumps of fat in the neck and abdomen. (Poultry has no marbling in the muscle like beef or lamb.)

We can render those lumps to get clear liquid fat. When rendered duck fat is cooled, it turns almost white and is semi-firm at room temperature.

How Duck Fat Is Made

Way back when I worked at a private dining club where we rendered the excess fat from butchering the ducks. This included the abdominal cavity fat and skin from the back, pieces that were not going to be served.

Commercial companies will buy duck skin and render that. Commercial producers also have finer filtration systems than home cooks. Home cooks don’t have fancy filtration systems. We need another solution. The best system I’ve found is straining fat through a coffee filter. Sometimes straining requires several filters if there’s a lot of sediment in the fat.

Types of Duck Fat

Kinds of fat are determined by the bird and how much fat it has.

Pekin Duck, also known as the Long Island Duck, is the most common duck and main source of duck fat. The Pekin duck is probably the duck in your grocer’s freezer and on your plate at your favorite restaurant.

Muscovy Duck has a thinner skin than the Pekin which means less fat. 

Moulard duck is a cross between the Muscovy drake and Pekin hen and has a thick fat layer, particularly on the breasts.

Commercial companies vary between the Moulard duck and Pekin duck as the sources to produce duck fat. 

Choosing the Best Duck Fat

Diet will impact fat color. Most duck skin obtained commercially is farm-raised and fed a consistent diet which should allow consistent color. Duck fat should be ivory to yellow. 

Pekin duck fat is milder in flavor than Moulard duck fat. Your intended use or flavor profile preferences will impact your decision. Gamier flavors from Moulard seem well suited to searing meat and vegetables to be served with meat. Pekin duck fat is a more all-purpose fat, good for eggs or vegetable dishes. Both are equally acceptable for duck confit. Price point and availability might be the deciding factors.

USDA requirements prohibit the use of hormones and antibiotics in ducks. Rosemary extract is also added to duck fat to help slow down oxidation. Rosemary extract is a replacement for common chemical antioxidants such as BHT and BHA. Statements about duck fat being gluten-free or sourced from cage-free, hormone-free birds are factually correct but misleading. Of course, duck fat is gluten-free; it’s free of wheat.

Storing Duck Fat

Commercial duck fat should be stored in the refrigerator, whether the jar is sealed or opened. Light is one factor leading to the oxidation of fat, so the dark is good.

Opened jars may have contaminants, especially if a dirty spoon was used to scoop fat, and room temperatures can encourage possible pathogen growth. In addition to possible pathogen growth, the possibility of mold growing increases, rendering the fat useless.

Large tubs can be left out to soften and then containerized into smaller jars and frozen.

Duck Fat’s Shelf Life

Stored in the cooler and used as needed, the duck fat should last 12-18 months. More than enough time to make great sautèed Idaho potatoes.

Frozen duck fat can last for years.

If you are a duck eater, store the excess fat in the freezer until you obtain a few cups to render and make your own rendered duck fat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where to buy Duck Fat?

Duck fat is in some grocery stores. Online vendors as well as more than a few companies will ship duck fat.

Can you cook with Duck Fat?

Oh my, yes. Duck-fat French Fries are a bit of a thing. Also, the previously mentioned duck confit. Add duck fat to nearly any dried bean dish, especially cassoulet. Duck fat is used by some, in equal parts with butter, for pastry crusts. You can even not cook and make duck fat mayonnaise or drizzle duck fat on popcorn.

What’s the smoke point of Duck Fat?

Duck fat starts to smoke at about 375° F. That’s high enough to use for searing steaks and sautèing vegetables. As mentioned, it can be used to deep fry. Take care to ensure your frier is set to no higher than 350° F since chemical changes to fats pushed to their smoke point can alter their flavor and longevity.

Can you mix Duck Fat with butter or cooking oil?

Yes. Other animal fats such as schmaltz, lard, or butter would be good choices. Flavor compatibility is the key to mixing fats. Neutral flavors that won’t overpower the duck fat flavor seem better choices than those that will take over. Also, keep in mind different oils have different smoke points. Tallow smokes at a higher temperature, but getting to that point can degrade the duck fat, which can produce off-flavors.

How is Duck Fat different from goose fat?

Duck fat is a bit more flavorful than goose fat. They are more similar than they are different. Both are nearly pure fat. Goose fat is slightly higher in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), 60 g to 49 g for duck, and duck fat is only a tad higher in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) coming in at about 13 g to 11 g per 100 g of fat. Flavor is the key distinction that cannot be tested by machines.

Why does my Duck Fat smell weird when heated?

A “ducky” aroma is expected. Many folks who don’t cook with animal fats may find any aroma at all unusual. If the fat smells putrid or acrid, discard the contents of the pan and the container. There’s a good chance that fat has gone rancid and should not be consumed.

What are the best substitutes for Duck Fat?

Goose fat is a good substitute. Lard or beef tallow (that seems redundant but it isn’t. Tallow also comes from elk, venison, and sheep). Schmaltz is a good substitute if the others are not available. Clarified butter, sold as Ghee, is an excellent substitute for duck fat. Perhaps the most important point about any food substitute is, you have to like it. How good a website says it is matters not at all if you hate that product.