TECHNIQUE - Pressure Cooker Confit.

This recipe works best on game, dark meats, or fatty cuts. Duck, turkey legs, lamb, pork shoulder, etc...

1. 1 day before cooking, but up to 3 days before serving, make curing mix by combining equal parts salt and sugar. You need enough to form a generous coating on all surfaces of the meat, but the meat does not need to be submerged.

2. Season the mix with pepper and add several cloves of sliced garlic. Other flavours can be added like citrus peels, juniper berries, bay leaves. Whatever will compliment the meat.

3. The next day, 1hr before cooking, remove the meat from the fridge. The excess cure mix in the bottom of the tub should be wet, this shows the cure has been effective at removing some moisture from the meat.

4. Rinse the meat well to remove almost all of the remaining cure.

5. Allow the meat out, uncovered, for the remaining hour.

6. Fill a pressure cooker with enough light stock for a 1hr cook, about 2". Do not season the stock as the meat will carry more than enough from the cure.

7. Add some aromatics like more crushed garlic, bay etc.

8. Add the meat and cook on max pressure for the recommended time for that weight. About 60 mins, including pressurisation, for thick cuts. For duck, check at  35 mins, this is probably enough. The meat should be fork tender, but not falling apart.

9. Remove the meat and allow to cool fully. Refrigerate until the day of serving.

10. On the day of serving, remove from the fridge and preheat oven on highest setting for about 30 mins.

11. Coat the meat generously with oil or fat. Ideally something that is solid at room temperature as it will require less basting.

12. Put the meat in the oven, removing every 5 minutes to baste and rotate. Cook until warmed through and has a lovely browned exterior, about 15-20 mins. Any skin should be nice and crispy.

13. Serve, with all the trimmings. (The cooking liquid from the pressure cooker will have made an excellent gravy base!)

To convert this recipe to a traditional confit, replace the pressure cooker step with simmering at about 90C, submerged fully in fat, for 3-4hrs. The traditional method will produce a softer, more moist, interior to the meat. But is a lot more faff! 

As long as the meat isn't cooked in the pressure cooker for more than absolutely necessary it will still feel luxurious. If unsure about cooking times, start with 30 mins and check every 10 mins after. If you have a store of confit fat from past cooks, add this in with the stock for the pressure cook to get even more luxurious results. This can be reclaimed and stored in the freezer, bringing more flavours with every use!