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Confit

2024. 03. 28.

Confit: What it means?

Where else could confit come from, if not from French cuisine?

Confiting is based on the insulating power of fat. It is based on cooking meat in fat for a long time, extremely slowly and at a low temperature. As a result, the fat covers the meat perfectly, thus blocking it from oxygen. Thanks to this, the bacteria that cause the deterioration of the meat will not be able to multiply. It is important to rest the meat in a cool, dry place after long cooking.

The origin of confit

Although we have just called confit a French procedure, opinions differ on the origin of the procedure. The word clearly originates from the French language, but the technology may not be French.

According to some sources, confit can be linked to the name of a British physicist, Benjamin Thompson. He noted at the end of the 18th century that fatty meat that cools after roasting in the right environment not only does not spoil, but also becomes tasty and soft. Two centuries later, the Hungarian-born British physicist Miklós Kürti roasted lamb at 80°C for almost 9 hours to prove Thompson's note.

How to confit?

Which you will definitely need:

• large amounts of fat

For beef, venison and pork, you should use lard. 

Goose fat goes best with poultry.

• spices

Garlic, salt and pepper should be added to beef and pork.

Rosemary and thyme go best with venison.

And for poultry, it's worth thinking about bolder spices.

• suitable tool for confit

Use confit-slow ovens!

The process of confit:

1. During preparation, it is recommended to leave the meat in fat for up to a whole day. (Don't cut the meat into small pieces!)
2. The spices can already be added at this point!
3. After preparation, slow cooking can begin.
4. How long it takes to cook depends on the type and size of the meat. As a rule of thumb, pork meat need about 4 hours, and smaller poultry can take about 3 hours. The ideal temperature for confit does not exceed 80-100°C.
5. Leave the finished meat to cool in the fat!
6. Finally, cover the meat airtight and put it in the fridge or basement!

What can you confit?

Basically the bigger, red meats. Venison, pork and beef can be perfect choices. Duck breast and goose breast too. It is also worth experimenting with foie gras and duck liver.

If you also want to confit, then use professional tools!