Wild duck legs and thighs

Wild Duck and Andouille Gumbo

Duck legs simmered for hours in a dark roux gumbo with onion, bell pepper, celery and andouille, pulled from the bone and served over rice.

Serves: 6
Hands-on: 1 hr 30 min
Total: 4 hr 30 min
Skill: Confident cook

Cooks on: Stovetop · Dinner

Ingredients

2 lbWild duck legs and thighs, legs and thighs from about 8 to 10 ducks, bone-in
.67 cupFlour
2Onions, diced
5 clovesGarlic, minced
1 tspSalt, plus more to taste
½ tspBlack pepper, ground
¾ cup (12 tbsp) neutral oil, divided: 2 tbsp for browning, 10 tbsp for the roux
12 oz andouille sausage, sliced into rounds
2 green bell peppers, diced
3 celery ribs, diced
2 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 tsp dried thyme
8 cups chicken stock, warmed
2 bay leaves
6 scallions, sliced
6 cups cooked white rice, made ahead, to serve
2 tbsp hot sauce, or to taste, to serve

You'll need

Stovetop
Dutch oven

Helpful: instant-read thermometer.

Contains

Gluten. Andouille, Cajun seasoning and hot sauce vary; some contain soy, milk or added salt. Check the labels.

Method

Pat the duck legs dry and season them with the salt and pepper. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it shimmers and brown the legs well on both sides in batches, 8 to 10 minutes. Set them aside, then brown the andouille 3 minutes and set it aside too.
Add the remaining 10 tbsp oil, lower the heat to medium-low, and whisk in the flour. Cook, stirring constantly with a flat-edged spoon and scraping the whole bottom, until the roux is dark brown, like milk chocolate turning darker, 30 to 45 minutes. If it smokes or shows black specks, turn the heat down; a burnt roux has to be thrown out.
Stir in the onion, bell peppers and celery; they stop the roux from darkening further. Cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, Cajun seasoning and thyme and cook 1 minute.
Whisk in the warm stock a cup at a time so the roux stays smooth. Add the bay leaves, the duck legs and the andouille. Bring to a simmer, partly cover, and cook gently, stirring now and then, until the duck is tender and slides off the bone with a fork, 2 to 3 hours. Older and diving ducks take the long end. Skim off the fat as it rises.
Lift out the legs, pull the meat into bite-size shreds, and discard the bones, skin and tendons. Return the meat to the pot and simmer uncovered 15 minutes, until the gumbo is as thick as you like it. Taste and adjust: salt, a few shakes of hot sauce and a little more Cajun seasoning if it needs it.
Remove the bay leaves. Serve over the rice, topped with the scallions, with hot sauce at the table.

When it's done: fork-tender

Game bird legs, thighs and other hard-working pieces are done when the meat slides off the bone or pulls apart with a fork. They pass the federal 165°F for poultry long before they turn tender, so keep cooking until they do; if the meat is still tight, it needs more time, not more heat.

If it goes wrong

Black specks in the roux: It scorched. Start the roux over; burnt roux makes the whole pot bitter.
Duck still tight on the bone: Wild duck legs vary with age and species. Keep simmering and check every 30 minutes; it needs more time, not more heat.
Gumbo too thin: Simmer it uncovered 20 to 30 minutes longer.
Too salty: Cajun seasoning and andouille both carry salt. Add more salt only at the end, after tasting.
Greasy surface: Skim the fat with a wide spoon, or lay a paper towel on the surface for a second to lift it.

Leftovers. Divide into shallow containers so it cools quickly, and refrigerate within 2 hours. Reheat to 165°F.