• 2 Duck Breasts (Skin-On)
• Lots of kosher salt (I’ve only ever used Diamond Crystal for this, but I imagine it would work with other large grain salt, too—just NOT table salt)
• Pepper to taste
• 1-2 cloves of garlic (optional)
• Some fresh herbs like thyme or oregano
• Cheesecloth
• Trussing twine

 

Score, Salt & Cure Part I (1-2 days)

Take two duck breasts and score them on the skin side in a cross-hatch pattern.  Make sure you cut lightly since you only want to score the skin and fat layer.  Try not to cut into the flesh, but if you do, it’s not a big deal.

Pour a generous layer of salt into a non-reactive dish and place the duck breast flesh side down such that the duck breast sides are not touching the dish. The layer should the thick enough to ensure that the flesh is only touching salt and not the dish itself. Then completely cover the breasts in salt, cover with plastic wrap, and leave to cure in the fridge 24-48 hours.

   

 

Season & Cure Part II (7+ days)

After 1-2 days, remove the breasts from and discard the salt. I sometimes rinse the remaining salt off the breasts with cold water before patting them completely try with a paper towel.  You will notice that the duck breast is quite firm and dark red.

Slice the garlic very thin and place on the flesh side of the duck breast.  Strip the leaves off a few sprigs of herbs and place them on the top of the flesh side, too.  Add a few twists of some fresh ground pepper.

Put the duck breasts together flesh to flesh (skin/fat on the outside) and wrap in cheesecloth. You should be able to see plenty of the duck breasts through the cheesecloth.  Truss with the butcher’s twine.

 

Hang in the back of your refrigerator for at least a full week. It should NOT be ON a shelf or any place where it can get wet.  The air should be able to circulate all the way around it to continue the drying process.

After a week, take it out and slice it thin crosswise and eat. Delish!