Con fit is a means for preserving game used by French farmers: my recipe came from the New Orleans Picayune Times
Cook Book (1935 printing) which I adapted to turkey legs, thighs, wings, and other meat from the carcass:
--Wash and dry all parts of turkey
--Rub with five tablespoons of kosher salt
--Layer turkey with five garlic bulbs, 1 teaspoon pepper corns, five bay leaves, and 7-8 sprigs of fresh rosemary, and duck or chicken fat
--Refrigerate over night
--Remove from refrigerator and rub off excess salt
--Place all ingredients in a dutch oven or other pot with a lid
--Pour olive oil to cover the contents of pot--
--Place covered pot in oven and bake @ 200 deg 12-14 hours
--Check for tenderness (sometimes an older bird will have to cook a little longer)
--Remove cooked turkey when it is cooled enough and remove all the bones/sinew/skin
--Replace cooked turkey in a glass dish, pour herbs/cooking oil/fat over the turkey
--When ready to eat, heat turkey con fit until slightly crisp
--Any remaining con fit can be stored under refrigeration, covered with oil/grease for a month or more--this turkey is P r e s e r v e d --
--Use the oil/grease for fried potatoes or to season other vegetables
This recipe represents an age-old method of preserving game to be used with rabbit, duck legs,etc and provides a great way of utilizing parts of game that some hunters otherwise discard: to me, con fit turkey is the best of our best wild game.
