Rillettes

Rillettes have variously been described as “pork butter” and “jam from the pig”, which should be sufficient to express just how delicious they are. This rich, old-fashioned French favorite is definitely worth a try.

This incredibly rich spread of braised pork and pork fat is a sort of pate and, like most such things, was a method for preserving animal protein in the days before refrigeration. We eat this today because our ancestors made something magnificent out of grim necessity. This recipe takes some time but most of it is unattended cooking time, and the whole thing can be done weeks in advance in any case. Serve your rillettes with toasted slices of French bread and something a bit sour to cut the richness of the pork. Cornichons or a bright chutney work well, as do the pickled apricots described in this book.

Ingredients #

Instructions #

Take a piece of cheesecloth and place on it the carrot, the onion, the thyme, the peppercorns, the garlic cloves and the bay leaf. Gather up the edges of the cheesecloth and tie it off with kitchen string to form a bundle or bag.

Combine ground black pepper, coriander, cinnamon and allspice. Sprinkle the spice mixture over the cubed pork and toss until the spices are distributed equally throughout the pork.

Heat your oven to 300 F.

Place a heavy, oven-proof casserole with a lid over high heat, and add a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Add the pork cubes in batches, cooking each batch until they’re lightly browned. Return all of the pork to the pot and add the wine. Cook, stirring, until the wine is greatly reduced.

Add the cheesecloth bag to the pot along with 2 cups water. Add 2 tsp. salt and bring to a boil.

Cover the casserole with its lid and place it in the oven to cook for 4 ½ hours. Remove from the oven, uncover, and place over medium heat. If there is any water-based liquid left, simmer until it cooks away – only fat and meat should remain. To test this, look at a spoonful of the liquid – there should be no small bubbles of water under the fat.

Remove from the heat and set aside to cool overnight.

Remove the cheesecloth bag from the pot and discard it. With a fork, stir the rillettes vigorously until the meat is completely shredded and combined with the fat. Season to taste with salt, ground nutmeg, and black pepper.

Pack into jars, crocks or ramekins, pressing down to remove air bubbles. Chill for three days or at least overnight. Covered tightly, it can be refrigerated for up to a month. I have to imagine that anything with such a high fat content would freeze beautifully, but I’ve never had any last long enough to try it out.

Remove from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving to allow to come to room temperature.