Pork Rillettes

 Serious Eats Pork Rillettes Recipe 

By packing chunks of pork shoulder tightly together, you end up needing very little added fat—just enough to submerge the meat will do. I like to nestle in a few bay leaves, a few sprigs of thyme, some shallots, and some garlic to lend extra flavor to the pork. If you want to get a little more medieval on that pig, try adding a few warm spices like cinnamon, cloves, or mace.

Once the aromatics are in, I transfer the pork to a 275°F (140°C) oven to slow cook until the pork is completely tender. This takes about three hours or so. (A little longer won't hurt it much—rillettes are more forgiving than most other braises.)

You with me so far? Good, because it's about to get much, much harder.

Wait. Strike that. It's easy all the way until the end. The meat should shred up really easily and before long it'll start to form a light, pale pink spread. The real key to great rillettes is incorporating the right amount of fat and juices. While the meat is shredding, I strain the leftover juices from the pan, then slowly drizzle them into the meat with the mixer running, stopping it after every few tablespoons to check on the texture. The final texture is up to you, but I like my rillettes light and loose enough that they can be easily spread with a spoon or knife on a piece of toast. They should come out almost fluffy.

Finally, I season the rillettes with a good amount of kosher salt. It's important to season rillettes quite aggressively because you make them warm but serve them cold, and cold temperatures have a tendency to suppress flavor. you like, at this stage you can gussy up the rillettes any way you'd like. A sprinkle of grated nutmeg is traditional. I like to add picked thyme leaves and finely minced sautéed shallots, or a brunoise of mirepoix vegetables (onions, carrots, and celery). But don't feel that you have to. It's totally fine to leave the rillettes plain—you can always pair them with other flavors down the line when you're serving. If you're going to serve the rillettes soon, you can put them in a bowl or ramekins and let them cool in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, or you can pack them into jars to give away as gifts (as I often do), or to serve later. To pack them, push the mixture down into the bottom of a glass jar, spooning it in a little at a time and doing your best to press out any air bubbles (a few bubbles are okay, but the more bubbles you have, the shorter its shelf life will be). Smooth the top over with the back of a spoon, then pour some remaining fat on top and seal the jar. That fat will help keep bacteria out of the rillettes and prevent the top surface from oxidizing. Stored in the refrigerator this way, rillettes should last at least a few weeks. (This is another reason why salting aggressively is important: The salt keeps bacteria at bay.) When you're ready to serve, just open the jar and put it on the table. The fat can be scooped up with the rest of the rillettes and spread on crackers or bread. Rillettes are great served with crackers or a nice rustic loaf of bread, along with cornichons—those vinegary little French pickles—whole grain mustard, and fruit preserves. Oh, and maybe a beret and some light French jazz playing in the background.

Ingredients 

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless pork shoulder, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks (about 1kg)

• Kosher salt

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil, lard, or duck fat (120ml)

• 4 bay leaves

• 6 fresh thyme sprigs

• 2 large shallots, very roughly chopped

• 4 medium cloves garlic, split in half

• Freshly ground nutmeg, to taste

Ingredients

Makes about 4 cups

1	Nutmeg  (good grating)
0.8 Cups	Dry White Wine
white pepper
5	Garlic Cloves  (chopped)
2 tablespoons	Goose Fat  (or duck)

2

pounds skinless, boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt), cut into 1" chunks

1

pound pork belly, skin removed and reserved, meat cut into 1" pieces

4

sprigs thyme or savory

3

bay leaves

Kosher salt

Freshly ground nutmeg

Fresh lemon juice

Toasted bread or crackers (for serving)

1. Step 1

   Preheat oven to 275°. Place pork shoulder and belly and skin in a large saucepan. Tuck in thyme and bay leaves and add ½ cup water. Cover and braise, stirring occasionally, until meat is falling-apart tender and fat is soft, 2 ½–3 hours. Remove from oven, pluck out thyme and bay leaves and let meat rest until cool enough to handle.

   Step 2

   Using a slotted spoon, transfer meat and skin to a large bowl; pour fat and any cooking liquid in pot into a heatproof measuring cup (you should have about 1 cup).

   Step 3

   Shred meat with a potato masher; do not hold back. Pour in ¾ cup fat and mash meat a little bit more—mixture should look and feel almost pasty (but in a good way). Season with salt, nutmeg, and a splash of lemon juice, which will temper the richness of the meat. Taste and adjust as necessary (err on the side of too salty—it will mellow as it cools).

   Step 4

   Pack rillette mixture into jars, pushing out any air bubbles. Top each with a few spoonfuls of reserved fat and chill until set, at least 2 hours.

   Step 5

   Serve with bread or crackers.

   Step 6

   Do ahead: Rillette can be made 1 week ahead; cover and chill. Let sit at room temperature 2 hours before serving.