Rillettes de Porc

Ingredients

Pork

• 1.2 kg boneless pork shoulder (with fat - about 25-30% fat content; lean cuts won't work)
• 200 g pork back fat OR lard (cubed)
• 2 shallots (finely diced)
• 6 garlic cloves (crushed)
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• 6 black peppercorns
• 6 juniper berries (optional, traditional)
• 1 small piece of mace (optional)
• 200 ml dry white wine
• 200 ml water

Seasoning (at the end, to taste)

• 1 ½ to 2 teaspoons salt (depending on the saltiness of the pork)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper (optional)
• 1 tablespoon brandy (or armagnac, optional)

Equipment

• A deep ovenproof pot with a tight-fitting lid (cast iron is ideal)
• 2-3 sterilised glass jars (200-300 ml each, with vinegar-resistant lids)

To serve

• 1 fresh baguette (sliced and toasted)
• Cornichons (small French pickled gherkins)
• Dijon mustard
• A dry white wine (chenin blanc, sauvignon blanc, or muscadet) or sparkling cider

Method

Stage 1 - Prep

1. Heat oven to 120°C (100°C fan).
2. Cut the pork shoulder into 3 cm chunks. Don't trim the fat - it's essential.
3. Cube the back fat or lard into 1 cm pieces.

Stage 2 - Combine

1. In a deep ovenproof pot, combine pork, back fat, shallots, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns, juniper and mace.
2. Pour in the wine and water.
3. The liquid should come about a third up the pork.

Stage 3 - Slow cook

1. Cover with a tight-fitting lid.
2. Place in the oven for 3 hours 30 minutes to 4 hours.
3. The pork is done when it can be crushed easily with the back of a fork; there should be a clear pool of melted fat at the surface, with some liquid below.
4. Don't stir during cooking.

Stage 4 - Drain

1. Lift the pot out of the oven; let cool until just warm enough to handle (45 minutes).
2. Set a sieve over a heatproof bowl; tip the contents through.
3. Reserve all the strained liquid (it's mostly fat with some flavoured pan-juice).
4. Pick out and discard the thyme stems, bay leaves and peppercorns.

Stage 5 - Shred

1. Tip the drained pork into a wide bowl.
2. Discard any large gristly pieces.
3. Shred the pork with two forks into long strands - NOT a paste. Some chunks are good; you want texture.
4. Tradition says: never use a food processor - it gives a paste, not strands.

Stage 6 - Season and combine

1. Add salt, pepper (black and white), and brandy if using.
2. Pour in about 100 ml of the reserved fat (or enough to make the mixture moist and bind-able but not soupy).
3. Stir with a fork to integrate.
4. Taste; adjust salt and pepper liberally - cold rillettes need MORE salt than warm rillettes seem to (you'll be eating them cold from the jar).

Stage 7 - Jar

1. Pack the rillettes firmly into sterilised glass jars, pressing down to eliminate air pockets.
2. Leave 1 cm of headspace at the top.
3. Pour the remaining reserved fat over the top of each jar to seal the surface (a fat-cap of 5 mm).
4. Cool to room temperature.
5. Seal jars; refrigerate.

Stage 8 - Mature

1. Refrigerate at least 3 days, ideally 5, before eating. The flavours mature dramatically - day-of, the rillettes taste of pork-and-salt; day-5, they're complex, savoury, and faintly sweet.

Stage 9 - Serve

1. Bring out of the fridge 30 minutes before serving - rillettes are eaten at room temperature.
2. Open the jar; the fat-cap protects everything underneath.
3. Spoon out generously; spread thickly onto toasted baguette.
4. Garnish each toast with a cornichon, a dab of mustard.
5. Pair with a chilled dry white wine.