Pork Rilettes

Rilettes make a tasty first course , and are an excellent picnic or take-along snack. You pack them in small containers, which are highly portable. I think they look and taste elegant, spread from their pretty little crock, which has been sealed on top with its thin coat of fat. They are as easy to make as anything could be, no special equipment needed, and no expensive ingredients required. Recently, I learned that rilettes keep several weeks in the refrigerator, which is a plus for a person who lives on her own. It really is strange that more people don't make them. I had never made them before myself.

I was planning on doing some casing sausages for my next project in the new-to-me realm of charcuterie. However, I hadn't yet rounded up any casings. (I finally did get some a bit later..at last.) I realized , leafing through my primer on the topic, that it contained a simple sounding plan for Pork Rilettes for which no shopping would be necessary. Moreover, what it called for, primarily, was time, rather than attention. It all seemed perfect, as I planned a day at home anyway, finishing some written work, and doing some too long neglected laundry.

It was a good thing I had all day, because it took more time even than I had realized. This was in part because of the process of rendering the pork fat for the seal- an entertainment not recommended for the hopelessly impatient. I actually found it relaxing, which I suppose means I'm not nearly the frenzied soul I once was. Described in various places as taking an "hour or two", or "a couple of hours", rendering one pound of pork fat took me 4 hours. And you will probably want to render your own fat for this, unless you have a source for additive free, carefully rendered lard, which is not, I assure you, your ordinary American supermarket product. A peak at the ingredients on a bucket of supermarket lard is not for the queasy.

Perhaps I was overly cautious and kept the fire a bit too low under my pot. I did not want to turn the heat up too high, because of warnings that if the fat colored, it would be ruined. One does not, after all, want to putter around for hours with a bit of fat, and have it turn out worthless due to a moment's impatience. In any event, as I had much more beautiful, clear-as-a-window rendered lard than I needed to seal the crocks, I am now in the fortunate position of deciding what to do with the rest. More charcuterie? A lard/butter crust (my favorite) for a splendid pie? A "player to be named later"?

If you would like some homemade rilettes, this is what you do, adapted from Messers Polcyn and Ruhlman in Charcuterie:

1. Render some pork fat

In a small heavy saucepan, put about a pound of fresh pork fat, cut in smallish cubes. Add 1/4 cup of water. Bring to a simmer, then turn down very, very low and cook until the water is evaporated and you have a pan of clear fat, ornamented with lovely little brown crackling bits. This takes hours. Stir occasionally. Strain through a strainer lined in cheesecloth (or, in my case, a jelly bag, as I was out of cheesecloth). Cool, then keep refrigerated. Extract the little brown bits from the strainer and save to season your vegs, or sprinkle over mashed potatoes. (another bonus-bad for you, yet divine.)

2. Make rillettes

I made a considerably smaller amount than the Charcuterie directions, but the principles are the same.
You can make more if you have more folks to feed. As I said, it keeps for several weeks.

Fatty piece of pork butt, cut in 1" cubes 1 pound
a leek
herbs of choice for bouquet garni (I used marjoram, fennel fronds, bay and thyme)
small onion stuck with 3 cloves
opt, Veal broth to cover (Didn't have any hanging around, I used water-an option)
peppercorns
pinch of 4 spice (my Penzey's version has white pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves)
salt

Preheat oven to 300F. Slit, wash, and trim the leek. Insert herbs of choice in the middle and tie the lot up with kitchen string. Cute, no? Put peppercorns in some cheesecloth, or a tea ball.

Set your pork cubes in a little sturdy oven-friendly pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Drain and rinse with cold water. Pour in stock or water to cover by an inch. Add bouquet garni, 4 spice, peppercorns, 1 tsp salt, and the onion. Bring to a simmer, and cover, slide into oven. Cook 4-6 hours, until it's all falling to shreds.

Cool a bit, and drain, saving the liquid. Put the meat in the bowl of your electric mixer, and beat for a minute or two, adding some of the liquid, until it reaches a paste-like texture. Taste for salt and pepper, and adjust seasoning. Pack into small decorative containers, leaving a bit of space on top. Once they have cooled , heat the rendered fat, and pour over to cover the rilettes completely and come to the top of the container. Chill until hardened and white, then cover with plastic wrap, and store in the fridge. Tasty and rich, these are nice spread on crusty bread, toast, or crackers, and well set off by something pickled. My smaller version of the recipe makes 3 little 6 oz crocks as pictured, plus a bit left to try right away.

If my sweet and sour prunes were ready, I'd offer some with the rilettes. I think I'm going to need to make a few more pickled garnishes for future experiments in charcuterie. Fine with me, sounds like fun. Further readings on rilettes have alerted me to the possibilities of sealing the crocks with clarified butter, which is a tad less time consuming to fix than the rendered pork fat. Maybe next time. There is definitely going to be a next time.

Comments

[anapestic]

I remember the first time I walked into a Paris charcuterie and got some rillettes. I thought they were the best thing ever, especially when spread on a fresh baguette. Of course, I was eighteen, and I hadn't been exposed to a very wide variety of food at the time, but I was probably right all the same. I've been meaning to make some ever since, and now I can. Well, in four weeks, anyway. Thank you.

[Lynn D.]

My vote is to go with a pie with the lard...rhubarb? I once found myself accidentally with some pure snowy white duck fat. We had cooked a duck and somehow not managed to burn the fat. I've tried to duplicate it again, but have always managed to burn it. We made a savory pie with the lard and it was absolutely the best crust. You might want to try it and then return with some fool proof recipe for me. And don't they make duck rilettes?

[Baking Soda]

This sounds amazingly good! I never thought it was do-able (is that a word?) but the way you describe it makes it sound even I could do it. And furthermore there is lard to make piecrusts! The brown bits you describe are sold in some butchershops here and are called: "kaantjes". Elderly people love these with their brown beans or sauerkraut and used to make them at home but nowadays...

[lindy]

'pestic: You will have no trouble making this at all. I am making it disappear all too quickly. It is especially nice on these rye and seasalt crackers in the pic.
Lynn: Don't get me started on duck fat. It is the finest, most evil vehicle for roasting potatoes known. And I like the idea of a duck fat crust for a savory pie no end.
I can usually manage to siphon some fat off from a roasting duck with a turkey baster before it starts to brown. I think If you put a little water in the pan to start, the first bits won't burn as the water evaporates, and by the time it does, there's enough fat for it to noodle along without burning. Does that make sense?
Baking S- The same little bits from rendered chicken fat are called "gribenes" in yiddish. (I think that's how it's spelled.) So good.

[Cari]

Wow, what a cute picture! I love your whole cooking aesthetic, Lindy. I wish I had more time for this type of "project" cooking, especially now that I finally got around to ordering a copy of "Better Than Storebought" on your recommendation. Do you buy your pork fat in the strip district somewhere? (Fellow Pittsburgher, here.)

[anapestic]

It seems like you could render the pork fat in a slow oven if you didn't want to stand around and watch it a lot. I'm not sure at what temperature it burns, but it must be somewhat higher than the evaporation point of water, so if you brought the fat and water to the point where the water was simmering and then put it in the oven at 250 or 275, you could avoid having to watch it much.

[lindy]

Cari-Thank you very much. Actually, I got my pork fat at the Iggle, but I only saw it there the one time. I also had saved some I'd trimmed off some fatty chops.I'm planning on checking out Wholey's next time for fat, as I found pork casings there.
I work downtown, so I can grab a bus to the Strip at lunch, and be back in half an hour.This particular project requires time, but not much attention, so you can do it while doing something else.
'pestic-That should work. Actually, though, it didn't take much watching- my stove can be turned down very low-I just gave it a look and stir every 20 minutes or so, til near the end. I'd worry about it in the oven, wondering if it was "coloring", I fear.

[Diane]

Is it just me or does this sound a whole lot like home made Deviled Ham? I'll have to try this because I love that stuff (even though I don't want to read the ingredients....)

[Emma]

These look fantastic! I made pork rillettes this weekend too, but I couldn't decide how to make them, there seems to be several versions - but all pretty much the same. In the end I used white wine for the liquid, bay, pepper and juniper for the flavouring, and shredded the meat with a couple of forks. I haven't eaten any yet (officially at least, some made it to my mouth while I was shredding!!). But very much looking forward to dinner this evening!

[Roger A. Greenan]

Read this article with interest. I have made a Pork Rilletes from my grandmothers receipt for a number of years. We have always called it something else. It is done a little different and is increditable. The only thing I put in is onion and cloves but I cook it twice or for a total of about 16 hours. The secret is to use a fatty pork shoulder. If anyone is really interested I would be happy to post the whole reciept. My grandmother was from the South of France and she always made this in the winter or around Xmas and New Year. It is the best in the world.

[lindy]

Roger-I, for one, would be very interested. Please do post the receipt, or recipe, as I would say! It sounds wonderful, and I'd love to try your version.