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Rillettes de Porc

Slow-cooked shredded pork potted under its own fat

4h (+ 12–24h set) ~4–5 jars Easy

For ~4–5 jars

  • 1.5 kg fresh pork belly (or 1 kg bone-in belly + 500 g shoulder)
  • 500 g lard (saindoux)
  • 300 ml water
  • 2 cloves
  • 2 shallots
  • 1 onion
  • 1 bouquet garni
  • 15 g fine salt per kg of meat
  • 3–5 g ground pepper per kg of meat

Rillettes are patience more than technique — pork cooked gently in lard for hours until it shreds under a fork, then potted under a layer of its own fat. The only real skill is picking out the cartilage and getting a 50/50 meat-to-fat feel so they stay spreadable.

Method

Cook

  1. Cube the shallots, onion and pork belly. Melt the lard in a heavy casserole.
  2. Add the pork and the salt. Add the cloves and bouquet garni (tied in a small bag), then the onion and shallot.
  3. Pepper generously, then add the water — it should just cover the meat.
  4. Bring to a bare simmer and cook, covered, at least 3h30.

Shred

  1. Remove the bouquet garni. Drain the meat into a bowl and reserve the fatty cooking juices, strained.
  2. Shred the meat and fat with a fork, removing every piece of cartilage — the meat should be finely stringy.
  3. Stir in enough of the cooking fat to reach roughly 50/50. Press cling film onto the surface and chill 45 min to firm the fat slightly.

Pot

  1. Pack into terrines or jars, tamping well to drive out air. Top with a layer of the reserved fat.
  2. Cover and let set in the fridge 12–24h before eating.

Background

The cooking fat is the preservative and the texture. Reserve all of it, strained, and work it back in — rillettes that are too lean taste dry and won't spread; a good ratio is around half meat, half fat. The fat cap on top seals the jars and lets them keep for weeks refrigerated.

Low and slow is the point — a bare simmer for 3h30 or more. Boiling toughens the meat and clouds the fat.

Mistakes I've Made

  • Leaving cartilage in. Ruins the texture. Pick through the shredded meat carefully — this is the fiddly part.
  • Too lean. Dry, crumbly rillettes that won't spread. Work in more of the reserved cooking fat.
  • Cooking too fast. A rolling boil toughens the meat. Keep it at the barest simmer, covered.

Sources

  • Rillettes de porc (video) — YouTube
  • Rillettes de Porc — Personal notes