The King Of Pigs is back with one of his favorite ways of turning pork and fat into delicious comfort food.
Text And Photo By Lars Hinnerskov Eriksen
When it comes to comfort food, some dishes are highly influenced by season. Soup is a soothing booster for our winter-ravaged bodies while nothing epitomises summer as nibbling on strawberries and freshly-shelled peas.
And then there are some dishes which transcend weather and season, and provide a universal sense of unbridled joy and satisfaction no matter where and when you tuck in. One of these is rillettes. You can eat as part of a hearty winter lunch to line your abdominal area with an extra layer of insulating fat for the freeze, or it can take center stage in a picnic basket served on a scorching hot summer day. It is the ultimate testimony to the almost transcendental power of pork fat. 
As with many simple recipes, there is a plethora of ways to approach the subject matter. Some choose to brine the pork first, some cook it in a pot, others chug it in a roasting tin, and the spicing can range from juniper berries to nutmeg. And of course pork is just one of many meats – and fish – that is suitable for rillettes. Especially the fatty flesh of duck and salmon lend themselves very nicely to this treatment.
It was never my intention to slag off pork belly in my previous column for this blog. Pork belly is the Pig God’s gift to man and the perfect cut for rillettes. Depending on how fatty the belly is (and you want as fat as possible – 50/50 meat and fat if you like), you can also mix it up with a bit of pork shoulder.
I have immense faith in the belly I get from my local butcher, a fabulous old school place in Copenhagen called PE Larsen, so I choose to keep it simple and let the fat do the talking. A bit of thyme and bay leaf is the perfect match for the unctuous shredded pork.
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Pork Rillettes
- Total Time: 6 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: One hungry chef or about 10 for a starter
Description
Indulge in the rich, savory flavors of homemade pork rillettes, perfectly paired with cornichons and toasted sourdough for a comforting treat.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs pork belly (the really fatty kind), skinned and boned
- 1 liter of water
- Bouquet garni (thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves)
- 6 peppercorns
- 4 cloves of garlic
- Rock salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cut the pork belly into squares, about 2 inches.
- Let them simmer with the water, bouquet garni, peppercorns, garlic and a sprinkling of salt in a large pan under a lid.
- Make sure the pan doesn’t dry out so the meat starts to caramellize. Add a bit more water if necessary.
- After about five hours the meat and fat should be tender enough for you to tear it into strips, without disintegrating into a mush.
- Let it cool down and season with salt and pepper.
- Place it in a bowl or on a large chopping board and use two forks to shred the meat and fat into strips. At this point it is unbearably tempting to transfer the pork into your mouth rather than a bowl. This is perfectly fine but try to keep most of it for the final product.
- You can now add the mixture of fat and meat to small ramekins or a pickle jar. Press it down as much as you can and seal the top with a couple of slices of pork fat. If you are using individual ramekins, try to place something heavy on top to tighten the mixture.
- Place in the refrigerator. It’s ready to eat after a couple of days and will keep for several weeks. However, I would be very surprised if anybody can let it sit for that long.
- Serve on sourdough toast with cornichons, rock salt and French mustard.
Notes
- For best results, use a pork belly with a high fat content, ideally a 50/50 ratio of meat to fat.
- Rillettes can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Serve chilled or at room temperature.
- Pair with cornichons, mustard, and toasted sourdough for a classic presentation.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/10 of recipe
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 0
- Sodium: 400
- Fat: 32
- Carbohydrates: 0
- Fiber: 0
- Protein: 15
- Cholesterol: 80
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Frequently Asked Questions
What fat ratio should I look for in the pork belly?
The article says you want the fattiest belly possible—ideally a 50/50 ratio of meat to fat. If the belly is leaner, the recipe suggests mixing in some pork shoulder to compensate.
How long does the pork cook and how do I know it’s ready to shred?
The instructions say to simmer the 2-inch pork belly squares in water with a bouquet garni, peppercorns, and garlic under a lid for about five hours. The meat and fat should be tender enough to tear into strips with two forks without disintegrating into a mush.
How do you seal and store rillettes?
After pressing the shredded meat into ramekins or a pickle jar, the article says to seal the top with a couple of slices of pork fat—and if using ramekins, place something heavy on top to tighten the mixture. Refrigerate; the rillettes are ready to eat after a couple of days and will keep for several weeks.
What is the classic way to serve rillettes?
The instructions suggest serving on sourdough toast with cornichons, rock salt, and French mustard—the canonical presentation the author recommends.
There is a British food culture and many yummy things I enjoy and I’m Asian! They make the BEST short crust pastry and scones for one. I love their pub grub. I like your writing style and humor and of course your subject matter! Piggy is my fav too!