Recipe from French Charcuterie at Home by Gilles & Nicolas Verot
Achieving perfect rillettes is all about slow cooking. Meat should simmer for hours to achieve that melt-in-the-mouth texture. The final shredding process is also crucial and should be done with the utmost care.
2 ¼ pounds (1 kg) boneless pork shoulder
2 ¼ cups (500 g) lard
6 teaspoons salt
6 pinches freshly ground pepper
Cut the pork shoulder into 1 ¼-inch (3-cm) cubes.
Melt the lard in a medium pot over medium heat. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, add the pork cubes, and cook, covered, for 2 hours, turning the meat every hour. Stir in the salt and pepper and then cook for an additional 2 hours, turning the meat every hour until it shreds at the touch of a spatula.
Set a strainer over a medium bowl and pour the contents of the pot into the strainer, collecting the fat in the bowl. Remove the pork cubes to a separate container.
Shred the pork by hand, then add three-quarters of the reserved fat to it, mixing well.
Cover and refrigerate the mixture, stirring every 15 minutes for 1 hour 30 minutes to achieve a consistent texture. Continue to refrigerate it for 8 hours. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.
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