Rillettes De Tours Recipes

CLASSIC FRENCH PORK RILLETTES

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Preheat oven to 325 F. In a large ovenproof baking dish, mix all the ingredients.
• Tightly cover the dish with foil or a well-fitting lid.
• Cook in the center of the oven for 3 hours, until the meat is falling apart. It is imperative to keep checking the dish to make sure the meat is not drying out as it cooks; add more water if needed. Once cooked, remove the dish from the heat, leave the foil or lid in place and allow the meat to cool in the dish for 30 to 45 minutes until it is warm.
• Remove the lid and discard the bay leaf and duck bones and any little pieces of meat which may have dried too far.
• Shred and stir the meat and fat with a large fork until it resembles a chunky, creamy spread, if correctly cooked this will be very easy to do.
• Place the rillettes in a beautiful serving pot and level with the back of a spoon.
• Pour any remaining fat in the cooking dish over the surface to help keep the rillettes moist.
• Chill for at least 24 hours before serving.

PORK RILLETTES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 275º. Put the peppercorns, allspice, cloves and coriander in a spice grinder or clean coffee grinder and process until finely ground. Put the pork in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven and sprinkle with salt and the spice mixture. Add the garlic, bay leaf, rosemary and stock and put the pot over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, cover and put the pot in the oven. Cook, checking every now and then, until the pork is falling apart and beginning to caramelize and the stock has almost entirely evaporated (remove the cover if necessary to get the liquid to evaporate; the bottom of the pot should be just about all melted fat when you're done), 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
• Strain the mixture; reserve the fat and discard the garlic, bay leaf, rosemary and any gristle. Transfer the pork to a bowl and mash it into small shreds with the back of a fork. Add 1/4 cup of the reserved fat and stir to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper if you like (keep in mind that the colder you serve the rillettes, the less salty they will taste). Pack the rillettes into a mason jar or another container and refrigerate (covered tightly, they will keep for at least a week). Serve cold or at room temperature.