Rillettes de Porc avec Graisse d’oie

When we were in Sydney recently we visited a french charcuterie where they were selling a pork product called Rillettes which is a fatty meat paste, used the same way as Pate on crackers, or on cheese, or just smeared on a lettuce leaf.

I asked the chef how he made it and he said he confits the pork in a combination of lard and duck fat for many hours until the meat falls apart, then he blends it into a paste and batches it into containers and seals them with a little hot fat, and refrigerates them.  They should last like that for months refrigerated.

It was so tasty, and so clearly keto that I determined to make some, and they make nice gifts so I decided to make a lot.  I ended up making about 6 litres of Rillettes which in retrospect may be too much … but at least I have my Christmas presents to family organized.

Print Recipe

Rillettes de Porc avec Graisse d'oie

Course

Appetizer

Cuisine

French

Cook Time

6 hours

Servings

litres

Ingredients

• 4 kg Pork shoulder AKA Boston but
• 2 kg Pork belly
• 350 g Goose fat (or duck fat, or chicken schmaltz or lard)
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 6 bay leaves
• 3 whole lemons
• 1 whole nutmeg

Course Appetizer Cuisine French Cook Time 6 hours Servings litres Ingredients 4 kg Pork shoulder AKA Boston but 2 kg Pork belly 350 g Goose fat (or duck fat, or chicken schmaltz or lard) 3 sprigs fresh thyme 6 bay leaves 3 whole lemons 1 whole nutmeg

Instructions

1. Chop the pork belly into 1 inch cubes and put into a slow cooker/crockpot

   
2. Chop the shoulder into 1 inch cubes

   
3. Sometimes you may find a shoulder blade, just trim around it and throw it in the slow cooker as well. It'll add to the flavor, and you can fish it out later.

   
4. Add the extra fat (Goose fat in my case)

   
5. Add the thyme and bay leaf, and 3 cups of water to ensure the meat doesn't catch.

   
6. Cook until the meat starts to fall apart easily - this pot took me about 6 hours on auto.

   
7. Remove some of the fat to use later on to seal the meat. I removed a bit too much here that I wish I had left in the meat. Using 2 forks shred the meat well.

   
8. Using a stick blender puree the mixture

   
9. Add the zest and juice of 3 lemons

   
10. Using a fine grater, grate an entire nutmeg in and mix well. Finally add salt and pepper to taste

    
11. Prepare your containers for storage by rinsing them in boiling water

    
12. Spoon the mixture into the containers leaving a gap at the top to add a sealing fat cap.

    
13. Pour the still hot liquid fat over the surface of the mixture and refrigerate until the fat has solidified.