How To Make A Long Lasting Pork Rillette (With Pictures)

Rillette is a preservation method similar to confit where meat is seasoned then slow cooked submerged in fat and cooked at an extremely slow rate for several hours. Then the meat is shredded with the fat.

Rillettes can be made from goose, duck, chicken and as well as the classic pork. Seafood rillette can be made with salmon, tuna, and anchovies.

The meat may be blended with breadcrumbs and vegetable fillers to make the dish a little less intense.

Today I will be making pork rillette and teaching you how to keep it long-term.

Don’t worry though! You don’t have to have a culinary degree to make this classic French spread. It’s simple with few ingredients and minimal effort.

What You’ll Need:

• Baking dish (I will be using a Dutch oven)
• Stand mixer (a potato masher or hand mixer)
• Pork Butt
• Thyme
• Cinnamon
• Salt
• Fat (vegetable oil, lard, duck Fat)
• Black pepper
• Garlic

Let’s Get Started Making Pork Rillette!

Preheat your oven to 275 Fahrenheit and let’s get cooking!

1. Cut your 2-pound pork butt into 1-inch cubes. This shortens the muscle fibers and allows them to be more easily chewed, making the pork easier to shred.

Related: 11 Meat Processing Mistakes You Are Probably Making Right Now

2. Next pop out your Dutch oven or glass casserole dish and add the 1-inch pork butt cubes.

Not everyone likes the feel of raw meat. It can be off-putting. If you’re one of these people feel free to use latex gloves.

3. Next we’re going to add fat. I’m using ½ cup vegetable oil but you can use lard, beef tallow, or duck fat. This will aid in the confit process.

Related: How To Stockpile Lard, The Calorie Rich Survival Food Of The Great Depression

This adding fat step is an extremely important step to cooking confit.

4. It’s time to add spices!

I’m adding a tablespoon of thyme, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon (you can use ground nutmeg instead), 4 bay leaves, a teaspoon of black pepper, 3 cloves of garlic, and 2 tablespoons of salt.

This will give the rillette a uniquely fresh and sweet note.

Apple sauce and tenderloin is a favorite in my household. The touch of cinnamon really brings that same flavor to the forefront of this spread.

5. Now is the easy part where we can put the pork rillette in the oven, set a timer for 3 hours, and walk away. Long and low-temperature cooking is done to break down and tenderize cheaper tougher meat.

The way cooking pork rillette makes your house smell is heavenly!

6. Once that timer dings it’s time to pull the rillette out of the oven. Once you do that you need to separate the meat from the juice and fat using tongs to place them into your stand mixer with the paddle attachment on.

Make sure to pick out the bay leaves and garlic and reserve the leftover juices for our next step.

I made a huge mess because of how tender the meat was! So pick up the pork butt gently!

7. At this step we’re going to use the stand mixer to shred the meat thoroughly.

Start at a slow speed then move up to a medium speed. Using a stand mixer creates a more even consistency.

You can use a potato masher or a hand mixer if you’re looking for an arm workout or don’t own a stand mixer. I’m pro kitchen aid but use any shredding technique you like.

8. Once your pork shoulder is fully shredded, we’re going to pull out all those yummy juices and fat we reserved. While your mixer is running slowly, spoon in the juices until you get a nice smooth texture.

Watching the shredded pork butt turn into a delicious spread was awesome!

9. Now is the time that we spoon it into our jar or mylar bag. Fill the spread up to the top of the jar (or mylar bag) leaving enough room to add a layer of fat to the top (vegetable oil, lard, or duck fat).

Adding a layer of fat to the top of the rillettes will keep the meat from going rancid. This will keep the rillette for a year if you keep it in a cool dry place.

You can also can the rillette following our article How to preserve beef in glass jars to last anywhere from 2 to 5 years.

Pork Rillette

Ingredients:

• 2lbs of pork butt
• 2 tsps of cinnamon
• 2 tbsp of salt
• 1 tbsp of thyme
• 3 cloves garlic
• 4 bay leaves
• ½ cup oil
• 1 tsps of ground black pepper

Related: 10 Spices That Make Your Food Last Longer

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 275 Fahrenheit.
2. Cut 2-pound pork butt into 1-inch cubes.
3. Use a Dutch oven or glass casserole dish and add the 1-inch pork butt cubes.
4. Add ½ cup vegetable oil, lard, beef tallow, or duck fat.
5. Add a tablespoon of thyme, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon (you can use ground nutmeg instead), 4 bay leaves, a teaspoon of black pepper, 3 cloves of garlic, and 2 tablespoons of salt.
6. Put in the oven for 3 hours at 275 Fahrenheit
7. Separate the meat from the juice and fat using tongs to place them into your stand mixer with the paddle attachment on. Reserve juices and fat.
8. Use the stand mixer to shred the pork butt. Start at a slow speed then move up to a medium speed.
9. While your mixer is running slowly, spoon in the juices that were reserved until you get a nice smooth texture.
10. Preserve by spooning into a jar with a layer of fat and sealing or by canning.

How to serve Pork Rillette

There are multitudes of ways to enjoy savory pork rillette.

Pork rillette is an amazing addition to any charcuterie board. I personally enjoy mine on top of some yummy white rice.

Here are some other ways to enjoy pork rillette:

• On couscous
• Added to morning toast
• Make it a sandwich
• Addition to a charcuterie board
• With crackers and ground mustard
• Add any jam to the top and eat as is.

There are so many delicious ways to serve pork rillette! Now you know how to make the dish and serve it in multiple ways. Use it now or for the future!

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