flipRillettes de Tours
Rillettes de Tours
Why this dish? Settled in Saché in Touraine from 1953, Calder lived in the heart of rillettes country. This pot of shredded pork, preserved under its fat, always sat on the workshop table: you'd spread it on a slice of bread to tide over a passing guest between two mobiles.
Pork (shoulder and belly) melted for hours over very low heat in its own lard, until it falls apart into shreds. Salted, peppered, scented with thyme, and deglazed with a splash of Vouvray, it's packed into pots where it keeps for weeks under a layer of fat.
You know, when a buddy showed up at the workshop—and they were always showing up!—the first thing I'd pull out was my pot of rillettes. I'd let them simmer for half a day while I twisted my wire; the whole house would smell amazing. You take a big spoonful, spread it on country bread, a glass of Vouvray alongside, and there you are, happy. You don't need anything else to have a party, believe me.
- •Pork shoulder — one nice piece (lean meat that shreds)
- •Pork belly — a good portion (provides melting fat)
- •Lard — as needed (cooking and preserving medium)
- •Coarse salt, pepper — by hand (seasoning and preservation)
- •Thyme and bay leaf — a bouquet (flavor)
- •White Vouvray wine — a glass (degreasing)
Rillettes de Tours
Pork (shoulder and belly) melted for hours over very low heat in its own lard, until it falls apart into shreds. Salted, peppered, scented with thyme, and deglazed with a splash of Vouvray, it's packed into pots where it keeps for weeks under a layer of fat.
Why this dish? Settled in Saché in Touraine from 1953, Calder lived in the heart of rillettes country. This pot of shredded pork, preserved under its fat, always sat on the workshop table: you'd spread it on a slice of bread to tide over a passing guest between two mobiles.
You know, when a buddy showed up at the workshop—and they were always showing up!—the first thing I'd pull out was my pot of rillettes. I'd let them simmer for half a day while I twisted my wire; the whole house would smell amazing. You take a big spoonful, spread it on country bread, a glass of Vouvray alongside, and there you are, happy. You don't need anything else to have a party, believe me.
Ingredients (period version)
- Pork shoulder — one nice piece (lean meat that shreds)
- Pork belly — a good portion (provides melting fat)
- Lard — as needed (cooking and preserving medium)
- Coarse salt, pepper — by hand (seasoning and preservation)
- Thyme and bay leaf — a bouquet (flavor)
- White Vouvray wine — a glass (degreasing)
Ingredients
- Pork shoulder — 800 g (lean meat)
- Fresh pork belly — 600 g (melting fat)
- Lard — 150 g (cooking and covering)
- Salt — 18 g (seasoning)
- Black pepper, thyme, 1 bay leaf — to taste (flavor)
- Dry white Vouvray wine — 150 ml (degreasing)
Method
- Cut the meats into large 4-5 cm cubes.
- Melt the lard in a cast-iron pot, add the meat, salt, pepper, and herbs.
- Pour in the Vouvray, cover, and cook over very low heat (or in the oven at 140°C) for 4 to 5 hours, stirring occasionally.
- When the meat falls apart on its own, remove the bay leaf and shred with a fork in its fat—do not blend.
- Adjust salt, pack into pots, smooth the top, and pour a thin layer of melted fat over it.
- Let set in the fridge overnight before serving on toasted country bread.
How it was made : Back then, on Touraine farms, rillettes were cooked for hours in a large copper cauldron after the pig was slaughtered, then packed into stoneware pots sealed under fat: a protein reserve for the whole winter, long before refrigerators.
The contemporary twist : Serve the pot as is in the center of the table with a bread board and a knife stuck in it: a true charcuterie mobile where everyone helps themselves.
Sources : Curnonsky, La France gastronomique — La Touraine · IGP Rillettes de Tours (cahier des charges)
Alexander Calder · Charactorium
