flipCountry Pork Rillettes
Country Pork Rillettes
Why this dish? In her house in Montfort-l'Amaury, as in all country houses in Île-de-France, preserves were made for winter. Rillettes, cooked long and sealed under their fat, filled the pantry and the table of simple lunches after walks.
Pork meat cooked for hours in its fat until it shreds, salted and peppered, packed into pots and sealed under a layer of lard. Spread on country bread.
In the countryside, nothing was wasted, and the pig would become, for months, pots of rillettes lined up in the pantry. You need patience, you see: the meat simmers for hours, very gently, until it falls apart under the fork. You pack it well into the pots, pour the fat over it like a lid, and it keeps all winter. A slice on coarse bread, and there is a king's lunch after a walk in the forest.
- •Pork shoulder and belly — in large quantity (meat)
- •Lard — generously (cooking and sealing)
- •Coarse salt — to taste (seasoning and preservation)
- •Pepper, thyme, bay leaf — to taste (aromatics)
Country Pork Rillettes
Pork meat cooked for hours in its fat until it shreds, salted and peppered, packed into pots and sealed under a layer of lard. Spread on country bread.
Why this dish? In her house in Montfort-l'Amaury, as in all country houses in Île-de-France, preserves were made for winter. Rillettes, cooked long and sealed under their fat, filled the pantry and the table of simple lunches after walks.
In the countryside, nothing was wasted, and the pig would become, for months, pots of rillettes lined up in the pantry. You need patience, you see: the meat simmers for hours, very gently, until it falls apart under the fork. You pack it well into the pots, pour the fat over it like a lid, and it keeps all winter. A slice on coarse bread, and there is a king's lunch after a walk in the forest.
Ingredients (period version)
- Pork shoulder and belly — in large quantity (meat)
- Lard — generously (cooking and sealing)
- Coarse salt — to taste (seasoning and preservation)
- Pepper, thyme, bay leaf — to taste (aromatics)
Ingredients
- Pork shoulder — 800 g (lean meat)
- Pork belly — 400 g (fatty meat)
- Lard — 150 g (cooking + sealing)
- Salt — 2 tsp (seasoning)
- Pepper — to taste (spice)
- Thyme and bay leaf — 1 bouquet (aromatics)
- Water — 1 glass (initial liquid)
Method
- Cut the meats into large chunks; place in a pot with the lard, salt, aromatics, and a glass of water.
- Cook covered over very low heat for 3 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally, until the meat falls apart.
- Remove thyme and bay leaf, then shred the meat with a fork in its fat. Adjust salt and pepper.
- Pack into sterilized jars, leaving a little fat to rise to the top.
- Pour a thin layer of melted lard over the top to seal. Keep cool; let rest 2 days before eating.
How it was made : Rillettes (a specialty of Tours and Le Mans) were a peasant preservation technique: long cooking in fat and sealing with lard protected the meat from air before the era of refrigeration. Each household had its own ratio of lean to fat.
The contemporary twist : Served in a small glass jar with a drizzle of reduced cider and cornichons, on toasted rye bread slices.
Sources : Prosper Montagné, Larousse gastronomique, 1938 · Jules Gouffé, Le Livre de cuisine, 1867
Germaine Tailleferre · Charactorium
