What Potted Meat Wants To Grow Up To Be
May. 23rd, 2011 10:34 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
madbakerThis week's Resolution Recipe: Le Mans-style Pork Rillettes.
1 large leek
1 small bunch fresh thyme
3 bay leaves
1 celery stalk
8 black peppercorns
1 medium onion, studded with 5 cloves
(I added 8 or so cloves of garlic)
3 lbs boneless pork butt
kosher salt
2 quarts veal stock or water (I used water and house-made chicken stock)
freshly ground black pepper
about 8 ounces rendered pork fat (I used duck fat, because I have 5 pounds of it in the freezer)
Split the leek lengthwise in half, stopping about one inch from the root end, and wash it thoroughly to remove dirt. Lay the thyme and bay inside, the celery next to it, and tie them all together with butcher's twine to form a bouquet garni. Crack the peppercorns with the side of a knife and tie them up in cheesecloth.
Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Place the pork in a 6-quart pot and cover with water by about 2". Bring to a boil then drain the pork and rinse it under cold water to quickly eliminate blood and impurities. Return the pork to the clean pot and add the bouquet garni, peppercorns, onion, 1 Tbsp salt, and stock or water. Bring to a simmer, cover, and place in the oven. Cook until the meat is falling-apart tender, 4-6 hours.
Remove the pork from the pot and set aside to cool somewhat. Strain the liquid and set aside, discarding the solids. When the meat is cooled to slightly above room temperature, shred the meat with forks, taking care to preserve the natural filament - meaning you want shreds, not mush. Feel free to shovel a little still-warm pork into your face. C'mon. You know you want it. Add salt and pepper if necessary, remembering that this will be served at room temperature so it should be seasoned assertively.
Spoon the mixture into individual ramekins or crocks. Refrigerate until chilled, then pour about 1/8" of rendered fat on top to seal. Wrap each container in plastic wrap and let them sit for 3 days before serving. This is the hardest part of the recipe because it's real good. Just know that it only gets better as those flavors marry up in the fridge.
Let warm to room temperature for 2 hours before serving. Scoop out and serve with cornichons and baguette rounds. Keeps in the fridge for a month, if you can stand it there that long.
What worked: This tasted like what I expect good-quality rillettes to taste like. It's what potted meat wants to grow up to be. I also kept the extra broth to use in cassoulet, because it would be a waste to throw out that flavored richness.
What didn't: I should have packed down the meat a bit more in each crock and then poured melted fat over rather than spooning the duck fat on top - there were a few air pockets unsealed.
Will I make it again? Hell yes. I might try the Spanish-style spicing on this recipe, since this one worked so much better.
1 large leek
1 small bunch fresh thyme
3 bay leaves
1 celery stalk
8 black peppercorns
1 medium onion, studded with 5 cloves
(I added 8 or so cloves of garlic)
3 lbs boneless pork butt
kosher salt
2 quarts veal stock or water (I used water and house-made chicken stock)
freshly ground black pepper
about 8 ounces rendered pork fat (I used duck fat, because I have 5 pounds of it in the freezer)
Split the leek lengthwise in half, stopping about one inch from the root end, and wash it thoroughly to remove dirt. Lay the thyme and bay inside, the celery next to it, and tie them all together with butcher's twine to form a bouquet garni. Crack the peppercorns with the side of a knife and tie them up in cheesecloth.
Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Place the pork in a 6-quart pot and cover with water by about 2". Bring to a boil then drain the pork and rinse it under cold water to quickly eliminate blood and impurities. Return the pork to the clean pot and add the bouquet garni, peppercorns, onion, 1 Tbsp salt, and stock or water. Bring to a simmer, cover, and place in the oven. Cook until the meat is falling-apart tender, 4-6 hours.
Remove the pork from the pot and set aside to cool somewhat. Strain the liquid and set aside, discarding the solids. When the meat is cooled to slightly above room temperature, shred the meat with forks, taking care to preserve the natural filament - meaning you want shreds, not mush. Feel free to shovel a little still-warm pork into your face. C'mon. You know you want it. Add salt and pepper if necessary, remembering that this will be served at room temperature so it should be seasoned assertively.
Spoon the mixture into individual ramekins or crocks. Refrigerate until chilled, then pour about 1/8" of rendered fat on top to seal. Wrap each container in plastic wrap and let them sit for 3 days before serving. This is the hardest part of the recipe because it's real good. Just know that it only gets better as those flavors marry up in the fridge.
Let warm to room temperature for 2 hours before serving. Scoop out and serve with cornichons and baguette rounds. Keeps in the fridge for a month, if you can stand it there that long.
What worked: This tasted like what I expect good-quality rillettes to taste like. It's what potted meat wants to grow up to be. I also kept the extra broth to use in cassoulet, because it would be a waste to throw out that flavored richness.
What didn't: I should have packed down the meat a bit more in each crock and then poured melted fat over rather than spooning the duck fat on top - there were a few air pockets unsealed.
Will I make it again? Hell yes. I might try the Spanish-style spicing on this recipe, since this one worked so much better.
