If you’re interested in learning how to make charcuterie, one of the simpler preparations you can master is rillettes, a French country preparation made by braising meat in fat and then whipping it with a little additional fat.
Traditionally, rillettes are made by braising pieces of fatty pork in pork fat, then whipping the cooked pork with the cooled fat and topping the pork mixture with a little additional fat.
I’ve always found this method a little heavy for my taste, so what I like to do instead is to cook the pork in canola oil, then whip (or actually paddle) a little cream and mustard into the cooked pork. The result is a little lighter on the tongue than the traditional rillettes.
The meat is seasoned with one of my favorite seasoning mixtures, a combination of garlic, rosemary, ground black pepper, ground roasted juniper berries, ground roasted fennel seed and coarse Malden salt. The juniper and rosemary in particular add a pleasant fragrance to the dish, always important since we smell food before we taste it.
Pork Rillettes
A lighter version of a French country preparation. Serves 8.
Ingredients
2 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch dice
4 sprigs rosemary
12 cloves garlic
1 quart canola oil
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
FOR THE SEASONING MIX
Combine in a large bowl:
¼ cup Malden salt
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon toasted ground fennel
1 tablespoon toasted ground juniper berries
Directions
The day before, place pork pieces in a baking dish and sprinkle generously with Seasoning Mix, fresh rosemary and crushed garlic. Refrigerate 24 hours.
Preheat oven to 300. Cover pork pieces with canola, and cover baking dish with foil. Bake pork for about 2 hours, or until tender. Drain fat from meat and discard.
Place the meat in a mixer equipped with a paddle. Paddle the meat until well shredded, about 2 minutes. Add the cream slowly to incorporate, then the Dijon mustard. Taste for seasoning. Add additional Seasoning Mix if necessary. Refrigerate covered until ready to eat.
To serve, allow the Pork Rillettes to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes ahead of time. Serve with crusty bread, pickles and apricot jam.
