This is one of the all time greats, it’s a French classic and one I have been making for a while but haven’t ever bothered to post…until now. The first time I tried Rillettes it completely knocked me down, it is killer stuff and I mean that in a good way. I simply had it in a crispy French Baguette wandering around the French Villa I was renting in Saint Maxime ….incredible…and I have been literally in love with it ever since….and the Villa!

For all intents and purposes this is a paste or a pate, it’s slow cooked pork, shredded and potted in its own fat. So be warned, this is not a ‘low fat’ recipe so keep that in mind.

Pork Rillettes is from the same culinary family as terrines and pates – meat and fat combined and it is compulsory to have this rich and tasty beauty with a good sour dough, some hard mustard (my preference) and something with sourness…pickles or cornichons.

BUT, I have to manage your expectations here, there is quite a bit of work involved here but believe me it is absolutely worth it – a few hours in kitchen and you’re gonna have enough Rillettes to last you through the holidays – which is why I have decided to give you my walk-through for this bad boy: 

WHAT YOU NEED make 2 medium kilner jars with a little left for pastas etc

1.5 KG of pork belly

200 grams pork fat

200 mls dry white wine

5-6 cloves of garlic

1 large red onion

Fresh Thyme

To start remove the skin/rind from the pork belly, you need a really sharp knife but equally your butcher will sort you out if you ask them.

Next, slice up the onion and add to a large roasting tray with the Thyme, wine and the garlic, set the pork belly onto and finally lay on the pork fat

So this is going away for 4 hours at 140c but you gotta wrap it really, really well so double down on the baco-foil!

After 4 hours you have the most tender pork belly known to man – now at this point you can can go BBQ and turn this into the my classic pulled pork or straight onto to Rillettes..

Next, remove the belly and start shredding with a couple of fork

So, i’ve found that there are a few schools of thought on what happens next with the pork…some suggest ‘pounding’ it into a paste, some suggest wazzing it in a blitzer….but what I have found works best is simply running a knife through the fibers then into a bowl for a quick seasoning session – salt, pepper maybe some Dijon and the melted pork fat from the cooking.

To finish simply pack the Rillettes into kilners and leave to mature for a few days – if covered these will still good for weeks….but I don’t think you will be able to resist………