# Pork Rillettes.



## Zwiefel (Nov 8, 2015)

This is my first attempt at Rillettes, and only the second time I've eaten them....these are MUCH better than the batch I had at a local resto--which I quite liked.


Many thank to Dardeau for his time in putting the recipe together for me and helping me understand what's going on at each stage....even if I did make it my own a bit here. 


12lbs pork shoulder with kosher salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 4 bulbs garlic.







Added chicken stock, and fresh thyme






after 16 hours @275F






Separate solids...and skim fat, then reduce liquid by 75-85%






More fresh thyme, shallots, LA Hot Sauce, whole grain dijon...add all to mixer and run until a dry paste is formed






then add reduced liquid and run on high until emulsified






I decided to go with canning jars instead of the more traditional ramekins






Little bit of the reserved fat to cap each jar...






And into the fridge to solidfy the fat cap before going into freezer.


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## Bill13 (Nov 8, 2015)

In the first picture it looks like there is some paprika, or is that all cayenne pepper?

Thanks for sharing.


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## Zwiefel (Nov 8, 2015)

Bill13 said:


> In the first picture it looks like there is some paprika, or is that all cayenne pepper?
> 
> Thanks for sharing.



All cayenne...a fairly dark variety of it from an Indian grocer in Dallas.


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## Dardeau (Nov 8, 2015)

Danny, it looks like you nailed it right off!


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## Zwiefel (Nov 8, 2015)

Dardeau said:


> Danny, it looks like you nailed it right off!



Thanks! Glad I did it some kind of justice. Thanks again for your time.


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## tkern (Nov 8, 2015)

Looks good Z, looks damn good.


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## jackslimpson (Nov 9, 2015)

Looks fantastic. How long will a jar keep?

Cheers,

Jack


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## Zwiefel (Nov 9, 2015)

Jack: I can't share that from my own experience...but my reading suggests that it keeps for a few months before refrigeration...so I'd imagine even more in the fridge, and maybe indefinitely in the freezer...?

I imagine I'll either eat it or give it away long before any of those dates pass...esp with the holiday season coming up.


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## WildBoar (Nov 9, 2015)

Nice! tkern introduced my wife and I to rillettes; I had no idea how long it took to make.


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## panda (Nov 9, 2015)

the hard part is resisting the urge to eat the cooked product before pureeing, especially the crispy pieces on top. goes great with pickles and rye chips.


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## Dardeau (Nov 9, 2015)

I usually do it until tender, overnight. I've never let it go as long as 16 hours, but I imagine it helps retain some moisture. That isn't really an issue with rillettes, as you are going to add in a bunch of fat as well. Did you add the lard to the cooking liquid? It isn't in the pictures, but it looks like you rendered a lot of fat from the pork.


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## Zwiefel (Nov 9, 2015)

Dardeau said:


> I usually do it until tender, overnight. I've never let it go as long as 16 hours, but I imagine it helps retain some moisture. That isn't really an issue with rillettes, as you are going to add in a bunch of fat as well. Did you add the lard to the cooking liquid? It isn't in the pictures, but it looks like you rendered a lot of fat from the pork.



I didn't have any lard on hand, and it's not easy to find around here at the last minute...now that it's done, it's hard to imagine how it could have been any more decadent though.

I'll probably go closer to 8 hours next time...was a last minute project, so it went into the oven at an inconvenient time...figured it was better to go longer than needed, instead of being premature. Also will probably do 2 shoulders next time...then pressure can so I can put at room temp in the pantry. Would be cool to do a year's supply at once.


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## Bill13 (Nov 9, 2015)

Zwiefel said:


> I didn't have any lard on hand, and it's not easy to find around here at the last minute...now that it's done, it's hard to imagine how it could have been any more decadent though.
> 
> I'll probably go closer to 8 hours next time...was a last minute project, so it went into the oven at an inconvenient time...figured it was better to go longer than needed, instead of being premature. Also will probably do 2 shoulders next time...then pressure can so I can put at room temp in the pantry. Would be cool to do a year's supply at once.



The exterior vacuum is a cool feature of your 112 that I wish my 215 chamber vac had. I have yet to experiment with placing the jars inside.

Could you also treat this like preserves and boil the jars etc.?


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## Zwiefel (Nov 9, 2015)

Bill13 said:


> The exterior vacuum is a cool feature of your 112 that I wish my 215 chamber vac had. I have yet to experiment with placing the jars inside.
> 
> Could you also treat this like preserves and boil the jars etc.?



Placing the jars inside is a frustrating adventure...I tried this several times and it only worked like 35% of the time. that's why I ordered the foodsaver attachment  But...if you have a bunch to do, you could put them in there at once. 

I'd have to do a little research, but I think so. My method would be to place the rillette in a SS bowl inside my PC, and put the jars in the dishwasher on the "sterilize" cycle...now both parts are "sterile" so I just need to transfer from SS bowl to jars and cap. This is exactly how I did my garlic confit, and after about 18 months, every single jar of that is still good (I have kept them in the fridge though).


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## Bill13 (Nov 9, 2015)

I'm thinking a porky holiday. 1pd of bacon and a jar of pork rillettes to friends that appreciate good food.


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## Zwiefel (Nov 9, 2015)

Bill13 said:


> I'm thinking a porky holiday. 1pd of bacon and a jar of pork rillettes to friends that appreciate good food.



My address has been published before.....:bliss:

Actually, I'm planning something similar.


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## mise_en_place (Nov 20, 2015)

If you're a fan of duck, Zwiefel, I'd suggest you try some duck rillettes next


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## Zwiefel (Nov 20, 2015)

mise_en_place said:


> If you're a fan of duck, Zwiefel, I'd suggest you try some duck rillettes next



Is there enough fat in duck for this? or would I need to supplement with lard?

Alas, despite living in one of the greatest places on the planet for duck hunting (Stuttgart, Arkansas), it's difficult to find ducks.


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## Dardeau (Nov 20, 2015)

You really need to add a little lard to pork rillettes. I've made duck with and without lard, I like it better with a little lard.


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## mise_en_place (Nov 20, 2015)

Zwiefel said:


> Is there enough fat in duck for this? or would I need to supplement with lard?
> 
> Alas, despite living in one of the greatest places on the planet for duck hunting (Stuttgart, Arkansas), it's difficult to find ducks.



I imagine it would depend on the kind of duck you have. I've had no trouble with Long Island ducks, but I don't know enough about the wild variety to answer that. 

I do use some of the juice in addition to all of the fat rendered from the duck to get a good consistency. I'm sure a little bit of extra duck fat or lard couldn't hurt, though :cool2:


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## dmccurtis (Nov 20, 2015)

I've never heard anyone ask, "Should I add _more_ duck fat to this?"


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## spoiledbroth (Nov 21, 2015)

Or rather, "is this too much duck fat?"


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