Rillette is a preservation method similar to confit where meat is seasoned then slow cooked submerged in fat and cooked at an extremely slow rate for several hours. Then the meat is shredded with the fat.
Rillettes can be made from goose, duck, chicken and as well as the classic pork. Seafood rillette can be made with salmon, tuna, and anchovies.
The meat may be blended with breadcrumbs and vegetable fillers to make the dish a little less intense.
Today I will be making pork rillette and teaching you how to keep it long-term.
Don’t worry though! You don’t have to have a culinary degree to make this classic French spread. It’s simple with few ingredients and minimal effort.
What You’ll Need:
- Baking dish (I will be using a Dutch oven)
- Stand mixer (a potato masher or hand mixer)
- Pork Butt
- Thyme
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Fat (vegetable oil, lard, duck Fat)
- Black pepper
- Garlic
Let’s Get Started Making Pork Rillette!
Preheat your oven to 275 Fahrenheit and let’s get cooking!
1. Cut your 2-pound pork butt into 1-inch cubes. This shortens the muscle fibers and allows them to be more easily chewed, making the pork easier to shred.
Related: 11 Meat Processing Mistakes You Are Probably Making Right Now
2. Next pop out your Dutch oven or glass casserole dish and add the 1-inch pork butt cubes.
Not everyone likes the feel of raw meat. It can be off-putting. If you’re one of these people feel free to use latex gloves.
3. Next we’re going to add fat. I’m using ½ cup vegetable oil but you can use lard, beef tallow, or duck fat. This will aid in the confit process.
Related: How To Stockpile Lard, The Calorie Rich Survival Food Of The Great Depression
This adding fat step is an extremely important step to cooking confit.
4. It’s time to add spices!
I’m adding a tablespoon of thyme, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon (you can use ground nutmeg instead), 4 bay leaves, a teaspoon of black pepper, 3 cloves of garlic, and 2 tablespoons of salt.
This will give the rillette a uniquely fresh and sweet note.
Apple sauce and tenderloin is a favorite in my household. The touch of cinnamon really brings that same flavor to the forefront of this spread.
5. Now is the easy part where we can put the pork rillette in the oven, set a timer for 3 hours, and walk away. Long and low-temperature cooking is done to break down and tenderize cheaper tougher meat.
The way cooking pork rillette makes your house smell is heavenly!
6. Once that timer dings it’s time to pull the rillette out of the oven. Once you do that you need to separate the meat from the juice and fat using tongs to place them into your stand mixer with the paddle attachment on.
Make sure to pick out the bay leaves and garlic and reserve the leftover juices for our next step.
I made a huge mess because of how tender the meat was! So pick up the pork butt gently!
7. At this step we’re going to use the stand mixer to shred the meat thoroughly.
Start at a slow speed then move up to a medium speed. Using a stand mixer creates a more even consistency.
You can use a potato masher or a hand mixer if you’re looking for an arm workout or don’t own a stand mixer. I’m pro kitchen aid but use any shredding technique you like.
8. Once your pork shoulder is fully shredded, we’re going to pull out all those yummy juices and fat we reserved. While your mixer is running slowly, spoon in the juices until you get a nice smooth texture.
Watching the shredded pork butt turn into a delicious spread was awesome!
9. Now is the time that we spoon it into our jar or mylar bag. Fill the spread up to the top of the jar (or mylar bag) leaving enough room to add a layer of fat to the top (vegetable oil, lard, or duck fat).
Adding a layer of fat to the top of the rillettes will keep the meat from going rancid. This will keep the rillette for a year if you keep it in a cool dry place.
You can also can the rillette following our article How to preserve beef in glass jars to last anywhere from 2 to 5 years.
Pork Rillette
Ingredients:
- 2lbs of pork butt
- 2 tsps of cinnamon
- 2 tbsp of salt
- 1 tbsp of thyme
- 3 cloves garlic
- 4 bay leaves
- ½ cup oil
- 1 tsps of ground black pepper
Related: 10 Spices That Make Your Food Last Longer
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 275 Fahrenheit.
- Cut 2-pound pork butt into 1-inch cubes.
- Use a Dutch oven or glass casserole dish and add the 1-inch pork butt cubes.
- Add ½ cup vegetable oil, lard, beef tallow, or duck fat.
- Add a tablespoon of thyme, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon (you can use ground nutmeg instead), 4 bay leaves, a teaspoon of black pepper, 3 cloves of garlic, and 2 tablespoons of salt.
- Put in the oven for 3 hours at 275 Fahrenheit
- Separate the meat from the juice and fat using tongs to place them into your stand mixer with the paddle attachment on. Reserve juices and fat.
- Use the stand mixer to shred the pork butt. Start at a slow speed then move up to a medium speed.
- While your mixer is running slowly, spoon in the juices that were reserved until you get a nice smooth texture.
- Preserve by spooning into a jar with a layer of fat and sealing or by canning.
How to serve Pork Rillette
There are multitudes of ways to enjoy savory pork rillette.
Pork rillette is an amazing addition to any charcuterie board. I personally enjoy mine on top of some yummy white rice.
Here are some other ways to enjoy pork rillette:
- On couscous
- Added to morning toast
- Make it a sandwich
- Addition to a charcuterie board
- With crackers and ground mustard
- Add any jam to the top and eat as is.
There are so many delicious ways to serve pork rillette! Now you know how to make the dish and serve it in multiple ways. Use it now or for the future!
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I can see why Elohim YHWH laws said not to eat pork after seeing this…..
Please ignore Raven the expert. He feeds on the thrill of discord.
Well its a nice article and well writen but i always wondered why YWHW people where not supposed to eat pork and after doing some research it makes sense. You are more then welcome do whatever you want. This isn’t anyone condeming people for it. Just the Laws of Elohim stll apply to belivers.
Following the Law of Torah is a choice. As a Jew by adoption, I am not required to follow the Torah, although its prinicples are good rules to live by. Our Lord told his followers that any food blessed is allowed. I do not condemn those who follow the Torah, nor do I ask them to partake of those foods they consider unclean. It is common courtesy, and it is a choice I made.
Where did he say the old laws are now null and void … please cite that…..
The law is still the law if you choose to follow it or not is up to you. Its something that the catholic pagon churches have currupted the text and allowed the devil into the church.
Please list these Laws of elohim so we who are Jewish, adopted, can view them.
What did Messiah say about the Law of MOSES? It is death and I am come to bring life. I doubt G-d ever heard of your laws of elohim. did you make that up?
This, in my humble opinion, is an excellent article! One which I will keep and do my best to master! There are many unique ways of preserving food that Europeans still know, but which have been long forgotten here! Was watching an interesting YouTube video on how people survived for centuries in what is now the Italian alps. The technique artfully explained and described here, was one of them. Unfortunately, I have lost the link to that YouTube article, but it was a presentation of how folks endeavor to preserve their culinary history in the area of the alps where they will hold the next Winter Olympics. There were two other ancient preservation methods discussed. One where the garden harvest would be prepared in a method similar to sausage, in a casing and dried cured. The sausage would then hang in the kitchen and portions of it would be cut off and added to soups, stews and sauces. The other, was a method where sausage was prepared without a casing, in the form of a small ball, the size of a grapefruit. The ball would be rolled in an oil, and then in cornmeal and left to cure. Should I stumble back upon the video, I will post a link. Things have been very busy around here!
CC: this is a fun article, it teaches. good thing I got some pork butt today. I have to try this ASAP.
I got a new stuffer! Only 3 liter but it’s all steel and only 50 bucks. But, sausage is more flavoring than an entre. with exceptions, of course. niio
MadFab when you’re not posting on a cooking thread I get concerned.
Praying you’re getting better and soon up to posting again.
Peace my friend. Rejoice in His peace.
Michael,
Thank you friend. This is exactly my kind of post and I make rillette alot. Pork and poultry.
I am quite unwell right now, unfortunately.
I’ll post again when I feel human again.
Thanks again, Michael.
Shalom, Friend.
MadFab
MadFab:
So sorry to hear that you aren’t well.
Praying for your quick recovery.
Stay strong.💕🙏
MadFab: You’re in our prayers. Be healed. niio
May the Great Healer lift you up friend.
You’re in my prayers. I hope you’re getting offline help from some of our friends at MSB.
I notice OH he who must not be named (lol) has been cross posted by AC. Not the best news. Are you in that loop?
Again I miss your kind words and your in my prayers
could you do this with beef
There’s a bright blue link to answer your question.
In short yes.
There are all kinds of Rillette. Most popular one is Pork, but duck, chicken, goose, beef are also prepared in a similar fashion in France today.
thanx for the posting >>> most useful prepper posting in about 2 weeks !!!!!
I have been trying to purchase your latest book titled “No Grid Survival Projects,” but when I go to the order page it sends me a warning notice in red, that you have an unsafe or compromised order page. Please correct the page or explain how to order since you have no phone number listed in order to contact your sales employees. Thanks- F.CS .
Frank, I was able to open the checkout screen for the combined hard copy and digital download for “No Grid Survival Projects”:
https://www.digistore24.com/product/430052/?ds24tr=EMPhys
I’m definitely making this.
I’m Druid, so pork is always on the menu!!
This is a good recipe for concentrated protein. I think that when I make it I might add bits of red bell pepper or something else colorful for appearance sake. Having cinnamon as one of the major flavors is pretty interesting. It is not one I would have thought of.
Sagebrush Lin:
If I’m cooking pork, I will usually go with a sweet/savory profile. Fresh ground black pepper, cinnamon, ginger, ground cloves, cardamom, tumeric, rosemary, oregano, paprika (sweet and smoked), onion and garlic powders, cilantro – yep, I would and have used all of those at the same time. It’s all about proportion and balance and preference. Rosemary, cloves, and cinnamon can be overpowering, so use small amounts until you see what you like.
Curry powder is also good on pork and chicken, too. I usually salt meats before cooking, just a little sprinkle on the surface to enhance the flavor.
I would encourage you to experiment with different flavors, and explore different cuisines for ideas.
Have fun!
Miz Kitty: good advice! niio
Kathy, same here and I’m Christian Wy-o-minkh. 🙂 niio
Sage: Apple fried pork is like pork/apple pie. a lot of Asian foods call for some cinnamon. We prefer Vietnamese cinnamon because it’s stronger than Peruvian. Does a bang-up job thinning the blood, too. niio
Red,
I use a lot of cinnamon in my sweet foods and if I find the milder spice from Sri Lanka, I purchase it because I had read somewhere that it was more effective for regulating the blood sugar.
I also read that using more spices (along with the Ceylon cinnamon) might be what keeps people from India healthier. Studies have shown that various spices normalize inflammatory cytokines from the CCP flu.
You have got me curious… What is a Christian Wy-o-ninkh?
Can the animal fat in these be substituted with vegetable fats, like olive or palm oil, avocado?
Aside a religious abstinence from animal fats that I observe, that most here dont ( thats your walk, not mine) there are a ton of toxins and dioxins that can be found in animal fats . Really is no sense in killing yourself with slow poisons while trying to survive.
I would be interested in trying this with chicken or beef.
Exodus: I don’t see why not. the only thing is, when heated, veggie fats absorb a lot of hydrogen from the air and also tend to go rancid faster. I went all-carnivore diet because cards are not a friend. I’m losing weight, no diabetes is showing, sugar is down, energy is up. Fat gets eaten first. What works for you, I say go for it and be blessed. niio
you might try making this with any protein you choose, experiment a bit and post what you find that works and what doesn’t, and why.
and please pay no attention to that “Charlie Foxtrot” X-spurt hiding behind his egotistical ignorance.
wow, a new recipe! It sounds great and thank you! niio
I will enter into and save these very important cooking and preservation techniques. I appreciate this information very valuable.? Didn’t Napolean and his service invent canning? IE bottled food from wine bottles (which were plentiful in France) and still plentiful today. Learning to boil out the wine bottles and filling the insides with product and sealing with corks and wax, allowing existing resources to be preserved for extended periods allowing for reserves. JC Jones
Jeff: Dr. Pasteur developed canning after (as I was told) watching his cook preserve berry juice in old wine bottles using corks. But, he did develop canning. Wine bottles, at least the good ones, are great for liquids. So are wire lock cap beer bottles. The problem with lock caps is, every now and thin one starts to ferment and can crack or blow up. I use Harvest brand forever caps now, and like them. the caps should last 27 cannings, and rings are reusable if treated right. https://canninglids.com/ niio