Insanely Tasty Spreadable Meat (“Rillettes”)

Think of Rillettes (“ree-yet”) as an unctuous, shreddy protein spread perfect for toast, crackers or even a sandwich. Rillettes, one of my favorite forms of charcuterie, can be made with fish, pork, duck, chicken, etc. Spices and/or herbs may be added, curing salt is sometimes added, flavored wines and liquors are often splashed in; the humble rillettes is one of the more versatile ways to preserve and enjoy meat. The main technique we’ll rely on here is “confit” or to cook something gently while submerged in fat.

In this case I made a confit by slicing up my pork into small pieces. I then placed it in a medium tray, submerged it in a mixture of pork fat and neutral oil, then carefully placed it on the center rack in the oven. I cooked it at 300F for 3-4 hours, or until it was perfectly fall-apart tender and “shreddy.” If you’d like you can add whole spices, garlic, or other aromatics to the confit oil before cooking to flavor it.

After hosting a luau where we cooked an entire pig, I was left with a lot of leftover pork. Rillettes is most often made with fattier cuts of meat, but I was left with a balanced mixture of lean and fatty so I used both. The principle is simple, the recipe is... well... not much a recipe but more of a technique. Remember, if you know a recipe then you know a single recipe, but if you know a technique then you know hundreds of recipes. 🤘🏼 Adam

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Insanely Tasty Spreadable Meat?! (Rillettes)

Ingredients

• 1 pound Confit Fatty Protein (Pork shoulder, duck legs, salmon belly)
• 1 1/2 cups Cooking Fat (used for confit)
• 1/8 tsp Curing Salt (optional)
• Kosher Salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Place the confit meat in the bowl of a stand mixer and attach the paddle. Stir the meat on low-medium speed until the whole thing falls apart, about 2 minutes.
2. Once the meat is shreddy and begins to smear on the sides of the bowl, begin to slowly stream in the fat. I like to start with a cup, then if need be, add the remaining half cup of fat if it needs it. Sprinkle in the curing salt if using. Season with salt to taste.
3. Transfer the rillettes to a sealable container then pour a bit more melted fat over the top. Cover the container and store in the fridge. Remove the rillettes from the fridge an hour before you’d like to serve to temper. Serve with whole grain mustard, crunchy bread and something sweet like a fruit jam or compote… or make a sando and CRUSH!