🥖 Pork Rillettes
Rillettes de porc is a French spread of pork slowly cooked in its own fat with thyme and bay until it falls apart, then shredded and packed into jars under a layer of fat. It is soft, rich and savoury, with fine strands of meat. It is served cool as a spread, often with cornichons, as a starter or snack.
Diets
Allergens
None of the 14 major allergens in a typical recipe.
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 kg pork shoulder, cut into 5 cm cubes
- 300 g pork fat, diced
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tsp salt
- Black pepper
- 150 ml water
Method
- Put everything in a heavy pot and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Cover and cook on the lowest heat for about 4 hours, stirring occasionally, until the meat falls apart.
- Remove the herbs, drain the meat and shred it with two forks, adding back some of the fat.
- Pack into jars, cover with a thin layer of fat and chill overnight.
How to make it lighter
- Rillettes are very rich, so a 30–50 g serving goes a long way.
- Mix in less of the cooking fat when shredding and skip the top layer if eating within a few days.
- Serve with plenty of raw vegetables or pickles alongside.
History
Rillettes are a speciality of the Loire Valley, with Tours and Le Mans both famous for their versions. Slow-cooking meat in fat was a traditional way to preserve pork after the autumn slaughter, long before refrigeration.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →