Serious Eats: Recipes
Cook the Book: Pork Shoulder Rillettes
"The process is simple and leaves you with enough spreadable pork to feed a small army."
[Photographs: Caroline Russock]
Over the weekend I was looking at my shelves of cookbooks and noticed that one subject I have yet to explore: charcuterie. For as much as I love pâtés and terrines, I've never made anything more complicated than a chicken liver mousse at home.
The chapter devoted to all things porcine in My New Orleans by John Besh is called Boucherie, and has several delicious-sounding pork-based charcuterie projects including these Pork Shoulder Rillettes.
Rillettes are a more rustic version of a pâté where the meat is shredded instead of pureed and potted with enough fat to spread easily. This version slow cooks pork butt with chicken stock, lard, wine, and a few other aromatics until it's tender enough to shred into a million tasty little pieces.
The process is simple and leaves you with enough spreadable pork to feed a small army. Making a batch of these rillettes will leave you stocked with snacks, hors d'œuvres, and delicious meaty gifts to share with your family and friends for a good long time.
Win My New Orleans
As always with our Cook the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of My New Orleans to give away this week.
