Spiced Pork Rillette

By stancec44

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt)
• 5 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more
• 1 quart rendered lard, melted
• 1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• Cornichons and toasted slices of country-style bread (for serving)

Details

Servings 1
Adapted from bonappetit.com

Preparation

Step 1

Season pork all over with 5 tsp. salt. Place on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet and chill at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 225°. Heat pork, lard, fresh ginger, thyme, bay leaf, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, ground ginger, and wine in a medium heavy pot over high until mixture begins to bubble, about 5 minutes; cover and transfer to oven. Braise pork until meat is very tender and shreds easily, 1½–2 hours.

Remove fresh ginger, thyme, and bay leaf from pot; discard thyme and bay. Grate ginger and set aside. Let pork cool in braising liquid 1 hour.

Using tongs, transfer pork to a stand mixer and beat on low speed with paddle attachment until shredded. With motor running, add grated ginger, then gradually pour in 1 cup rendered fat in pot. Beat until combined (don’t worry if mixture looks loose; it will set up as it cools). Taste rillette and season with more salt if needed.

Divide rillette among 3–4 airtight containers or jars (make sure to use a freezer-safe container if storing longer than a week) and spoon some rendered braising fat to cover. Cover and chill until cool, 30–45 minutes, depending on the size of your container.
Serve with cornichons and toast.