My friend Vic used this recipe--best pork rillettes I've ever had, by far. From Elias Cairo, Olympic Provisions, Portland, OR. Makes 2 pints.
Ingredients:
1/4 c dry white wine
4 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
1 inch piece peeled/scraped fresh ginger, grated
1 tblsp plus 1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp curing salt (also called pink salt or Prague salt)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp finely chopped thyme leaves
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground coriander
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground white pepper
2 1/2 lbs boneless pork shoulder, excess fat trimmed, cut into 1" cubes
1 1/2 c lard
Preparation:
In a large bowl, whisk together the white wine, garlic, fresh ginger, 1 tblsp plus 1 tsp of the salt, the curing salt, and all the dry spices. Add the chopped pork shoulder and stir to evenly coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 3 days.
Preheat oven to 300 F. To a small saucepan set over medium heat add the lard and slowly warm until it is completely liquefied. To a large baking dish or Dutch oven add the chopped pork shoulder and pour the lard over the meat. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake until the meat is very tender and pulls apart easily, about 2.5 hours.
Remove the pork shoulder from the oven and set aside for an hour to cool. Set a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl and separate the meat from the fat. Set the bowl with the fat aside (you'll use it later). Turn the pork onto a cutting board and roughly chop it, then transfer to a large bgowl. Add about 1/3 of the reserved drained fat back to the pork and stir to combine. Taste for salt and add more if needed.
Divide the rillettes between two pint jars. Cover and refrigerate for an hour, then pour remaining fat (reheat if necessary to liquefy) over the top of each jar to create a 1/4 inch layer of protective fat. Seal and refrigerate--keeps up to a month.
