by Marie Viljoen
View
my 14 recipes »
LobsterBrieAvocadoBreath's Testing Notes:
Expand CollapseMarie Viljoen's Notes:
Expand3 1/2 pounds pork belly, with skin Ask a question about this ingredient
2 cups fruity white wine Ask a question about this ingredient
2 tablespoons lemon juice Ask a question about this ingredient
1/4 teaspoon salt Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 teaspoon sugar Ask a question about this ingredient
12 twists of the pepper mill Ask a question about this ingredient
6 sprigs thyme Ask a question about this ingredient
8 leaves of sage Ask a question about this ingredient
5 juniper berries, lightly crushed Ask a question about this ingredient
1 cup water, plus extra Ask a question about this ingredient
Set the oven at a low 250'F.
Ask a question about this stepSeason the pig with the salt and pepper.
Ask a question about this stepIn a roasting pan, make a small pile of the herbs and juniper berries and place the belly on top.
Ask a question about this stepPour the wine and lemon juice around the meat, avoiding the skin (which you may like as much as I do, as an extra treat of crispy crackling). Add the sugar to the pan and stir to dissolve.
Ask a question about this stepCook in the oven for four to five hours. Check periodically to make sure that there is a little liquid in the bottom of the pan and top up with water when necessary.
Ask a question about this stepIt is ready when the meat is very tender when prodded suggestively with a fork.
Ask a question about this stepRemove from the oven and cool a little, till you can handle it without pain.
Ask a question about this stepReserve the good pan juices but discard the liquid fat, herbs and berries.
Ask a question about this stepOnce you can handle it easily, slide a knife between the crackling and the top layer of fat and remove the crackling, scraping off as much soft fat as you can, and reserve. You will not be using the crackling itself for the rillettes but it seals the fat inside nicely, so is necessary. I break it into bite-sized pieces, sprinkle with salt and serve as a snack with drinks.
Ask a question about this stepThe meat and fat are in layers. Cut out the fat layers and reserve.
Ask a question about this stepTake all the meat and chop it finely. You could also shred it so that the long muscle fibers are preserved intact. It's a matter of texture, and I have no preference.
Ask a question about this stepSlow-roasted pork belly meat, shredded finely Ask a question about this ingredient
Pork belly fat cut into pieces Ask a question about this ingredient
3 cloves of garlic, lightly crushed but intact Ask a question about this ingredient
1 cup fruity white wine Ask a question about this ingredient
1 tablespoon lemon juice Ask a question about this ingredient
6 sprigs thyme, leaves stripped Ask a question about this ingredient
2 bay leaves Ask a question about this ingredient
6 sage leaves Ask a question about this ingredient
4 juniper berries, lightly crushed Ask a question about this ingredient
salt and pepper to taste Ask a question about this ingredient
6 tablespoons butter Ask a question about this ingredient
In saucepan (with lid) that can accommodate all the meat, put all the fat you have reserved and melt over medium-low heat until more fat runs from it.
Ask a question about this stepAdd the garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, quite gently, not letting the garlic brown.
Ask a question about this stepAdd the chopped meat and its reserved cooking juices and stir.
Ask a question about this stepAdd everything else except the butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Ask a question about this stepTurn the heat up briefly to allow the wine to bubble and cook off, and then lower the heat again, cover, and cook for a slow hour. The idea is not to let the juices and fat evaporate, but for the meat to absorb every atom of flavor possible.
Ask a question about this stepTaste again, and perhaps add more salt and pepper - you should season quite heavily, as it will be eaten cool, which mutes flavor.
Ask a question about this stepMelt your butter gently in a separate saucepan.
Ask a question about this stepPack your pork, with its fat, into jars or ramekins, or one larger dish, and tamp down gently. I take the garlic out to keep the texture uniform, but you may leave it in if you prefer.
Ask a question about this stepTop with melted butter till the meat is covered. Because of all the fat, you may only need a tablespoon for each bowl. For prettiness you could press a bay leaf into the butter, but I find that it prevents immediate access to the delicious pig...
Ask a question about this stepWhen it has cooled, wrap and freeze or refrigerate. It is ready to eat, but really does improve with a few days in the fridge.
Ask a question about this stepBefore serving, bring to room temperature and serve alongside crusty bread. No butter required!
Ask a question about this stepI have potted my pig!! It looks just like your picture. Tastes delicious but can't wait for it to chill! And I just so happen to have some crusty rolls that I think will be delightful with this. Thanks for a great recipe Marie!
I am so glad Mrs Larkin :-) Thank you...
I made these over the weekend...wonderful! They actually taste like the supermarket version in france. Just 2 notes: My pork belly didn't shred on its own so i had to spin it through the food processor to get the right consistency. Also, to keep it moist I had to continue adding wine to the pork when it was roasting. will make these again!!!
Excellent, KC! Thank you the feedback. No, the meat will not shred itself, you must do it, and clearly you did well! Great that you kept topping up the roasting dish with liquid: I love people who follow instructions!
I tested this recipe for the Holiday Open House submissions. It is indeed tasty. I had difficulty finding the pork belly meat. I am not super meat replete, so had a bit of difficulty understanding the whole process until I did it. It (and I) were rather a mess. It's a sizable hunk of meat. I would make it well ahead of time the first try, and will probably use more of the aromatics. The infusion of flavors really didn't come together until the end process, but it really has a peasant, comfort-food sort of satiety. I served it with a rustic rosemary italian toast that had a beautiful yellow cast to it. My friends thought it was delicious.
So glad you enjoyed it.
And yes, as I said before, it improves with time!
I trust you are now replete, with pig, at least :-)
Hi Marie, I've got a hunk o' belly that's about 1 lb. 13 oz. What changes would you make to the recipe for this much pig?
Good question, Mrs Larkin. So 2/3's of the orginal, roughly...
In the initial roasting I think you could lose 1 cup of wine...And I'd cut back on the sugar to 2 teaspoons. And in the confit stage perhaps cut the lemon to 2 teaspoons as well (keep extra on hand in case you like it and want to add more). But honestly, I'd just keep the other herbs and spices where they are. The more flavour this pig packs, the better. I tweak it every time I make it. Just taste at the confit stage for salt.
Let me know!
Thanks! And I'd think the roasting would be done a teeny bit sooner? Q: sugar says 1/2 teaspoon in initial roast - so maybe keep as is?
Probably...test with a fork, but I think you're still looking at 3 hours plus. The salt won't hurt, you can always ease off in the confit stage. If you want to be really safe go for 2/3's of everything.
Nope. I like crispy crackling and the extra browning. If you did cover I think you would have a blonder pig :-)
Christine (cheese1227) brought this to the Food52 DC area cookie exchange today. It was fantastic. Just downright delicious. Everyone raved.
Cool! Thanks for telling me :-)
Hi Marie,
Thanks! It's good to know there is a substitute. I am in Cleveland Ohio (suburbs). We have many fabulous farmers markets, so I am querying about...someone did suggest Asian markets, so anyway....when I get pooped I will run with the shoulder! Looking forward to making it. I cannot tell you how this site has revived my desire to bake and cook. I talk about it daily!
Glad it helped. I'm curious about whether you have old school butchers in your hood? Or are they the ones who say you must order?
Lots of kosher butchers right around me...West Side market would be a likely source. We may make a trip over tomorrow. It's so interesting and will be featured by a local food writer, Laura Taxel celebrating the market's 150th anniversary or some such. We might make a morning of it, Mother Nature willing!!! I am set though...will get comments in by Tuesday...may even bring along to my Christmas party tomorrow ;-P
Marie....HELP! I am going to test your tasty looking recipe, but an not finding a meat supplier. Where. I have one more local market to ask, but the rest have to order it. I sent a note to a farm from our local market....any suggestions? Susie
Hi - just saw this now, so perhaps too late...
I'm afraid I am only familiar with my local NYC suppliers. Where are you? So it's the actual pork belly you are struggling to find? Hmmmmm.
At a pinch you could substitute pork shoulder, add an hour of cooking time, and keep as much fat as possible after the initial roasting, to add back to the confit. I have done that before.
Holy....sheesh....my goodness gracious....this sounds real good.
It gets better every time, mrslarkin. Responds very well to fiddlin' and tweakin'...
Excellent. I was looking for a rillette recipe!
Let me know how it turns out if you try it :-)
I've never met a rillette I didn't like, and pork belly is just sending it over the top. Welcome back, friend ;)
Aw, shucks...:-)
Hahaha...yes, well, it is yum! And if you pot them up in small ramekins, you can only eat so much :-)
You took the words out of my mouth!
Nice post! More recipe articles on pig roasting using caja china style roasting box can be found here http://goo.gl/redQr