Sous Vide Pork Rillettes

Rillettes, by definition, are meat slowly cooked in seasoned fat and then made into a paste with the excess fat. Sounds delicious, right? Pork rillettes, made in the Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker, are amazing on toasted baguette with pickled onion on top. It takes some time — a whole day! — but it’s worth the wait. This recipe will keep in the fridge in an air-tight container, for up to two weeks.

Author

Emily Farris and Jeff Akin

Emily Farris and Jeff Akin are the co-founders of Feed Me Creative, a former culinary creative agency in Kansas City, MO.

Prep Time: 25:00

Recipe Time: 24:00

Temperature : 150F / 65.6C

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 rendered cup pork fat (lard)
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons cognac

Directions

1. Rub the pork with the thyme, salt, and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
2. Set the Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 150°F (65°C).
3. Remove the pork from the refrigerator and rinse with cold water. Pat dry. Place in a large zipper lock or vacuum seal bag with the pork fat and bay leaves. Seal the bag using the water immersion technique or a vacuum sealer on the moist setting.
4. Place the bag in the water bath and set the timer for 24 hours. Cover the water bath with plastic wrap to minimize water evaporation. Add water intermittently to keep the pork submerged.

Finishing Steps

1. When the timer goes off, remove the bag from the water bath. Transfer to an ice bath and chill for at least 30 minutes.
2. Remove the cooled pork from the bag. Separate the fat from the jellied cooking liquid. Reserve.
3. Using 2 forks, shred the pork into small pieces. Place in a large bowl with 1/4 cup of the jellied cooking liquid and 1/4 cup pork fat. Beat mixture with a wooden spoon until mixture is spreadable. (Alternatively, place pork, cooking liquid, and fat in a stand mixer and beat using the paddle attachment.)
4. Mix in the cognac. Season to taste with the cognac, fat, or jellied cooking liquid. (Note: You shouldn’t need to add additional salt. The cooking liquid will provide plenty of seasoning.)
5. Spoon into jars or ramekins and cover with a layer of reserved pork fat. Refrigerate until serving.