Rillons

I'm a recent convert to Twitter.  I dabbled a bit a couple of years back but it wasn't till I returned from travelling that I got properly stuck in.  Even now for the most part people I follow and who follow me are related to food and due to this I know of far more of the food blogisphere than I used to.  In most ways this is great but it can lead to a bit of overexposure when a new restaurant opens and folk rush to be the first there and first blogging it. I have to admit it all gets a bit much so I tend to read the first one or two and then any more after that I just open and look at the pictures - sorry.

The restaurant I think I've seen the most blog posts about in quick succession is Bar Boulud and whilst the reviews may have made other readers want to eat at the place what they made me want to do was recreate some of their dishes at home, first and foremost the rillons. 

I'm a huge fan of pork cooked in lard, having cooked and enjoyed rillettes, confit and carnitas.  A bath of lard seems to dry the meat out less, allowing you to cook meat for long periods of time whilst keeping it moist.  I guess on the French lard-cooked pork scale (if there is such a thing) they sit between rillettes and confit, smaller than the latter but not the mashed to a paste of the former - melt in the mouth chunks of flesh with a light golden exterior (mine are a little overcooked on the bottom) and chewy but ultimately yielding skin.  They're versatile too as you can eat them hot or cold, sliced onto bread or sprinkled with salt and eaten whole.

I believe you can submerge them in fat and store like you would confit but they're so tasty that I can't see why you wouldn't want to eat them all straight away.

Rillons

1.2kg Pork belly

250ml water

250gr lard

1 TB salt

15 Black peppercorns

3 bay leaves

3 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly crushed

Method

Cut the belly into 5cm lumps, leaving nice cubes of skin/fat/meat/fat/meat.

Rub with the salt and leave for a few hours.

Wash off the salt then place the pork and the remaining ingredients in a saucepan along with 250ml of water.

Bring to the boil then turn down to a medium simmer and cook for 2 - 2.5 hours until tender.  As with rillettes, well before the time is up the water will have evaporated and they will be simmering in the lard and fat rendered from them. 

Heat an oven to 200, spread the rillons on a baking tray and cook for 10-15 minutes, keep an eye on them and turn every few minutes till they're evenly coloured.  You're only looking for light golden as you don't want to toughen them up.

Serve with salt, hot or cold, as part of a spread of charcuterie or on their own.

You can either save the lard or dispose of it, probably best to leave till set and stick it in the bin though unless you want to contribute to these fatbergs.

Comments

[Lizzie]

I think my arteries clogged just reading that. PHWOAR.

I agree about over exposure; I too just looked at the photos - but then, I am guilty of it myself.

[meemalee]

I want more pictures.

And the real thing, obviously.

Beautiful.

[Joshua Armstrong]

Lizzie - in that case probably best to drink with a glass of red wine. That's good for clearing the arteries - no?

Meemalee - I've added another photo, just for you

[Su-Lin]

I want that.

Actually I remember Hugh F-W making rillons but his included some red wine, I believe. OK, I want both.

[Paul]

They look great, I love these simple French Pork recipes. They are just fantastically good to eat.

[Becci]

Oh lordy. What have you done to me? I want that in my belly right now. I want my rillions, my rillions, my pork rillions...

Seriously. I want them.

[Joshua Armstrong]

Su Lin - HFW does indeed use red wine in his. It was one of the recipes I read when researching and putting mine together but ended up on the purer Raymond Blanc route, although I think the bay and garlic were an HFW influence.

Paul - they're so good to eat. I had to bring them to work and share as it was unfair on the gf's and my health to leave over a kilo of them in the fridge at home.

[Carla]

I have just dribbled on my keyboard.
That's all.

[Mr Noodles]

Pork belly is such a wonder - these look great! Talking of oft-blogged restaurants, Koya is another one and you should have a go at recreating their kakuni (cider braised pork belly). I would have a crack except I'm pretty limited in the kitchen.

[Joshua Armstrong]

Becci - sorry. You'll need at least 3 hours before you can get that in your belly.

Carla - I hope it still works, would hate to play a part in breaking your keyboard.

Sung - it's the king of meats. That Koya version is a good un too, although it was a little on the hairy side when I had it. The pig stubble was most rough on my tongue.

[Kavey]

Mmm these look GOOD. Pork belly rocks.

Sometimes lots of exposure makes me want to go, but other times I end up not going for several months... like for Polpo.

Cooking the goods instead sounds good.

[Caroline]

They look delicious. I think I have you to thank (profusely) for introducing me, in a virtual sense, to Fuchsia Dunlop. I made her red braised pork the other day which was also so wonderful. More please!