Les Rilletes De Tours (pork Spread)

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Makes about 1 pound.  Remove the rind from the fatback. Discard it or
save it for another  purpose. Work the salt into all surfaces of the
meat. Place it in a  noncorrosive bowl, cover it, and refrigerate it
overnight. Next day,  dry the meat by patting it with paper towels.
Don't be at pains to  remove the salt. Cut both the fat and the lean
meat into small thin  pieces about 2 inches by 1/4 inch. Preheat the
oven to 300^F Wrap the  garlic, thyme, bay leaf and peppercorns in a
piece of cheesecloth and  tie it up securely. Put this sachet at the
bottom of an ovenproof  earthenware pot (you can use a beanpot with a
lid) Put the chopped  meat in the pot and add the water. Seal the pot
with a piece of  aluminum foil and press the lid down over the foil
into the lid  groove of the pot. Put the pot on the center rack of the
oven and  bake it for 3.1/2 hours. Turn off the oven, but leave the pot
in  there for another 1/2 hour. Place a large, stout sieve over a bowl.
Break the seal on the pot and empty the contents into the sieve.
Discard the sachet. Break the bits of meat apart with your fingers.
Then, working with 2 forks, pull the fibers apart. This operation is
very essential for genuine rilletes, which are not a paste. They are
very finely shredded pork and fat. (Don't make the mistake of putting
the meat into the food processor and making a fine pate of it.)  NOTE:
You may eat the rilletes all at once if you like, but mix the  shredded
meat with a little of the dripping in a ratio of 2 parts  shredded meat
to 1 part dripping. You may also pack the rilletes into  jars or pots
and pour the dripping over them. Make certain that the  dripping covers
the rilletes at least 1/4 inch deep. Cover the tops  of the pots or
jars with foil. They will keep for a month or so under  refrigeration.
Make sure your pots are sterilized. An easy way to do  that is by
washing them well and rinsing them out with a few drops of  Cognac. Be
sure that the spread is at room temperature when you serve  it. If you
try to eat it cold, you will be astonished how tasteless  and greasy it
seems. When it is served at room temperature you get  the full benefit
of the long cooking, and the faint, savory perfume  and taste of the
garlic and herbs. The spread is at its best on  crusty, freshly baked
French bread.  Source: French Cooking En Famille  From The Cookie
Lady's Files  File
ftp://ftp.idiscover.co.uk/pub/food/mealmaster/recipes/mmdja006.zip

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