Photograph of the finished Rillettes

France · Vịt xé ngâm mỡ Rillettes de canard

Rillettes

3 hr Hands-on time + 24 hr waiting
MediumDifficulty
5 stepsSteps
Serves 4 Amounts follow along 4

What to get ready

  • Photograph of Duck thighs Duck thighs 1.8 lb
  • Photograph of Duck fat Duck fat 1.1 lb
  • Photograph of Coarse salt Coarse salt 0.8 oz
  • Photograph of Thyme Thyme 0.3 oz
  • Photograph of Bay leaf Bay leaf 4 leaves
  • Photograph of Black pepper Black pepper 0.4 oz
  • Photograph of Garlic Garlic 8 cloves
  • Photograph of Bread Bread 8.5 oz

Method

  1. 1 Rub coarse salt, thyme, and pepper all over the duck thighs, then refrigerate for 12 hours.
  2. 2 Rinse off the salt, pat dry, then simmer in duck fat at 85 degrees for 2 hours and 30 minutes, until the fat is only slightly bubbling.
  3. 3 Remove the meat from the pot, debone it, and remove the skin. Then, shred it using two forks instead of grinding it; the meat fibers should still be intact for proper rillettes.
  4. 4 Mix the meat with 4 tablespoons of strained rendered fat and season with salt and pepper to taste, as this is a cold dish.
  5. 5 Place in a jar, cover with a 5 mm thick layer of fat, and refrigerate for 12 hours before spreading on bread.

With an appliance

  • Oven 3 hr

    Replace step 2: deep-fry the duck thighs in fat on the middle rack of the oven at 120 degrees for 2 hours and 30 minutes; step 3 still involves tearing the meat with two forks while it's still warm so the rillettes retain their texture.

Start cooking