Pork Confit

Fit for Company, Cheap Eats, Comfort Food, Great Leftovers, Keeps Well

This is a much less salty version of the classic confit from southwestern France, which is usually made with fatted duck or goose. I’ve adapted a recipe that my wife, Nancy, uses at her restaurant, Boulevard, in San Francisco. Slow-poaching fatty cuts of pork in fat gives the meat an intense taste without drying it out. The unique flavors are mellowed and improved as the pork ages. Packed in the fat in which it was cooked, the pork will keep for 2 months in the refrigerator, ready for an impromptu family dinner or an important occasion. You can use pork confit in Cassoulet or fry up chunks to crisp the outside and serve warm in a salad of radicchio. For a great sandwich filling, gently warm it, then pour off the fat, chop the meat with cornichons and shallots, and combine with mayonnaise and a bit of coarse-grain Dijon mustard.

Makes about 3 pounds

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 pounds boneless Boston butt (pork shoulder butt), cut into 3-inch chunks (don’t trim too much fat from the meat)
• 2 onions, sliced
• 8 garlic cloves, peeled
• 6 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1 fresh rosemary sprig
• About 4 cups melted lard and/or olive oil

Herbes de Provence Rub:

• 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
• 6 bay leaves, crushed
• 2 fresh sage leaves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

PANFRIED PORK CONFIT AND RADICCHIO SALAD

Serves 4

• ¼ cup juices from Pork Confit
• ½ cup dry red wine
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 shallots, sliced into rings
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon fat from Pork Confit
• 1 cup coarsely shredded or chopped Pork Confit
• 2 small heads radicchio, very thinly sliced
• ½ cup toasted sliced almonds

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Rub: Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Rub generously over the pork chunks. Put the pork in a large zipper-lock bag and refrigerate for 24 to 30 hours, shaking and turning the bag from time to time to redistribute the rub.
2. Preheat the oven to 225°F.
3. Put the onions, garlic, thyme, and rosemary in a Dutch oven. Pat the pork dry with paper towels (don’t scrape off the spice rub) and lay it on top of the onions. Pour on the melted lard and/or olive oil to cover the meat. Bake for 4 to 5 hours, or until the meat is quite tender, turning the meat in the fat occasionally. The meat
   should be completely covered with fat at all times; add more lard or olive oil if necessary.
4. Using a slotted spoon, remove the pork from the fat and pack it snugly into a storage container. Strain the fat and juices into a glass measuring cup (discarding the onions, garlic, thyme, and rosemary) and let the juices settle to the bottom, about 5 minutes. Pour enough of the fat over the pork so that it’s completely covered by ½ inch and seal the container. Refrigerate for at least 2 weeks and up to 2 months before serving, making sure the pork is always completely immersed in fat. Pour the juices into another container and refrigerate or freeze for another use (see Cook’s Notes).
5. To serve the pork, remove the chunks of meat from the fat and scrape off any fat clinging to them. Heat the pork in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until crisped (see Panfried Pork Confit and Radicchio Salad).

PANFRIED PORK CONFIT AND RADICCHIO SALAD

1. Combine the confit juices, red wine, vinegar, shallots, and garlic in a small pan. Boil to reduce the liquid to ½ cup, 3 to 5 minutes. Let cool, then whisk in the oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Heat the confit fat in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the confit and fry until the edges of the meat begin to brown and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Combine the confit with the radicchio and almonds in a bowl and toss with the dressing. Divide among four salad plates and serve.

ALTERNATIVE CUTS:

• Pork cheeks; boneless country-style ribs; pork belly; or picnic shoulder, trimmed of skin and gristle.

COOK’S NOTES:

• If you don’t have herbes de Provence, use a mixture of equal parts dried marjoram, sage, thyme, rosemary, savory, fennel seeds, and basil—and, if you want to be truly traditional, dried lavender.
• The juices from the pork confit can be refrigerated for 3 to 4 days or frozen for several months and used in vinaigrettes or other dishes such as Cassoulet and stews to lend an intense porky flavor.