An Inexpensive Way to Bring the Savors of France onto Your Table

If you are looking for a cost-effective (and tasty) method to feed your family this winter, look no further than utilizing this simple French technique. Confiting is the perfect way to take leaner, less expensive cuts and transform them into tender, moist, and MORE flavorful pork morsels.

How to Make Confit (click here for a duck confit recipe)

Prep Time 10 minutes + 1 day of marinating, Cook Time 3 hours

• 4 pounds of pork shoulder, cut into 8 pieces

• 1/4 cup coarse sea salt

• 1 tsp coarse ground black pepper

• 1 tbsp fresh thyme

• 1 sweet onion unpeeled, sliced

• 1 head garlic unpeeled, coarsely chopped

• 1 quart rendered pork, duck, or goose fat (or super-fat)

Instructions

1. To make the confit, in a large bowl toss the pork with the salt, pepper, thyme, onion, and garlic. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-3 days (see notes).

2. Preheat the oven to 250°F. Rinse the pork and discard the salt mixture. Place the pork in a large Dutch oven and cover it with 1 inch of the fat. Bake until the meat is super tender, about 3 hours.

3. Remove the pork from the oven and let it cool in the fat. To serve later, freeze in individual portions with a small amount of fat (for the express purpose of having it ready when you need to brown the meat) and serve it at another time.

Notes

I like to let the pork sit for 3 days so that the marinade fully penetrates the pork. But for complete disclosure, I have not had the patience to wait and cooked it after marinating only 1 day. Do what feels right to you in the moment.

Tips:

Try making a large batch and freezing it in small packets. Pork confit is a lovely thing to pull out and have a quick meal without much effort.

Two Great Ways to Enjoy Pork Confit

Once you have cooked the confit it is important to let it mature by resting for 5 days uninterrupted, bathing deep in the golden fat securely in your refrigerator. Of course, this is not mandatory. But think how the flavors of your favorite stew improve the longer they marry together in glorious harmony the more days you wait to eat it.

When you are ready gently warm the confit and gently pull the blocks of pork out. Strain the fat and save it for future use. The fat I use for confit is over 8 years old and keeps perfectly safe in my freezer until needed.

Here are a few suggestions of how to use your confit though you will undoubtedly think of many more, perhaps better ideas. I am a simple person born of habit so this first one is perhaps my favorite method of all.

Crispy Pork Confit with Sauteed Potatoes and a Green Salad

Prep Time 5 minutes, Cook Time 25 minutes, Servings 4

• 8 ounces of Pork Confit, cut into 8 slices

• 1 pound small Yukon Gold potatoes

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 sprig of fresh thyme

• 1 head of garlic cloves peeled, 2 smashed and the rest thinly sliced

• 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme

• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• Green Salad (see notes)

1. To crisp the pork, spoon a generous dollop of fat into a large nonstick skillet over low heat until it melts. Add the pork, and cook until it starts to crackle and turn brown, about 5 minutes. Low and slow is the preferred method here. Transfer to a plate and keep warm. Set the skillet aside.

2. To make the potatoes, in a medium saucepan, combine the potatoes, bay leaf, thyme, and the 2 smashed cloves of garlic and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and continue to boil until the potatoes are easily pierced with a small knife, about 10 minutes. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and add them to the skillet you cooked the pork. Cook over low heat until golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the sliced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until it’s a light amber, about 2 minutes. Pour the potatoes and garlic into a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl to remove the fat. Reserve the fat for another use. Return the potatoes and garlic to the skillet and stir in the thyme and salt and pepper. Serve the potatoes alongside the pork confit on warmed plates.

Notes

I think most people already know how to make a simple green salad. I would resist the urge to add any ingredients other than the dressing and the lettuce itself to this salad.

Confit of Pork Salad with Green Beans and Cabbage

completely inspired by Paula Wolfert

Prep Time 15 minutes + 1 hr marinating, Cook Time 10 minutes, Servings 4

When I was a young boy I used to ‘steal’ my mother’s cookbooks and read them late into the night. The dishes took me to far-off exotic places. One of my favorite authors was Paula Wolfert. Her words taught me the awesome power that food has to transport people elsewhere — to tell stories and share distant cultures. In a large way, she is responsible for my relationship with food and helped shape my career as a chef.

• 1/2 head of green cabbage, finely shredded

• 1/4 head of red cabbage, finely shredded

• 1 pound green beans, trimmed and cooked until tender

• 8 ounces of pork confit

• 1 finely minced shallot

For the creamy mustard vinaigrette

• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

• 2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar

• 1/2 tsp sea salt

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• 3 tbsp walnut oil

• 1/4 cup heavy cream

1. In a large bowl, toss the shredded cabbages and green beans in the creamy mustard vinaigrette. Let sit for 1 hour.

2. To crisp the pork, spoon a generous dollop of fat into a large nonstick skillet over low heat until it melts. Add the pork, and cook until it starts to crackle and turn brown, about 5 minutes. Low and slow is the preferred method here.

3. Arrange the cabbage on four dinner plates. Divide the pork evenly among the plates and sprinkle with the shallot.

PS, check out My favorite Paula Wolfert Moroccan Chicken Recipe

Variations on a Theme

The Vermonter

Since you probably still are drooling after reading Paul Wolfert’s recipe I thought to offer you my Vermont variation to her recipe. Try glazing the just-warmed Pork Confit with Old City Bourbon Maple Syrup. Then add a tablespoon more to the mustard vinaigrette. For extra bonus points, you could julienne an apple and toss it in with the cabbage.

Old City Syrup Company is located in Strafford, Vermont where singer phenomena Noah Kahan is also from. You could complete your Vermont experience by eating this sweet pork dish while listening to his hot ‘Stick Season’ found here.

The Northern French Version

Prepare my simple recipe and instead of sauteed potatoes try making mashed potatoes and mixing them with an equal quantity of sauteed Brussels sprouts. These potatoes are insanely good and go well with a number of other meats.

Pork Rillette

Yes, I said it — pork rillette. I don’t know about you but I seriously crave pork rillettes. For those who never had pork rillettes think of pork-flavored butter which is best eaten thickly smeared on warmed pieces of a baguette.

Making pork rillettes from pork confit is simple: just mix roughly 60 percent shredded pork confit with 40 percent pork fat and refrigerate. Pack rillette into 8-ounce jars, then cover them with a little extra fat and freeze for up to 6 months. They are perfect for quick meals, impromptu picnics, hors d’oeuvres, and holiday gifts.

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Francois de Melogue is a Photographer, reformed chef, cookbook author, and bon vivant. He lives in Saint Albans, Vermont with his wife Lisa and 12-year-old son Beaumont. His photography is available for sale at his online gallery.