Canadian National Dishes

Québec Pork Rillettes (Rillettes de porc québécoises)

Slow-braised pork shoulder and belly are pulled into tender, visible strands, then moistened with a little reduced cooking broth and rendered fat. Québec charcuterie draws on French traditions while local cooks shape their own versions. These rillettes are served cold as a spread and must stay refrigerated; they are not a shelf-stable preserve.

Canadian National Dishes
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A wide table scene with a bowl of pork rillettes, rustic bread, a topped toast and cornichons.
A Québec-inspired charcuterie spread is served cold with bread and pickles.
Prep 20 minutes
Cook 240 minutes
Total 500 minutes
Calories About 280 kcal per portion
Ingredients ↓
Overview

Québec Pork Rillettes (Rillettes de porc québécoises)

Rillettes are made by cooking meat slowly until it pulls apart, then mixing the strands with enough cooking juices and fat to hold them together. Québec food and tourism sources include rillettes within the province's French-influenced charcuterie. This version uses shoulder for meaty strands and a smaller amount of pork belly for richness. Keep the texture fibrous rather than smooth: unlike Québec cretons, this is not made from ground pork and breadcrumbs. Serve it chilled and treat it as a perishable spread, not a preserve.

Practical

Practical

  • Keep the pot at a quiet simmer; a hard boil can make the cooking liquid cloudy and emulsify the fat.
  • Pull the meat into fine strands with forks instead of blending it, and add the broth gradually so it stays moist, not soupy.
  • Chill the spread promptly in shallow containers and keep it refrigerated until serving.
Ingredients

Ingredients

Pork and aromatics

  • 1000 g boneless pork shoulder, cut into 4 cm pieces
  • 250 g skinless pork belly, cut into 3 cm pieces
  • 120 g yellow onion, roughly chopped
  • 8 g garlic, lightly crushed
  • 500 ml cold water
  • 8 g fine salt
  • 2 g ground black pepper
  • 2 g fresh thyme sprigs
  • 2 bay leaves
Directions

Directions

Method

  1. Load the potPut the pork shoulder, pork belly, onion, garlic, water, salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaves in a heavy Dutch oven. The measured liquid should come roughly halfway up the meat.

  2. Braise gentlyBring just to a gentle simmer over medium heat and skim any foam. Cover and cook over the lowest heat for about 4 hours. Turn the meat every 45 minutes and check that the pot never boils hard or dries out.

  3. Check the porkThe meat is ready when it separates easily with a fork. Check the thickest pieces with a clean digital thermometer; pork must reach at least 71°C. Remove the bay leaves and thyme stems.

  4. Strain the liquidLift the meat into a bowl. Strain the cooking liquid into a heatproof jug and let it stand briefly so the fat rises. Reserve the clear broth and a little rendered fat; discard the aromatics and excess fat.

  5. Pull and moistenPull the pork apart with two forks into visible fine strands; do not purée it. Stir in 60 ml broth and 30 ml reserved rendered fat. Add broth a tablespoon at a time only until the strands are moist and loosely bound. Taste and adjust with a little salt or pepper if needed.

  6. Pack and chillPack into clean shallow containers, cover and refrigerate promptly. Chill until firm, at least 4 hours. Keep at or below 4°C, serve cold on bread or toast, and return the container to the refrigerator within 2 hours.

Practical

Practical

Serving

Keep raw pork refrigerated and separate from ready-to-eat food. Wash hands, utensils and surfaces after handling it. Use shallow containers so the spread chills quickly, and do not leave it at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Store at or below 4°C and use within 2–3 days, or freeze. A layer of fat on top does not make the rillettes shelf-stable. Serve with toasted bread, crisp pickles or sliced radishes; accompaniments are not included in the yield or nutrition estimate.

Nutrition

Nutrition

  • Serving sizeAbout 90 g
  • CaloriesAbout 280 kcal
  • CarbohydrateAbout 1 g
  • ProteinAbout 20 g
  • FatAbout 21 g
  • Fibre0 g
  • SodiumAbout 320 mg

Rounded generic estimate based on pork shoulder and belly, with some rendered fat discarded and a measured amount mixed back in. Pork trimming and retained fat vary. Bread is not included.

Allergens and food safety

Allergens and food safety

No major allergen is intentionally added to the rillettes. Bread served alongside contains wheat and may contain other allergens; check its label. Keep raw pork cold and separate from ready-to-eat food. Cook the pork to at least 71°C, checking the thickest pieces with a clean digital thermometer; tenderness is not a substitute for temperature measurement. Refrigerate promptly in shallow containers, keep at or below 4°C, and use within 2–3 days. This is not a canning recipe and is not shelf-stable. Reheat leftovers to 74°C if serving them hot.

Closing notes

Closing notes

  • The texture: visible, tender pork strands held together with a little broth and fat.
  • The key technique: chill the finished spread promptly and keep it cold.