Charcuterie_ The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing - Michael Ruhlman [123]
5. Allow the goose to cool in the pot, then refrigerate, completely submerged in the fat. Or gently transfer the goose to a container in which the pieces fit snugly, and ladle the fat into it until the pieces are completely covered. Refrigerate until the fat is solid, or for up to a month; or freeze for up to 4 months.
6. When ready to serve the confit, allow the fat to soften at room temperature for several hours, then remove the goose from the fat, wiping off the excess. Sauté in a large pan on the stovetop, or roast in a 425-degree-F./220-degree-C. oven, until the skin is crisp and meat is warmed through, about 10 minutes. Transfer the fat to a plastic container or freezer bag and freeze for later use in another confit.
Yield: 6 servings
PORK CONFIT
Why confit pork? Because it’s fantastic. To take an inexpensive tough cut of meat such as pork shoulder butt, and through your knowledge and skills as a cook transform it into something exquisite, well, that’s what real cooking is. It’s an effective technique for using any extra pork shoulder you might have. It’s also a way to make a store-bought pork loin, an item today that is otherwise impossible to cook well (it has almost no flavor and no fat) into a delicacy. A sandwich made with confited loin, for instance, is outstanding—talk about an amazing cold cut.
2 tablespoons/30 grams kosher salt
3 bay leaves
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1⁄2 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons/20 black peppercorns
1 bunch fresh sage
3 tablespoons/36 grams chopped shallots
1⁄2 teaspoon/3 grams pink salt
5 pounds/2.25 kilograms boneless pork shoulder butt, cut into 2-inch/5-centimeter chunks, or one 3-pound/1.5-kilogram boneless pork loin
2 to 4 cups/500 to 1000 milliliters rendered duck fat or lard (see page 260) or a combination
1. Combine all the ingredients except the pork and the fat in a spice grinder and pulverize to a powder.
2. Rub the mixture evenly all over the meat. Place it in a nonreactive container, cover, and refrigerate for 24 hours if you’re using pork shoulder pieces, 48 hours if you’re using pork loin.
3. Preheat the oven to 180 to 200 degrees F./82 to 93 degrees C.
4. Rinse the pork under tepid water, wiping off all the seasonings, and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Submerge the meat in the rendered fat in a stockpot or Dutch oven; the meat must be completely covered in fat. Bring the fat to a gentle simmer on the stovetop, then place the pot, uncovered, in the oven, and cook until fork-tender for 4 to 6 hours for shoulder, 3 hours for loin.
5. Cool in the fat, then cover, making sure all the meat is submerged in the fat and refrigerate for at least 24 hours, or for up to 3 weeks. Or freeze for up to 4 months.
6. To serve, allow the pork to come to room temperature, remove from the fat, and sauté over medium heat or roast at 425 degrees F./220 degrees C. until hot.
Yield: 4 pounds/1.75 kilograms pork confit
JIM DROHMAN’S PORK BELLY CONFIT
Jim Drohman is chef-owner of Le Pichet in Seattle, a bistro that specializes in charcuterie. Local cooks have made Drohman’s pork belly a kind of a cult item within their circle, repairing after work to the restaurant for this fantastic example of confit, a variant of rillons, pieces of pork belly sautéed until crispy.
Jim developed his cure based on Loire Valley tradition, which introduces white wine to the cure. Other areas, he says, might use another alcohol, such as Cognac. The seasoning is a sweet-spice mix that can be used with just about any confit. The amount of cure below is enough for 6 pounds/2.75 kilograms of pork belly, quite a bit more than most people will want to prepare at home, but stored in a tightly sealed container, it will keep for months.
You could roast or sauté the pieces to reheat, but