🕷️ Crawler Inspector

URL Lookup

Direct Parameter Lookup

Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 110 (from laksa184)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa110.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/honest-food.net\/how-to-make-rillettes\/","crawl_time":1775586479,"first_indexed_time":1605526481,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"net,honest-food!\/how-to-make-rillettes\/ s443","src_root_hash":"5862023998921741710","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"How to Make Rillettes - How to Make Potted Meat | Hank Shaw","meta_descriptions":["How to make rillettes from scratch at home. Rillettes are a sort of rough pate that is great with pork, wild game and fatty fish."],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.\nRillettes are probably my favorite easy charcuterie project: It’s versatile in that both the meats and seasonings are up to you, and it is much, much easier to make than pâté or a terrine.\nSo what are rillettes? Pronounced “ree-yets,” it is a French version of what we call potted meat in English. I am pretty sure you will agree that rillettes sound much nicer. Put simply, it is a rough, loose pâté, packed into a jar or ramekin. You normally eat is as a spread on nice bread.\nPhoto by Holly A. Heyser\nAnother way to think of rillettes is as pounded, shredded confit, because that’s how you cook whatever the meat is in your rillettes: Salted, then slowly cooked in fat.\nWhen you are working with wild game, you can braise the meats, pull them off the bone and then pound and shred them with a nice fat like fresh lard, duck or goose fat, or butter. It needs to be a fat that is solid, or semi-solid, at room temperature, so in theory you could use coconut oil if you really wanted to.\nAs for meats, pork and duck (and goose) are traditional. But pretty much anything goes. I’ve made rillettes from woodcock, pheasant, partridge, venison, rabbit, and grouse, which is what is in the pictures. Here is\nmy recipe for duck rillettes\n, which is a little different from the recipe below.\nPhoto by Holly A. Heyser\nYou can also use fish, too. I have\na great recipe for salmon rillettes\n, which is traditional, but you can make it with trout, mackerel, bluefish, or really anything that has a little fat in it. Really lean fish or really firm fish don’t work as well.\nHistorically, rillettes are a preservation method very similar to confit. You salt down the meat the night before — or several days before in the old days before refrigeration — then slowly cook it in fat until it falls apart. You remove any bones or weird bits, then beat your meat [snicker] in a large bowl with seasonings and fat to make the rillettes. Finally, you pack it into a jar and pour clean fat over it to seal. Put the lid on the jar and it will keep for a few months in a cool basement.\nUnless you are in a situation with no refrigeration, you don’t want to salt your meats for more than about 12 hours, or they will get very salty. And when you cook them, take your time. You want them to cook gently, for a long time, until they fall apart. Ideally you do this in fat, but you can do it in stock or even water, adding the fat in later.\nThe English\npotted meat spreads\nmore typically braise in water rather than fat, and they will also often finely grind the cooked meats before potting them up. This, alas, makes the finished product suspiciously like cat food. There is a Scottish variant called potted hough, which relies on gelatin in shanks to set it; I have a recipe for that\nin my book\nBuck Buck Moose\n.\nSeasonings in rillettes are a free for all. Traditional is the French quatre epices, which are typically black pepper, cloves, nutmeg and ginger. But whatever flavor profile you want will work. I’ve done a super Mexican version with Mexican oregano, allspice and various chile powders.\nWhat follows below is a German-inspired sharp-tailed grouse rillettes recipe with flavors of, well, an “everything” bagel: poppy seeds, sesame seeds, onion and garlic, caraway, and, for a wild touch, some yampa seeds, which taste like carrots. You can leave those out of course. Keep in mind you don’t have to use grouse; pork shoulder is traditional.\nAnd while it would be grand on a bagel, rillettes are mostly served on good, hearty bread.\nOnce you make your rillettes, if you seal the jars with butter or lard, they will keep for a month or two in the fridge. After opening them, pop off the fat cap, melt it again, smooth down the remaining rillettes, then pour the melted back back over it all to reseal.\n▢\n2\npounds\npork shoulder or any other meats\n(see above)\n▢\nSalt\n▢\n3\ntablespoons\nbrandy, bourbon or whisky\n(optional)\n▢\n2\ntablespoons\ndried marjoram or thyme\n▢\n2\nquarts\nstock or broth\n▢\n1\ncup\nduck fat, lard or butter\n▢\n1\/2\ncup\nyellow onion, minced\n▢\n1\nclove\ngarlic, minced\n▢\n1\/2\nteaspoon\ntoasted sesame seeds\n▢\n1\/2\nteaspoon\npoppy seeds\n▢\n1\/2\nteaspoon\ncaraway seeds\n▢\n1\/2\nteaspoon\nyampa or anise seeds\n(optional)\n▢\n1\ntablespoon\ndried lovage or parsley leaves, crushed\n(optional)\nIf you are using pork shoulder, cut it into chunks about 2 inches across. If you are using bird legs and wings, separate drumsticks from thighs. Toss the meat or meats with the brandy in a large bowl. Mix the dried marjoram and a couple tablespoons of salt and toss that with the meats. Let this sit in the fridge overnight, about 8 hours.\nRinse the meats and pat them dry. You can either submerge them in fat to cook, which is traditional -- but which requires a lot of lard, duck fat or butter -- or you can very gently simmer them in the stock, which is what I do. Cook the meats until they are very tender, anything from 2 hours for pork shoulder to 4 hours for, say, wild turkey legs.\nMeanwhile, sauté the onion and garlic in a little of the fat you are using until they are soft and translucent, but not browned. Set aside to cool.\nShred the meat into a large bowl. Add the cooked onion and garlic and any fat in the pan you used to cook them. Add all the seeds and the dried herbs. Add a few tablespoons of the stock you cooked the meats in to wet everything. Start beating on it with a potato masher, adding that 1 cup of whatever fat you are using little by little.\nKeep doing this until you have a rough mass that will spread. Tinker with the salt and fat to your taste, and if you want, add just a splash of the same kind of brandy you used to soak the meats in. Serve right away over bread, or pack into ramekins and top with melted fat and refrigerate.\nCalories:\n404\nkcal\n|\nCarbohydrates:\n5\ng\n|\nProtein:\n26\ng\n|\nFat:\n30\ng\n|\nSaturated Fat:\n10\ng\n|\nCholesterol:\n94\nmg\n|\nSodium:\n1010\nmg\n|\nPotassium:\n458\nmg\n|\nFiber:\n1\ng\n|\nSugar:\n2\ng\n|\nVitamin A:\n544\nIU\n|\nVitamin C:\n1\nmg\n|\nCalcium:\n26\nmg\n|\nIron:\n1\nmg\nNutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.\nWant Google to show you more recipes like this?\nYou May Also Like\nCharcuterie\nGerman Onion Sausage\nA recipe for zwiebelwurst, a German onion sausage. It’s a fine-grained, subtly flavored sausage with lots of onions in the mix.\nCharcuterie\nGreen Onion Sausage\nAn easy-to-make sausage that highlights whatever green onions you have handy. A perfect spring grilling link.\nScandinavian\nTjalknol, Frost Bump Venison\nTjalknol is a way of cooking meat, usually venison, from frozen. It’s known as ‘frost bump’ and involves slow cooking then brining. You eat the meat cold.\nFish\nWhitefish Salad\nA classic recipe for whitefisah salad with sour cream, capers, celery and sweet onions. Smoked whitefish is traditional, but most fish works.\nAbout Hank Shaw\nHey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet’s largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on\nInstagram\nand on\nFacebook\n.","attrs_markdown":"[Skip to content](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/how-to-make-rillettes\/#main-content)\n\n- [New Cookbook\\!](https:\/\/www.huntgathercook.shop\/products\/borderlands-recipes-and-stories-from-the-rio-grande-to-the-pacific)\n  - [Shop](https:\/\/www.huntgathercook.shop\/collections\/all)\n- [Wild Game](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wild-game\/)\n  - [Venison Recipes](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wild-game\/venison-recipes\/)\n  - [Duck Recipes and Goose Recipes](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wild-game\/duck-goose-recipes\/)\n  - [Rabbits, Hares and Squirrels](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wild-game\/rabbit-hare-squirrel-recipes\/)\n  - [Pheasants, Turkey, Quail](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wild-game\/pheasant-quail-partridge-chukar-recipes\/)\n  - [Dove Recipes](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wild-game\/dove-pigeon-recipes\/)\n  - [Wild Pig and Bear Recipes](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wild-game\/wild-pig-recipes\/)\n  - [My Best Taco Recipes](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wild-game\/taco-recipes\/)\n  - [Wild Game Sauces](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wild-game\/sauces-for-wild-game\/)\n- [Fish](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/fish-and-seafood-recipes\/)\n  - [General Fish Recipes](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/fish-and-seafood-recipes\/easy-fish-recipes\/)\n  - [Salmon Recipes](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/fish-and-seafood-recipes\/salmon-trout-recipes\/)\n  - [Snapper Recipes](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/snapper-recipes\/)\n  - [Crabs, Shellfish and Squid](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/fish-and-seafood-recipes\/shellfish-recipes\/)\n  - [Little Fish and Oddballs](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/fish-and-seafood-recipes\/shark-recipes\/)\n- [Gathering](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/foraging-recipes\/)\n  - [Preservation Recipes](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/category\/preservation-recipes\/)\n  - [Mushrooms](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/category\/foraging\/mushroom-recipes\/)\n  - [Sweet Things](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/category\/dessert-recipes\/)\n  - [Wild Greens and Herbs](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/foraging-recipes\/greens-and-herbs\/)\n  - [Acorns, Nuts, Starches](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/foraging-recipes\/acorns-nuts-and-other-wild-starches\/)\n- [Charcuterie](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/cured-meat\/)\n  - [Homemade Sausage Recipes](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/cured-meat\/fresh-sausages\/)\n  - [Smoker Recipes](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/cured-meat\/smoked-meat-fish-recipes\/)\n  - [Bacon, Jerky, Hams, etc](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/cured-meat\/hams-and-whole-cuts\/)\n  - [Salami Recipes](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/cured-meat\/salami-recipes\/)\n  - [Confit, Pate, Terrines](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/cured-meat\/confit-rillettes-etc\/)\n- [About](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/about\/)\n  - [Privacy Policy](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/about\/privacy-policy\/)\n  - [Podcast](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/hunt-gather-talk-podcast\/)\n- [Events](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/about\/classes-events-appearances\/)\n\n- [Stories](https:\/\/tothebone.substack.com\/)\n- [Contact](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/about\/contact\/)\n\n[Home](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/) \\| [Charcuterie](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/category\/charcuterie\/) \\| How to Make Rillettes\n\n# How to Make Rillettes\n5 from 5 votes\n\n[![](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/avatar_user_1_1774445236-64x64.jpg)](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/about\/)\n\nBy [Hank Shaw](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/about\/)\n\nNovember 16, 2020 \\| Updated March 30, 2021\n\n[Pin](https:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=https:\/\/honest-food.net\/how-to-make-rillettes\/&media=https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/rillettes-1200.jpg&description=How%20to%20Make%20Rillettes \"Share on Pinterest\")\n\n[Share](https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/honest-food.net\/how-to-make-rillettes\/&display=popup&ref=plugin&src=share_button \"Share on Facebook\")\n\n[Comment](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/how-to-make-rillettes\/#respond)\n\n[Jump to Recipe](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/how-to-make-rillettes\/#wprm-recipe-container-36002)\n\nAs an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.\n\nRillettes are probably my favorite easy charcuterie project: It’s versatile in that both the meats and seasonings are up to you, and it is much, much easier to make than pâté or a terrine.\n\nSo what are rillettes? Pronounced “ree-yets,” it is a French version of what we call potted meat in English. I am pretty sure you will agree that rillettes sound much nicer. Put simply, it is a rough, loose pâté, packed into a jar or ramekin. You normally eat is as a spread on nice bread.\n\n![Rillettes spread on crusty bread on a platter](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/rillettes-1200.jpg)\n\nPhoto by Holly A. Heyser\n\nAnother way to think of rillettes is as pounded, shredded confit, because that’s how you cook whatever the meat is in your rillettes: Salted, then slowly cooked in fat.\n\nWhen you are working with wild game, you can braise the meats, pull them off the bone and then pound and shred them with a nice fat like fresh lard, duck or goose fat, or butter. It needs to be a fat that is solid, or semi-solid, at room temperature, so in theory you could use coconut oil if you really wanted to.\n\nAs for meats, pork and duck (and goose) are traditional. But pretty much anything goes. I’ve made rillettes from woodcock, pheasant, partridge, venison, rabbit, and grouse, which is what is in the pictures. Here is [**my recipe for duck rillettes**](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/duck-or-goose-rillettes\/), which is a little different from the recipe below.\n\n![duck rillettes being served on a butter knife](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/rillettes-for-web-800px.jpg)\n\n![duck rillettes being served on a butter knife](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/rillettes-for-web-800px.jpg)\n\nPhoto by Holly A. Heyser\n\nYou can also use fish, too. I have [**a great recipe for salmon rillettes**](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/salmon-rillettes-recipe\/), which is traditional, but you can make it with trout, mackerel, bluefish, or really anything that has a little fat in it. Really lean fish or really firm fish don’t work as well.\n\nHistorically, rillettes are a preservation method very similar to confit. You salt down the meat the night before — or several days before in the old days before refrigeration — then slowly cook it in fat until it falls apart. You remove any bones or weird bits, then beat your meat \\[snicker\\] in a large bowl with seasonings and fat to make the rillettes. Finally, you pack it into a jar and pour clean fat over it to seal. Put the lid on the jar and it will keep for a few months in a cool basement.\n\nUnless you are in a situation with no refrigeration, you don’t want to salt your meats for more than about 12 hours, or they will get very salty. And when you cook them, take your time. You want them to cook gently, for a long time, until they fall apart. Ideally you do this in fat, but you can do it in stock or even water, adding the fat in later.\n\nThe English [**potted meat spreads**](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Potted_meat_food_product) more typically braise in water rather than fat, and they will also often finely grind the cooked meats before potting them up. This, alas, makes the finished product suspiciously like cat food. There is a Scottish variant called potted hough, which relies on gelatin in shanks to set it; I have a recipe for that [**in my book *Buck Buck Moose***](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/shop-books\/).\n\nSeasonings in rillettes are a free for all. Traditional is the French quatre epices, which are typically black pepper, cloves, nutmeg and ginger. But whatever flavor profile you want will work. I’ve done a super Mexican version with Mexican oregano, allspice and various chile powders.\n\n[![](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TTB-raw-300px.jpg)![](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TTB-raw-300px.jpg)](https:\/\/tothebone.substack.com\/)\n\nWhat follows below is a German-inspired sharp-tailed grouse rillettes recipe with flavors of, well, an “everything” bagel: poppy seeds, sesame seeds, onion and garlic, caraway, and, for a wild touch, some yampa seeds, which taste like carrots. You can leave those out of course. Keep in mind you don’t have to use grouse; pork shoulder is traditional.\n\nAnd while it would be grand on a bagel, rillettes are mostly served on good, hearty bread.\n\nOnce you make your rillettes, if you seal the jars with butter or lard, they will keep for a month or two in the fridge. After opening them, pop off the fat cap, melt it again, smooth down the remaining rillettes, then pour the melted back back over it all to reseal.\n\n[![Rillettes spread on crusty bread on a platter](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/rillettes-1200-300x300.jpg)![Rillettes spread on crusty bread on a platter](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/rillettes-1200-300x300.jpg)](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/rillettes-1200.jpg)\n\n5 from 5 votes\n\n## Basic Rillettes\nMake this recipe with pork shoulder, duck or goose legs, or cooked, shredded meat from any game animal. I used sharp-tailed grouse here.\n\n[Save Recipe](https:\/\/app.grow.me\/)[Saved Recipe](https:\/\/app.grow.me\/) [Pin Recipe](https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/bookmarklet\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fhonest-food.net%2Fhow-to-make-rillettes%2F&media=https%3A%2F%2Fhonest-food.net%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F11%2Frillettes-1200.jpg&description=Basic+Rillettes&is_video=false) [Print Recipe](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wprm_print\/basic-rillettes)\n\nCourse: Appetizer, Cured Meat, lunch, Snack\n\nCuisine: French\n\nServings: 8\n\nAuthor: [Hank Shaw](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/about\/)\n\nPrep Time: 20 minutes minutes\n\nCook Time: 3 hours hours\n\nCuring Time: 8 hours hours\n\nTotal Time: 11 hours hours 20 minutes minutes\n\n### Ingredients 1x 2x 3x\n- ▢\n  2 pounds pork shoulder or any other meats  (see above)\n- ▢\n  Salt\n- ▢\n  3 tablespoons brandy, bourbon or whisky (optional)\n- ▢\n  2 tablespoons dried marjoram or thyme\n- ▢\n  2 quarts stock or broth\n- ▢\n  1 cup duck fat, lard or butter\n- ▢\n  1\/2 cup yellow onion, minced\n- ▢\n  1 clove garlic, minced\n- ▢\n  1\/2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds\n- ▢\n  1\/2 teaspoon poppy seeds\n- ▢\n  1\/2 teaspoon caraway seeds\n- ▢\n  1\/2 teaspoon yampa or anise seeds (optional)\n- ▢\n  1 tablespoon dried lovage or parsley leaves, crushed (optional)\n\n### Instructions\n- If you are using pork shoulder, cut it into chunks about 2 inches across. If you are using bird legs and wings, separate drumsticks from thighs. Toss the meat or meats with the brandy in a large bowl. Mix the dried marjoram and a couple tablespoons of salt and toss that with the meats. Let this sit in the fridge overnight, about 8 hours.\n- Rinse the meats and pat them dry. You can either submerge them in fat to cook, which is traditional -- but which requires a lot of lard, duck fat or butter -- or you can very gently simmer them in the stock, which is what I do. Cook the meats until they are very tender, anything from 2 hours for pork shoulder to 4 hours for, say, wild turkey legs.\n- Meanwhile, sauté the onion and garlic in a little of the fat you are using until they are soft and translucent, but not browned. Set aside to cool.\n- Shred the meat into a large bowl. Add the cooked onion and garlic and any fat in the pan you used to cook them. Add all the seeds and the dried herbs. Add a few tablespoons of the stock you cooked the meats in to wet everything. Start beating on it with a potato masher, adding that 1 cup of whatever fat you are using little by little.\n- Keep doing this until you have a rough mass that will spread. Tinker with the salt and fat to your taste, and if you want, add just a splash of the same kind of brandy you used to soak the meats in. Serve right away over bread, or pack into ramekins and top with melted fat and refrigerate.\n\n### Nutrition\nCalories: 404kcal \\| Carbohydrates: 5g \\| Protein: 26g \\| Fat: 30g \\| Saturated Fat: 10g \\| Cholesterol: 94mg \\| Sodium: 1010mg \\| Potassium: 458mg \\| Fiber: 1g \\| Sugar: 2g \\| Vitamin A: 544IU \\| Vitamin C: 1mg \\| Calcium: 26mg \\| Iron: 1mg\n\nNutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.\n\nTried this recipe? Tag me today\\!Mention [@huntgathercook](https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/huntgathercook) or tag [\\#hankshaw](https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/explore\/tags\/hankshaw)\\!\n\nWant Google to show you more recipes like this?\n\n[Add me as a trusted source](https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=honest-food.net)\n\nCategorized as:  \n[Appetizers and Snacks](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/category\/appetizers-snacks\/), [Charcuterie](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/category\/charcuterie\/), [Featured](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/category\/featured\/), [French](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/category\/french-recipes\/), [How-To (DIY stuff)](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/category\/diy\/), [Recipe](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/category\/recipe\/), [Wild Game](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/category\/wild-game\/)\n\n## You May Also Like\n[![A bowl of zweibelwurst, German onion sausages, in a shaft of sunlight.](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/german-onion-sausage-378x567.jpg)![A bowl of zweibelwurst, German onion sausages, in a shaft of sunlight.](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/german-onion-sausage-378x567.jpg)](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/zwiebelwurst-onion-sausage-recipe\/)\n\nCharcuterie\n\n### [German Onion Sausage](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/zwiebelwurst-onion-sausage-recipe\/)\nA recipe for zwiebelwurst, a German onion sausage. It’s a fine-grained, subtly flavored sausage with lots of onions in the mix.\n\n[![A platter of green onion sausage served over herbed rice.](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/green-onion-sausage-378x567.jpg)![A platter of green onion sausage served over herbed rice.](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/green-onion-sausage-378x567.jpg)](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/green-onion-sausage\/)\n\nCharcuterie\n\n### [Green Onion Sausage](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/green-onion-sausage\/)\nAn easy-to-make sausage that highlights whatever green onions you have handy. A perfect spring grilling link.\n\n[![A tjalknol venison roast on a cutting board, sliced thin.](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/frost-bump-venison-378x567.jpg)![A tjalknol venison roast on a cutting board, sliced thin.](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/frost-bump-venison-378x567.jpg)](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/tjalknol-recipe-venison\/)\n\nScandinavian\n\n### [Tjalknol, Frost Bump Venison](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/tjalknol-recipe-venison\/)\nTjalknol is a way of cooking meat, usually venison, from frozen. It’s known as ‘frost bump’ and involves slow cooking then brining. You eat the meat cold.\n\n[![A platter with sliced radishes, rye bread and smoked witefish salad.](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/whitefish-salad-378x567.jpg)![A platter with sliced radishes, rye bread and smoked witefish salad.](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/whitefish-salad-378x567.jpg)](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/whitefish-salad-recipe\/)\n\nFish\n\n### [Whitefish Salad](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/whitefish-salad-recipe\/)\nA classic recipe for whitefisah salad with sour cream, capers, celery and sweet onions. Smoked whitefish is traditional, but most fish works.\n\n[![](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/avatar_user_1_1774445236-344x344.jpg)![](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/avatar_user_1_1774445236-344x344.jpg)](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/about\/)\n\nAbout Hank Shaw\n\nHey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet’s largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on **[Instagram](https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/huntgathercook\/)** and on **[Facebook](https:\/\/facebook.com\/huntgathercook\/)**.\n\n[Read More About Me](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/about\/)\n\n5 from 5 votes ([3 ratings without comment](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/how-to-make-rillettes\/))\n\n## Leave a comment [Cancel reply](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/how-to-make-rillettes\/#respond)\n## 14 Comments\n1. **Michael Richardson** says:\n   \n   [January 12, 2024 at 6:57 am](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/how-to-make-rillettes\/#comment-505056)\n   \n   Have you used an Instapot pressure cooker for things like this or is it a too “violent” method of cooking for this particular technique?\n   \n   [Reply](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/how-to-make-rillettes\/#comment-505056)\n2. **Larry Semmens** says:\n   \n   [September 23, 2021 at 11:26 am](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/how-to-make-rillettes\/#comment-408620)\n   \n   Duck, Duck Goose was good reading yesterday after processing a big batch of domestic ducks. Made rillettes of some of the legs. Very good! Also made pate with livers which is good with toasted bread. Thanks for all you do!!\\!\n   \n   [Reply](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/how-to-make-rillettes\/#comment-408620)\n3. **Steve Sanderson** says:\n   \n   [December 23, 2020 at 5:09 am](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/how-to-make-rillettes\/#comment-396161)\n   \n   This is great. I used wood duck and teal, made duck stock from the strained broth. I was surprised to get such a lot of good fat from wild ducks, enough for the recipe. I used cognac for the spirits. The flavor was richer by the day. Parsley was the only weak point. I’m going to try fenugreek next time. Wonderful recipe as is.\n   \n   [Reply](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/how-to-make-rillettes\/#comment-396161)\n4. **Lisa Guillory** says:\n   \n   [November 16, 2020 at 2:24 pm](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/how-to-make-rillettes\/#comment-395585)\n   \n   Can I use a food processor instead of pounding it?\n   \n   [Reply](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/how-to-make-rillettes\/#comment-395585)\n   1. **Hank Shaw** says:\n      \n      [November 16, 2020 at 2:27 pm](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/how-to-make-rillettes\/#comment-395586)\n      \n      Lisa: In theory, but the texture will not be as nice.\n      \n      [Reply](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/how-to-make-rillettes\/#comment-395586)\n5. **John P Grills** says:\n   \n   [November 16, 2020 at 8:47 am](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/how-to-make-rillettes\/#comment-395583)\n   \n   Looks like a great recipe I’m ready to make it. Quick question, do you add the 1C (duck) fat to the broth and then simmer? You discuss the fat as traditional, then fail to mention when to add it. At least from what I could see. Thanks! Love your newsletters\\!\n   \n   [Reply](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/how-to-make-rillettes\/#comment-395583)\n   1. **Hank Shaw** says:\n      \n      [November 16, 2020 at 9:41 am](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/how-to-make-rillettes\/#comment-395584)\n      \n      John: No, you beat it into the already cooked meat to make a rough, fatty, cohesive spread.\n      \n      [Reply](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/how-to-make-rillettes\/#comment-395584)\n6. **Justin** says:\n   \n   [November 16, 2020 at 6:52 am](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/how-to-make-rillettes\/#comment-395576)\n   \n   Hank  \n    Thanks for the recipe. What do you do when you come across the gamey gadwall? I had a couple ruin dinner for me this weekend.\n   \n   [Reply](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/how-to-make-rillettes\/#comment-395576)\n   1. **Hank Shaw** says:\n      \n      [November 16, 2020 at 7:45 am](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/how-to-make-rillettes\/#comment-395582)\n      \n      Justin: That’s probably the fat and skin that was gross. Skinned birds are fine here.\n      \n      [Reply](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/how-to-make-rillettes\/#comment-395582)\n7. **Kristofer Coffman** says:\n   \n   [November 16, 2020 at 6:50 am](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/how-to-make-rillettes\/#comment-395575)\n   \n   Would you recommend any changes to the recipe if you I were to do fox squirrel rilletes?\n   \n   [Reply](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/how-to-make-rillettes\/#comment-395575)\n   1. **Hank Shaw** says:\n      \n      [November 16, 2020 at 7:44 am](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/how-to-make-rillettes\/#comment-395581)\n      \n      Kristofer: Not really. Squirrel rillettes are tasty! I’ve made them.\n      \n      [Reply](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/how-to-make-rillettes\/#comment-395581)\n      1. **Kristofer Coffman** says:\n         \n         [November 18, 2020 at 10:45 am](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/how-to-make-rillettes\/#comment-395619)\n         \n         Awesome! Looking forward to trying it soon.\n8. **Ronald Ferguson Williams** says:\n   \n   [November 16, 2020 at 4:38 am](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/how-to-make-rillettes\/#comment-395574)\n   \n   Hank, can we buy your books in the UK?\n   \n   [Reply](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/how-to-make-rillettes\/#comment-395574)\n   1. **Hank Shaw** says:\n      \n      [November 16, 2020 at 7:42 am](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/how-to-make-rillettes\/#comment-395578)\n      \n      Ronald: Yes, they are in stores there, as well as Amazon.uk.\n      \n      [Reply](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/how-to-make-rillettes\/#comment-395578)\n\n![Hank Shaw looking at the camera, wearing a ball cap and a canvas jacket. ](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/20231007_162619-1200x1600.jpg)\n\nHi, I’m Hank Shaw\n\nI’m a James Beard Award-winning author and chef. I started this site back in 2007 to help you get the most out of all things wild: fish, game, edible wild plants and mushrooms. I also write **[cookbooks](https:\/\/www.huntgathercook.shop\/collections\/all)**, and have a brand-new book out now called ***[Borderlands: Recipes and Stories from the Rio Grande to the Pacific](https:\/\/www.huntgathercook.shop\/products\/borderlands-recipes-and-stories-from-the-rio-grande-to-the-pacific)***.\n\nOver on Substack, I have **[a website dedicated to the intersection of food and nature](https:\/\/tothebone.substack.com\/)**. If it’s wild, you’ll find it here. Hope you enjoy the site\\!\n\n[Read more about me](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/about\/)\n\nMy newest cookbook\n\n[![](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Hank-Ads-300x300-1.jpg)![](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Hank-Ads-300x300-1.jpg)](https:\/\/www.huntgathercook.shop\/products\/borderlands-recipes-and-stories-from-the-rio-grande-to-the-pacific)\n\n## Popular Recipes\n[![Pan seared venison tenderloin with a red wine sauce on a platter, alongside lingonberries and wild rice.](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/venison-tenderloin-full-378x567.jpg)![Pan seared venison tenderloin with a red wine sauce on a platter, alongside lingonberries and wild rice.](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/venison-tenderloin-full-378x567.jpg)](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/venison-tenderloin-recipe\/)\n\nVenison\n\n### [Pan Seared Venison Tenderloin](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/venison-tenderloin-recipe\/)\nA simple recipe for pan-seared venison tenderloin served with an equally simple pan sauce. Deer tenderloin is the most tender cut of the animal.\n\n[![A bowl of chilindron, a Spanish stew.](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/chilindron-recipe-378x398.jpg)![A bowl of chilindron, a Spanish stew.](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/chilindron-recipe-378x398.jpg)](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/spanish-chilindron-stew\/)\n\nSpanish\n\n### [Chilindron, Spanish Stew](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/spanish-chilindron-stew\/)\nChilindron, a Spanish stew dominated by roasted red peppers, paprika and onions, is one of my favorite dishes. It’s so versatile it works with almost any meat.\n\n[![A simple goose breast recipe of thinly sliced Canada goose breast with rosemary and black pepper on a cutting board.](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/goose-breast-recipe-378x567.jpg)![A simple goose breast recipe of thinly sliced Canada goose breast with rosemary and black pepper on a cutting board.](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/goose-breast-recipe-378x567.jpg)](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/canada-goose-breast-recipe\/)\n\nDucks and Geese\n\n### [Seared Canada Goose Breast](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/canada-goose-breast-recipe\/)\nThis is the best Canada goose breast recipe if you want to eat it like a steak or a London broil. Reverse seared goose breast sliced thin and served simply.\n\n[![A casserole dish of tater tot hotdish with a plate of the meal alongside.](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/venison-hotdish-with-plate-378x567.jpg)![A casserole dish of tater tot hotdish with a plate of the meal alongside.](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/venison-hotdish-with-plate-378x567.jpg)](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/tater-tot-hotdish-venison\/)\n\nAmerican Recipes\n\n### [Tater Tot Hotdish](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/tater-tot-hotdish-venison\/)\nA classic Minnesota tater tot hotdish with options to make the mushroom soup from scratch. This is a venison hotdish, but any meat works.\n\nNever miss a recipe\n\nSubscribe to get recipes sent directly to your inbox.\n\n[Subscribe](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/subscribe\/)\n\nAs Seen In\n\n![As seen in](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/themes\/huntgathercook-2023\/blocks\/as-seen-in\/mobile.svg)![As seen in](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/themes\/huntgathercook-2023\/blocks\/as-seen-in\/mobile.svg)\n\nAs Seen In\n\n![As seen in](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/themes\/huntgathercook-2023\/blocks\/as-seen-in\/desktop.svg)![As seen in](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/themes\/huntgathercook-2023\/blocks\/as-seen-in\/desktop.svg)![As seen in](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/themes\/huntgathercook-2023\/blocks\/as-seen-in\/mobile.svg)![As seen in](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/themes\/huntgathercook-2023\/blocks\/as-seen-in\/mobile.svg)\n\n[Back to Top](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/how-to-make-rillettes\/#top)\n\n[Hunter Angler Gardener Cook](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/)\n\n- [Wild Game](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wild-game\/)\n- [Fish](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/fish-and-seafood-recipes\/)\n- [Gathering](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/foraging-recipes\/)\n- [Charcuterie](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/cured-meat\/)\n- [About](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/about\/)\n- [Shop](https:\/\/www.huntgathercook.shop\/)\n- [Stories](https:\/\/tothebone.substack.com\/)\n- [Contact](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/about\/contact\/)\n\n©2026 Hunter Angler Gardener Cook. All rights reserved. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. [Privacy Policy](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/about\/privacy-policy\/) • Powered by [CultivateWP](https:\/\/cultivatewp.com\/).\n\n754 shares\n\n- 556\n- [198](https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fhonest-food.net%2Fhow-to-make-rillettes%2F&t=How%20to%20Make%20Rillettes%20-%20How%20to%20Make%20Potted%20Meat%20%7C%20Hank%20Shaw \"Share on Facebook\")\n## Rate This Recipe\n## Recipe Ratings without Comment\nSomething went wrong. Please try again.","attrs_readable_markdown":"As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.\n\nRillettes are probably my favorite easy charcuterie project: It’s versatile in that both the meats and seasonings are up to you, and it is much, much easier to make than pâté or a terrine.\n\nSo what are rillettes? Pronounced “ree-yets,” it is a French version of what we call potted meat in English. I am pretty sure you will agree that rillettes sound much nicer. Put simply, it is a rough, loose pâté, packed into a jar or ramekin. You normally eat is as a spread on nice bread.\n\n![Rillettes spread on crusty bread on a platter](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/rillettes-1200.jpg)\n\nPhoto by Holly A. Heyser\n\nAnother way to think of rillettes is as pounded, shredded confit, because that’s how you cook whatever the meat is in your rillettes: Salted, then slowly cooked in fat.\n\nWhen you are working with wild game, you can braise the meats, pull them off the bone and then pound and shred them with a nice fat like fresh lard, duck or goose fat, or butter. It needs to be a fat that is solid, or semi-solid, at room temperature, so in theory you could use coconut oil if you really wanted to.\n\nAs for meats, pork and duck (and goose) are traditional. But pretty much anything goes. I’ve made rillettes from woodcock, pheasant, partridge, venison, rabbit, and grouse, which is what is in the pictures. Here is [**my recipe for duck rillettes**](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/duck-or-goose-rillettes\/), which is a little different from the recipe below.\n\n![duck rillettes being served on a butter knife](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/rillettes-for-web-800px.jpg)\n\nPhoto by Holly A. Heyser\n\nYou can also use fish, too. I have [**a great recipe for salmon rillettes**](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/salmon-rillettes-recipe\/), which is traditional, but you can make it with trout, mackerel, bluefish, or really anything that has a little fat in it. Really lean fish or really firm fish don’t work as well.\n\nHistorically, rillettes are a preservation method very similar to confit. You salt down the meat the night before — or several days before in the old days before refrigeration — then slowly cook it in fat until it falls apart. You remove any bones or weird bits, then beat your meat \\[snicker\\] in a large bowl with seasonings and fat to make the rillettes. Finally, you pack it into a jar and pour clean fat over it to seal. Put the lid on the jar and it will keep for a few months in a cool basement.\n\nUnless you are in a situation with no refrigeration, you don’t want to salt your meats for more than about 12 hours, or they will get very salty. And when you cook them, take your time. You want them to cook gently, for a long time, until they fall apart. Ideally you do this in fat, but you can do it in stock or even water, adding the fat in later.\n\nThe English [**potted meat spreads**](https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Potted_meat_food_product) more typically braise in water rather than fat, and they will also often finely grind the cooked meats before potting them up. This, alas, makes the finished product suspiciously like cat food. There is a Scottish variant called potted hough, which relies on gelatin in shanks to set it; I have a recipe for that [**in my book *Buck Buck Moose***](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/shop-books\/).\n\nSeasonings in rillettes are a free for all. Traditional is the French quatre epices, which are typically black pepper, cloves, nutmeg and ginger. But whatever flavor profile you want will work. I’ve done a super Mexican version with Mexican oregano, allspice and various chile powders.\n\n[![](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TTB-raw-300px.jpg)](https:\/\/tothebone.substack.com\/)\n\nWhat follows below is a German-inspired sharp-tailed grouse rillettes recipe with flavors of, well, an “everything” bagel: poppy seeds, sesame seeds, onion and garlic, caraway, and, for a wild touch, some yampa seeds, which taste like carrots. You can leave those out of course. Keep in mind you don’t have to use grouse; pork shoulder is traditional.\n\nAnd while it would be grand on a bagel, rillettes are mostly served on good, hearty bread.\n\nOnce you make your rillettes, if you seal the jars with butter or lard, they will keep for a month or two in the fridge. After opening them, pop off the fat cap, melt it again, smooth down the remaining rillettes, then pour the melted back back over it all to reseal.\n\n- ▢\n  2 pounds pork shoulder or any other meats  (see above)\n- ▢\n  Salt\n- ▢\n  3 tablespoons brandy, bourbon or whisky (optional)\n- ▢\n  2 tablespoons dried marjoram or thyme\n- ▢\n  2 quarts stock or broth\n- ▢\n  1 cup duck fat, lard or butter\n- ▢\n  1\/2 cup yellow onion, minced\n- ▢\n  1 clove garlic, minced\n- ▢\n  1\/2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds\n- ▢\n  1\/2 teaspoon poppy seeds\n- ▢\n  1\/2 teaspoon caraway seeds\n- ▢\n  1\/2 teaspoon yampa or anise seeds (optional)\n- ▢\n  1 tablespoon dried lovage or parsley leaves, crushed (optional)\n\n- If you are using pork shoulder, cut it into chunks about 2 inches across. If you are using bird legs and wings, separate drumsticks from thighs. Toss the meat or meats with the brandy in a large bowl. Mix the dried marjoram and a couple tablespoons of salt and toss that with the meats. Let this sit in the fridge overnight, about 8 hours.\n- Rinse the meats and pat them dry. You can either submerge them in fat to cook, which is traditional -- but which requires a lot of lard, duck fat or butter -- or you can very gently simmer them in the stock, which is what I do. Cook the meats until they are very tender, anything from 2 hours for pork shoulder to 4 hours for, say, wild turkey legs.\n- Meanwhile, sauté the onion and garlic in a little of the fat you are using until they are soft and translucent, but not browned. Set aside to cool.\n- Shred the meat into a large bowl. Add the cooked onion and garlic and any fat in the pan you used to cook them. Add all the seeds and the dried herbs. Add a few tablespoons of the stock you cooked the meats in to wet everything. Start beating on it with a potato masher, adding that 1 cup of whatever fat you are using little by little.\n- Keep doing this until you have a rough mass that will spread. Tinker with the salt and fat to your taste, and if you want, add just a splash of the same kind of brandy you used to soak the meats in. Serve right away over bread, or pack into ramekins and top with melted fat and refrigerate.\n\nCalories: 404kcal \\| Carbohydrates: 5g \\| Protein: 26g \\| Fat: 30g \\| Saturated Fat: 10g \\| Cholesterol: 94mg \\| Sodium: 1010mg \\| Potassium: 458mg \\| Fiber: 1g \\| Sugar: 2g \\| Vitamin A: 544IU \\| Vitamin C: 1mg \\| Calcium: 26mg \\| Iron: 1mg\n\nNutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.\n\nWant Google to show you more recipes like this?\n\nYou May Also Like\n\nCharcuterie\n\n### [German Onion Sausage](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/zwiebelwurst-onion-sausage-recipe\/)\nA recipe for zwiebelwurst, a German onion sausage. It’s a fine-grained, subtly flavored sausage with lots of onions in the mix.\n\nCharcuterie\n\n### [Green Onion Sausage](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/green-onion-sausage\/)\nAn easy-to-make sausage that highlights whatever green onions you have handy. A perfect spring grilling link.\n\nScandinavian\n\n### [Tjalknol, Frost Bump Venison](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/tjalknol-recipe-venison\/)\nTjalknol is a way of cooking meat, usually venison, from frozen. It’s known as ‘frost bump’ and involves slow cooking then brining. You eat the meat cold.\n\nFish\n\n### [Whitefish Salad](https:\/\/honest-food.net\/whitefish-salad-recipe\/)\nA classic recipe for whitefisah salad with sour cream, capers, celery and sweet onions. Smoked whitefish is traditional, but most fish works.\n\nAbout Hank Shaw\n\nHey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet’s largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on **[Instagram](https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/huntgathercook\/)** and on **[Facebook](https:\/\/facebook.com\/huntgathercook\/)**.","meta_canonical":null}

3. Robots.txt Check

Query:

Response:

4. Spam/Ban Check

Query:

Response:

5. Seen Status Check

ℹ️ Skipped - page is already crawled

📄

INDEXABLE

✅

CRAWLED

4 days ago

🤖

ROBOTS ALLOWED

Page Info Filters

Filter	Status	Condition	Details
HTTP status	PASS	`download_http_code = 200`	HTTP 200
Age cutoff	PASS	`download_stamp > now() - 6 MONTH`	0.2 months ago
History drop	PASS	`isNull(history_drop_reason)`	No drop reason
Spam/ban	PASS	`fh_dont_index != 1 AND ml_spam_score = 0`	ml_spam_score=0
Canonical	PASS	`meta_canonical IS NULL OR = '' OR = src_unparsed`	Not set

Page Details

Property	Value
URL	https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/
Last Crawled	2026-04-07 18:27:59 (4 days ago)
First Indexed	2020-11-16 11:34:41 (5 years ago)
HTTP Status Code	200
Meta Title	How to Make Rillettes - How to Make Potted Meat \| Hank Shaw
Meta Description	How to make rillettes from scratch at home. Rillettes are a sort of rough pate that is great with pork, wild game and fatty fish.
Meta Canonical	null
Boilerpipe Text	As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Rillettes are probably my favorite easy charcuterie project: It’s versatile in that both the meats and seasonings are up to you, and it is much, much easier to make than pâté or a terrine. So what are rillettes? Pronounced “ree-yets,” it is a French version of what we call potted meat in English. I am pretty sure you will agree that rillettes sound much nicer. Put simply, it is a rough, loose pâté, packed into a jar or ramekin. You normally eat is as a spread on nice bread. Photo by Holly A. Heyser Another way to think of rillettes is as pounded, shredded confit, because that’s how you cook whatever the meat is in your rillettes: Salted, then slowly cooked in fat. When you are working with wild game, you can braise the meats, pull them off the bone and then pound and shred them with a nice fat like fresh lard, duck or goose fat, or butter. It needs to be a fat that is solid, or semi-solid, at room temperature, so in theory you could use coconut oil if you really wanted to. As for meats, pork and duck (and goose) are traditional. But pretty much anything goes. I’ve made rillettes from woodcock, pheasant, partridge, venison, rabbit, and grouse, which is what is in the pictures. Here is my recipe for duck rillettes , which is a little different from the recipe below. Photo by Holly A. Heyser You can also use fish, too. I have a great recipe for salmon rillettes , which is traditional, but you can make it with trout, mackerel, bluefish, or really anything that has a little fat in it. Really lean fish or really firm fish don’t work as well. Historically, rillettes are a preservation method very similar to confit. You salt down the meat the night before — or several days before in the old days before refrigeration — then slowly cook it in fat until it falls apart. You remove any bones or weird bits, then beat your meat [snicker] in a large bowl with seasonings and fat to make the rillettes. Finally, you pack it into a jar and pour clean fat over it to seal. Put the lid on the jar and it will keep for a few months in a cool basement. Unless you are in a situation with no refrigeration, you don’t want to salt your meats for more than about 12 hours, or they will get very salty. And when you cook them, take your time. You want them to cook gently, for a long time, until they fall apart. Ideally you do this in fat, but you can do it in stock or even water, adding the fat in later. The English potted meat spreads more typically braise in water rather than fat, and they will also often finely grind the cooked meats before potting them up. This, alas, makes the finished product suspiciously like cat food. There is a Scottish variant called potted hough, which relies on gelatin in shanks to set it; I have a recipe for that in my book Buck Buck Moose . Seasonings in rillettes are a free for all. Traditional is the French quatre epices, which are typically black pepper, cloves, nutmeg and ginger. But whatever flavor profile you want will work. I’ve done a super Mexican version with Mexican oregano, allspice and various chile powders. What follows below is a German-inspired sharp-tailed grouse rillettes recipe with flavors of, well, an “everything” bagel: poppy seeds, sesame seeds, onion and garlic, caraway, and, for a wild touch, some yampa seeds, which taste like carrots. You can leave those out of course. Keep in mind you don’t have to use grouse; pork shoulder is traditional. And while it would be grand on a bagel, rillettes are mostly served on good, hearty bread. Once you make your rillettes, if you seal the jars with butter or lard, they will keep for a month or two in the fridge. After opening them, pop off the fat cap, melt it again, smooth down the remaining rillettes, then pour the melted back back over it all to reseal. ▢ 2 pounds pork shoulder or any other meats (see above) ▢ Salt ▢ 3 tablespoons brandy, bourbon or whisky (optional) ▢ 2 tablespoons dried marjoram or thyme ▢ 2 quarts stock or broth ▢ 1 cup duck fat, lard or butter ▢ 1/2 cup yellow onion, minced ▢ 1 clove garlic, minced ▢ 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds ▢ 1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds ▢ 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds ▢ 1/2 teaspoon yampa or anise seeds (optional) ▢ 1 tablespoon dried lovage or parsley leaves, crushed (optional) If you are using pork shoulder, cut it into chunks about 2 inches across. If you are using bird legs and wings, separate drumsticks from thighs. Toss the meat or meats with the brandy in a large bowl. Mix the dried marjoram and a couple tablespoons of salt and toss that with the meats. Let this sit in the fridge overnight, about 8 hours. Rinse the meats and pat them dry. You can either submerge them in fat to cook, which is traditional -- but which requires a lot of lard, duck fat or butter -- or you can very gently simmer them in the stock, which is what I do. Cook the meats until they are very tender, anything from 2 hours for pork shoulder to 4 hours for, say, wild turkey legs. Meanwhile, sauté the onion and garlic in a little of the fat you are using until they are soft and translucent, but not browned. Set aside to cool. Shred the meat into a large bowl. Add the cooked onion and garlic and any fat in the pan you used to cook them. Add all the seeds and the dried herbs. Add a few tablespoons of the stock you cooked the meats in to wet everything. Start beating on it with a potato masher, adding that 1 cup of whatever fat you are using little by little. Keep doing this until you have a rough mass that will spread. Tinker with the salt and fat to your taste, and if you want, add just a splash of the same kind of brandy you used to soak the meats in. Serve right away over bread, or pack into ramekins and top with melted fat and refrigerate. Calories: 404 kcal \| Carbohydrates: 5 g \| Protein: 26 g \| Fat: 30 g \| Saturated Fat: 10 g \| Cholesterol: 94 mg \| Sodium: 1010 mg \| Potassium: 458 mg \| Fiber: 1 g \| Sugar: 2 g \| Vitamin A: 544 IU \| Vitamin C: 1 mg \| Calcium: 26 mg \| Iron: 1 mg Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation. Want Google to show you more recipes like this? You May Also Like Charcuterie German Onion Sausage A recipe for zwiebelwurst, a German onion sausage. It’s a fine-grained, subtly flavored sausage with lots of onions in the mix. Charcuterie Green Onion Sausage An easy-to-make sausage that highlights whatever green onions you have handy. A perfect spring grilling link. Scandinavian Tjalknol, Frost Bump Venison Tjalknol is a way of cooking meat, usually venison, from frozen. It’s known as ‘frost bump’ and involves slow cooking then brining. You eat the meat cold. Fish Whitefish Salad A classic recipe for whitefisah salad with sour cream, capers, celery and sweet onions. Smoked whitefish is traditional, but most fish works. About Hank Shaw Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet’s largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook .
Markdown	[Skip to content](https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/#main-content) - [New Cookbook\!](https://www.huntgathercook.shop/products/borderlands-recipes-and-stories-from-the-rio-grande-to-the-pacific) - [Shop](https://www.huntgathercook.shop/collections/all) - [Wild Game](https://honest-food.net/wild-game/) - [Venison Recipes](https://honest-food.net/wild-game/venison-recipes/) - [Duck Recipes and Goose Recipes](https://honest-food.net/wild-game/duck-goose-recipes/) - [Rabbits, Hares and Squirrels](https://honest-food.net/wild-game/rabbit-hare-squirrel-recipes/) - [Pheasants, Turkey, Quail](https://honest-food.net/wild-game/pheasant-quail-partridge-chukar-recipes/) - [Dove Recipes](https://honest-food.net/wild-game/dove-pigeon-recipes/) - [Wild Pig and Bear Recipes](https://honest-food.net/wild-game/wild-pig-recipes/) - [My Best Taco Recipes](https://honest-food.net/wild-game/taco-recipes/) - [Wild Game Sauces](https://honest-food.net/wild-game/sauces-for-wild-game/) - [Fish](https://honest-food.net/fish-and-seafood-recipes/) - [General Fish Recipes](https://honest-food.net/fish-and-seafood-recipes/easy-fish-recipes/) - [Salmon Recipes](https://honest-food.net/fish-and-seafood-recipes/salmon-trout-recipes/) - [Snapper Recipes](https://honest-food.net/snapper-recipes/) - [Crabs, Shellfish and Squid](https://honest-food.net/fish-and-seafood-recipes/shellfish-recipes/) - [Little Fish and Oddballs](https://honest-food.net/fish-and-seafood-recipes/shark-recipes/) - [Gathering](https://honest-food.net/foraging-recipes/) - [Preservation Recipes](https://honest-food.net/category/preservation-recipes/) - [Mushrooms](https://honest-food.net/category/foraging/mushroom-recipes/) - [Sweet Things](https://honest-food.net/category/dessert-recipes/) - [Wild Greens and Herbs](https://honest-food.net/foraging-recipes/greens-and-herbs/) - [Acorns, Nuts, Starches](https://honest-food.net/foraging-recipes/acorns-nuts-and-other-wild-starches/) - [Charcuterie](https://honest-food.net/cured-meat/) - [Homemade Sausage Recipes](https://honest-food.net/cured-meat/fresh-sausages/) - [Smoker Recipes](https://honest-food.net/cured-meat/smoked-meat-fish-recipes/) - [Bacon, Jerky, Hams, etc](https://honest-food.net/cured-meat/hams-and-whole-cuts/) - [Salami Recipes](https://honest-food.net/cured-meat/salami-recipes/) - [Confit, Pate, Terrines](https://honest-food.net/cured-meat/confit-rillettes-etc/) - [About](https://honest-food.net/about/) - [Privacy Policy](https://honest-food.net/about/privacy-policy/) - [Podcast](https://honest-food.net/hunt-gather-talk-podcast/) - [Events](https://honest-food.net/about/classes-events-appearances/) - [Stories](https://tothebone.substack.com/) - [Contact](https://honest-food.net/about/contact/) [Home](https://honest-food.net/) \\| [Charcuterie](https://honest-food.net/category/charcuterie/) \\| How to Make Rillettes # How to Make Rillettes 5 from 5 votes [![](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/avatar_user_1_1774445236-64x64.jpg)](https://honest-food.net/about/) By [Hank Shaw](https://honest-food.net/about/) November 16, 2020 \\| Updated March 30, 2021 [Pin](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/&media=https://honest-food.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/rillettes-1200.jpg&description=How%20to%20Make%20Rillettes "Share on Pinterest") [Share](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/&display=popup&ref=plugin&src=share_button "Share on Facebook") [Comment](https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/#respond) [Jump to Recipe](https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/#wprm-recipe-container-36002) As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Rillettes are probably my favorite easy charcuterie project: It’s versatile in that both the meats and seasonings are up to you, and it is much, much easier to make than pâté or a terrine. So what are rillettes? Pronounced “ree-yets,” it is a French version of what we call potted meat in English. I am pretty sure you will agree that rillettes sound much nicer. Put simply, it is a rough, loose pâté, packed into a jar or ramekin. You normally eat is as a spread on nice bread. ![Rillettes spread on crusty bread on a platter](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/rillettes-1200.jpg) Photo by Holly A. Heyser Another way to think of rillettes is as pounded, shredded confit, because that’s how you cook whatever the meat is in your rillettes: Salted, then slowly cooked in fat. When you are working with wild game, you can braise the meats, pull them off the bone and then pound and shred them with a nice fat like fresh lard, duck or goose fat, or butter. It needs to be a fat that is solid, or semi-solid, at room temperature, so in theory you could use coconut oil if you really wanted to. As for meats, pork and duck (and goose) are traditional. But pretty much anything goes. I’ve made rillettes from woodcock, pheasant, partridge, venison, rabbit, and grouse, which is what is in the pictures. Here is [my recipe for duck rillettes](https://honest-food.net/duck-or-goose-rillettes/), which is a little different from the recipe below. ![duck rillettes being served on a butter knife](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/rillettes-for-web-800px.jpg) ![duck rillettes being served on a butter knife](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/rillettes-for-web-800px.jpg) Photo by Holly A. Heyser You can also use fish, too. I have [a great recipe for salmon rillettes](https://honest-food.net/salmon-rillettes-recipe/), which is traditional, but you can make it with trout, mackerel, bluefish, or really anything that has a little fat in it. Really lean fish or really firm fish don’t work as well. Historically, rillettes are a preservation method very similar to confit. You salt down the meat the night before — or several days before in the old days before refrigeration — then slowly cook it in fat until it falls apart. You remove any bones or weird bits, then beat your meat \[snicker\] in a large bowl with seasonings and fat to make the rillettes. Finally, you pack it into a jar and pour clean fat over it to seal. Put the lid on the jar and it will keep for a few months in a cool basement. Unless you are in a situation with no refrigeration, you don’t want to salt your meats for more than about 12 hours, or they will get very salty. And when you cook them, take your time. You want them to cook gently, for a long time, until they fall apart. Ideally you do this in fat, but you can do it in stock or even water, adding the fat in later. The English [potted meat spreads](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potted_meat_food_product) more typically braise in water rather than fat, and they will also often finely grind the cooked meats before potting them up. This, alas, makes the finished product suspiciously like cat food. There is a Scottish variant called potted hough, which relies on gelatin in shanks to set it; I have a recipe for that [*in my book Buck Buck Moose*](https://honest-food.net/shop-books/). Seasonings in rillettes are a free for all. Traditional is the French quatre epices, which are typically black pepper, cloves, nutmeg and ginger. But whatever flavor profile you want will work. I’ve done a super Mexican version with Mexican oregano, allspice and various chile powders. [![](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/TTB-raw-300px.jpg)![](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/TTB-raw-300px.jpg)](https://tothebone.substack.com/) What follows below is a German-inspired sharp-tailed grouse rillettes recipe with flavors of, well, an “everything” bagel: poppy seeds, sesame seeds, onion and garlic, caraway, and, for a wild touch, some yampa seeds, which taste like carrots. You can leave those out of course. Keep in mind you don’t have to use grouse; pork shoulder is traditional. And while it would be grand on a bagel, rillettes are mostly served on good, hearty bread. Once you make your rillettes, if you seal the jars with butter or lard, they will keep for a month or two in the fridge. After opening them, pop off the fat cap, melt it again, smooth down the remaining rillettes, then pour the melted back back over it all to reseal. [![Rillettes spread on crusty bread on a platter](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/rillettes-1200-300x300.jpg)![Rillettes spread on crusty bread on a platter](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/rillettes-1200-300x300.jpg)](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/rillettes-1200.jpg) 5 from 5 votes ## Basic Rillettes Make this recipe with pork shoulder, duck or goose legs, or cooked, shredded meat from any game animal. I used sharp-tailed grouse here. [Save Recipe](https://app.grow.me/)[Saved Recipe](https://app.grow.me/) [Pin Recipe](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/bookmarklet/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fhonest-food.net%2Fhow-to-make-rillettes%2F&media=https%3A%2F%2Fhonest-food.net%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F11%2Frillettes-1200.jpg&description=Basic+Rillettes&is_video=false) [Print Recipe](https://honest-food.net/wprm_print/basic-rillettes) Course: Appetizer, Cured Meat, lunch, Snack Cuisine: French Servings: 8 Author: [Hank Shaw](https://honest-food.net/about/) Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes Cook Time: 3 hours hours Curing Time: 8 hours hours Total Time: 11 hours hours 20 minutes minutes ### Ingredients 1x 2x 3x - ▢ 2 pounds pork shoulder or any other meats (see above) - ▢ Salt - ▢ 3 tablespoons brandy, bourbon or whisky (optional) - ▢ 2 tablespoons dried marjoram or thyme - ▢ 2 quarts stock or broth - ▢ 1 cup duck fat, lard or butter - ▢ 1/2 cup yellow onion, minced - ▢ 1 clove garlic, minced - ▢ 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds - ▢ 1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds - ▢ 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds - ▢ 1/2 teaspoon yampa or anise seeds (optional) - ▢ 1 tablespoon dried lovage or parsley leaves, crushed (optional) ### Instructions - If you are using pork shoulder, cut it into chunks about 2 inches across. If you are using bird legs and wings, separate drumsticks from thighs. Toss the meat or meats with the brandy in a large bowl. Mix the dried marjoram and a couple tablespoons of salt and toss that with the meats. Let this sit in the fridge overnight, about 8 hours. - Rinse the meats and pat them dry. You can either submerge them in fat to cook, which is traditional -- but which requires a lot of lard, duck fat or butter -- or you can very gently simmer them in the stock, which is what I do. Cook the meats until they are very tender, anything from 2 hours for pork shoulder to 4 hours for, say, wild turkey legs. - Meanwhile, sauté the onion and garlic in a little of the fat you are using until they are soft and translucent, but not browned. Set aside to cool. - Shred the meat into a large bowl. Add the cooked onion and garlic and any fat in the pan you used to cook them. Add all the seeds and the dried herbs. Add a few tablespoons of the stock you cooked the meats in to wet everything. Start beating on it with a potato masher, adding that 1 cup of whatever fat you are using little by little. - Keep doing this until you have a rough mass that will spread. Tinker with the salt and fat to your taste, and if you want, add just a splash of the same kind of brandy you used to soak the meats in. Serve right away over bread, or pack into ramekins and top with melted fat and refrigerate. ### Nutrition Calories: 404kcal \\| Carbohydrates: 5g \\| Protein: 26g \\| Fat: 30g \\| Saturated Fat: 10g \\| Cholesterol: 94mg \\| Sodium: 1010mg \\| Potassium: 458mg \\| Fiber: 1g \\| Sugar: 2g \\| Vitamin A: 544IU \\| Vitamin C: 1mg \\| Calcium: 26mg \\| Iron: 1mg Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation. Tried this recipe? Tag me today\!Mention [@huntgathercook](https://www.instagram.com/huntgathercook) or tag [\#hankshaw](https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/hankshaw)\! Want Google to show you more recipes like this? [Add me as a trusted source](https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=honest-food.net) Categorized as: [Appetizers and Snacks](https://honest-food.net/category/appetizers-snacks/), [Charcuterie](https://honest-food.net/category/charcuterie/), [Featured](https://honest-food.net/category/featured/), [French](https://honest-food.net/category/french-recipes/), [How-To (DIY stuff)](https://honest-food.net/category/diy/), [Recipe](https://honest-food.net/category/recipe/), [Wild Game](https://honest-food.net/category/wild-game/) ## You May Also Like [![A bowl of zweibelwurst, German onion sausages, in a shaft of sunlight.](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/german-onion-sausage-378x567.jpg)![A bowl of zweibelwurst, German onion sausages, in a shaft of sunlight.](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/german-onion-sausage-378x567.jpg)](https://honest-food.net/zwiebelwurst-onion-sausage-recipe/) Charcuterie ### [German Onion Sausage](https://honest-food.net/zwiebelwurst-onion-sausage-recipe/) A recipe for zwiebelwurst, a German onion sausage. It’s a fine-grained, subtly flavored sausage with lots of onions in the mix. [![A platter of green onion sausage served over herbed rice.](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/green-onion-sausage-378x567.jpg)![A platter of green onion sausage served over herbed rice.](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/green-onion-sausage-378x567.jpg)](https://honest-food.net/green-onion-sausage/) Charcuterie ### [Green Onion Sausage](https://honest-food.net/green-onion-sausage/) An easy-to-make sausage that highlights whatever green onions you have handy. A perfect spring grilling link. [![A tjalknol venison roast on a cutting board, sliced thin.](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/frost-bump-venison-378x567.jpg)![A tjalknol venison roast on a cutting board, sliced thin.](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/frost-bump-venison-378x567.jpg)](https://honest-food.net/tjalknol-recipe-venison/) Scandinavian ### [Tjalknol, Frost Bump Venison](https://honest-food.net/tjalknol-recipe-venison/) Tjalknol is a way of cooking meat, usually venison, from frozen. It’s known as ‘frost bump’ and involves slow cooking then brining. You eat the meat cold. [![A platter with sliced radishes, rye bread and smoked witefish salad.](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/whitefish-salad-378x567.jpg)![A platter with sliced radishes, rye bread and smoked witefish salad.](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/whitefish-salad-378x567.jpg)](https://honest-food.net/whitefish-salad-recipe/) Fish ### [Whitefish Salad](https://honest-food.net/whitefish-salad-recipe/) A classic recipe for whitefisah salad with sour cream, capers, celery and sweet onions. Smoked whitefish is traditional, but most fish works. [![](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/avatar_user_1_1774445236-344x344.jpg)![](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/avatar_user_1_1774445236-344x344.jpg)](https://honest-food.net/about/) About Hank Shaw Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet’s largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/huntgathercook/) and on [Facebook](https://facebook.com/huntgathercook/). [Read More About Me](https://honest-food.net/about/) 5 from 5 votes ([3 ratings without comment](https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/)) ## Leave a comment [Cancel reply](https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/#respond) ## 14 Comments 1. Michael Richardson says: [January 12, 2024 at 6:57 am](https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/#comment-505056) Have you used an Instapot pressure cooker for things like this or is it a too “violent” method of cooking for this particular technique? [Reply](https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/#comment-505056) 2. Larry Semmens says: [September 23, 2021 at 11:26 am](https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/#comment-408620) Duck, Duck Goose was good reading yesterday after processing a big batch of domestic ducks. Made rillettes of some of the legs. Very good! Also made pate with livers which is good with toasted bread. Thanks for all you do!!\! [Reply](https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/#comment-408620) 3. Steve Sanderson says: [December 23, 2020 at 5:09 am](https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/#comment-396161) This is great. I used wood duck and teal, made duck stock from the strained broth. I was surprised to get such a lot of good fat from wild ducks, enough for the recipe. I used cognac for the spirits. The flavor was richer by the day. Parsley was the only weak point. I’m going to try fenugreek next time. Wonderful recipe as is. [Reply](https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/#comment-396161) 4. Lisa Guillory says: [November 16, 2020 at 2:24 pm](https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/#comment-395585) Can I use a food processor instead of pounding it? [Reply](https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/#comment-395585) 1. Hank Shaw says: [November 16, 2020 at 2:27 pm](https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/#comment-395586) Lisa: In theory, but the texture will not be as nice. [Reply](https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/#comment-395586) 5. John P Grills says: [November 16, 2020 at 8:47 am](https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/#comment-395583) Looks like a great recipe I’m ready to make it. Quick question, do you add the 1C (duck) fat to the broth and then simmer? You discuss the fat as traditional, then fail to mention when to add it. At least from what I could see. Thanks! Love your newsletters\! [Reply](https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/#comment-395583) 1. Hank Shaw says: [November 16, 2020 at 9:41 am](https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/#comment-395584) John: No, you beat it into the already cooked meat to make a rough, fatty, cohesive spread. [Reply](https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/#comment-395584) 6. Justin says: [November 16, 2020 at 6:52 am](https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/#comment-395576) Hank Thanks for the recipe. What do you do when you come across the gamey gadwall? I had a couple ruin dinner for me this weekend. [Reply](https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/#comment-395576) 1. Hank Shaw says: [November 16, 2020 at 7:45 am](https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/#comment-395582) Justin: That’s probably the fat and skin that was gross. Skinned birds are fine here. [Reply](https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/#comment-395582) 7. Kristofer Coffman says: [November 16, 2020 at 6:50 am](https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/#comment-395575) Would you recommend any changes to the recipe if you I were to do fox squirrel rilletes? [Reply](https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/#comment-395575) 1. Hank Shaw says: [November 16, 2020 at 7:44 am](https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/#comment-395581) Kristofer: Not really. Squirrel rillettes are tasty! I’ve made them. [Reply](https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/#comment-395581) 1. Kristofer Coffman says: [November 18, 2020 at 10:45 am](https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/#comment-395619) Awesome! Looking forward to trying it soon. 8. Ronald Ferguson Williams says: [November 16, 2020 at 4:38 am](https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/#comment-395574) Hank, can we buy your books in the UK? [Reply](https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/#comment-395574) 1. Hank Shaw says: [November 16, 2020 at 7:42 am](https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/#comment-395578) Ronald: Yes, they are in stores there, as well as Amazon.uk. [Reply](https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/#comment-395578) ![Hank Shaw looking at the camera, wearing a ball cap and a canvas jacket. ](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20231007_162619-1200x1600.jpg) Hi, I’m Hank Shaw I’m a James Beard Award-winning author and chef. I started this site back in 2007 to help you get the most out of all things wild: fish, game, edible wild plants and mushrooms. I also write [cookbooks](https://www.huntgathercook.shop/collections/all), and have a brand-new book out now called [Borderlands: Recipes and Stories from the Rio Grande to the Pacific](https://www.huntgathercook.shop/products/borderlands-recipes-and-stories-from-the-rio-grande-to-the-pacific). Over on Substack, I have [a website dedicated to the intersection of food and nature](https://tothebone.substack.com/)**. If it’s wild, you’ll find it here. Hope you enjoy the site\! [Read more about me](https://honest-food.net/about/) My newest cookbook [![](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Hank-Ads-300x300-1.jpg)![](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Hank-Ads-300x300-1.jpg)](https://www.huntgathercook.shop/products/borderlands-recipes-and-stories-from-the-rio-grande-to-the-pacific) ## Popular Recipes [![Pan seared venison tenderloin with a red wine sauce on a platter, alongside lingonberries and wild rice.](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/venison-tenderloin-full-378x567.jpg)![Pan seared venison tenderloin with a red wine sauce on a platter, alongside lingonberries and wild rice.](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/venison-tenderloin-full-378x567.jpg)](https://honest-food.net/venison-tenderloin-recipe/) Venison ### [Pan Seared Venison Tenderloin](https://honest-food.net/venison-tenderloin-recipe/) A simple recipe for pan-seared venison tenderloin served with an equally simple pan sauce. Deer tenderloin is the most tender cut of the animal. [![A bowl of chilindron, a Spanish stew.](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chilindron-recipe-378x398.jpg)![A bowl of chilindron, a Spanish stew.](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chilindron-recipe-378x398.jpg)](https://honest-food.net/spanish-chilindron-stew/) Spanish ### [Chilindron, Spanish Stew](https://honest-food.net/spanish-chilindron-stew/) Chilindron, a Spanish stew dominated by roasted red peppers, paprika and onions, is one of my favorite dishes. It’s so versatile it works with almost any meat. [![A simple goose breast recipe of thinly sliced Canada goose breast with rosemary and black pepper on a cutting board.](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/goose-breast-recipe-378x567.jpg)![A simple goose breast recipe of thinly sliced Canada goose breast with rosemary and black pepper on a cutting board.](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/goose-breast-recipe-378x567.jpg)](https://honest-food.net/canada-goose-breast-recipe/) Ducks and Geese ### [Seared Canada Goose Breast](https://honest-food.net/canada-goose-breast-recipe/) This is the best Canada goose breast recipe if you want to eat it like a steak or a London broil. Reverse seared goose breast sliced thin and served simply. [![A casserole dish of tater tot hotdish with a plate of the meal alongside.](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/venison-hotdish-with-plate-378x567.jpg)![A casserole dish of tater tot hotdish with a plate of the meal alongside.](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/venison-hotdish-with-plate-378x567.jpg)](https://honest-food.net/tater-tot-hotdish-venison/) American Recipes ### [Tater Tot Hotdish](https://honest-food.net/tater-tot-hotdish-venison/) A classic Minnesota tater tot hotdish with options to make the mushroom soup from scratch. This is a venison hotdish, but any meat works. Never miss a recipe Subscribe to get recipes sent directly to your inbox. [Subscribe](https://honest-food.net/subscribe/) As Seen In ![As seen in](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/themes/huntgathercook-2023/blocks/as-seen-in/mobile.svg)![As seen in](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/themes/huntgathercook-2023/blocks/as-seen-in/mobile.svg) As Seen In ![As seen in](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/themes/huntgathercook-2023/blocks/as-seen-in/desktop.svg)![As seen in](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/themes/huntgathercook-2023/blocks/as-seen-in/desktop.svg)![As seen in](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/themes/huntgathercook-2023/blocks/as-seen-in/mobile.svg)![As seen in](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/themes/huntgathercook-2023/blocks/as-seen-in/mobile.svg) [Back to Top](https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-rillettes/#top) [Hunter Angler Gardener Cook](https://honest-food.net/) - [Wild Game](https://honest-food.net/wild-game/) - [Fish](https://honest-food.net/fish-and-seafood-recipes/) - [Gathering](https://honest-food.net/foraging-recipes/) - [Charcuterie](https://honest-food.net/cured-meat/) - [About](https://honest-food.net/about/) - [Shop](https://www.huntgathercook.shop/) - [Stories](https://tothebone.substack.com/) - [Contact](https://honest-food.net/about/contact/) ©2026 Hunter Angler Gardener Cook. All rights reserved. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. [Privacy Policy](https://honest-food.net/about/privacy-policy/) • Powered by [CultivateWP](https://cultivatewp.com/). 754 shares - 556 - [198](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fhonest-food.net%2Fhow-to-make-rillettes%2F&t=How%20to%20Make%20Rillettes%20-%20How%20to%20Make%20Potted%20Meat%20%7C%20Hank%20Shaw "Share on Facebook") ## Rate This Recipe ## Recipe Ratings without Comment Something went wrong. Please try again.
Readable Markdown	As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Rillettes are probably my favorite easy charcuterie project: It’s versatile in that both the meats and seasonings are up to you, and it is much, much easier to make than pâté or a terrine. So what are rillettes? Pronounced “ree-yets,” it is a French version of what we call potted meat in English. I am pretty sure you will agree that rillettes sound much nicer. Put simply, it is a rough, loose pâté, packed into a jar or ramekin. You normally eat is as a spread on nice bread. ![Rillettes spread on crusty bread on a platter](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/rillettes-1200.jpg) Photo by Holly A. Heyser Another way to think of rillettes is as pounded, shredded confit, because that’s how you cook whatever the meat is in your rillettes: Salted, then slowly cooked in fat. When you are working with wild game, you can braise the meats, pull them off the bone and then pound and shred them with a nice fat like fresh lard, duck or goose fat, or butter. It needs to be a fat that is solid, or semi-solid, at room temperature, so in theory you could use coconut oil if you really wanted to. As for meats, pork and duck (and goose) are traditional. But pretty much anything goes. I’ve made rillettes from woodcock, pheasant, partridge, venison, rabbit, and grouse, which is what is in the pictures. Here is [my recipe for duck rillettes](https://honest-food.net/duck-or-goose-rillettes/), which is a little different from the recipe below. ![duck rillettes being served on a butter knife](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/rillettes-for-web-800px.jpg) Photo by Holly A. Heyser You can also use fish, too. I have [a great recipe for salmon rillettes](https://honest-food.net/salmon-rillettes-recipe/), which is traditional, but you can make it with trout, mackerel, bluefish, or really anything that has a little fat in it. Really lean fish or really firm fish don’t work as well. Historically, rillettes are a preservation method very similar to confit. You salt down the meat the night before — or several days before in the old days before refrigeration — then slowly cook it in fat until it falls apart. You remove any bones or weird bits, then beat your meat \[snicker\] in a large bowl with seasonings and fat to make the rillettes. Finally, you pack it into a jar and pour clean fat over it to seal. Put the lid on the jar and it will keep for a few months in a cool basement. Unless you are in a situation with no refrigeration, you don’t want to salt your meats for more than about 12 hours, or they will get very salty. And when you cook them, take your time. You want them to cook gently, for a long time, until they fall apart. Ideally you do this in fat, but you can do it in stock or even water, adding the fat in later. The English [potted meat spreads](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potted_meat_food_product) more typically braise in water rather than fat, and they will also often finely grind the cooked meats before potting them up. This, alas, makes the finished product suspiciously like cat food. There is a Scottish variant called potted hough, which relies on gelatin in shanks to set it; I have a recipe for that [*in my book Buck Buck Moose*](https://honest-food.net/shop-books/). Seasonings in rillettes are a free for all. Traditional is the French quatre epices, which are typically black pepper, cloves, nutmeg and ginger. But whatever flavor profile you want will work. I’ve done a super Mexican version with Mexican oregano, allspice and various chile powders. [![](https://honest-food.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/TTB-raw-300px.jpg)](https://tothebone.substack.com/) What follows below is a German-inspired sharp-tailed grouse rillettes recipe with flavors of, well, an “everything” bagel: poppy seeds, sesame seeds, onion and garlic, caraway, and, for a wild touch, some yampa seeds, which taste like carrots. You can leave those out of course. Keep in mind you don’t have to use grouse; pork shoulder is traditional. And while it would be grand on a bagel, rillettes are mostly served on good, hearty bread. Once you make your rillettes, if you seal the jars with butter or lard, they will keep for a month or two in the fridge. After opening them, pop off the fat cap, melt it again, smooth down the remaining rillettes, then pour the melted back back over it all to reseal. - ▢ 2 pounds pork shoulder or any other meats (see above) - ▢ Salt - ▢ 3 tablespoons brandy, bourbon or whisky (optional) - ▢ 2 tablespoons dried marjoram or thyme - ▢ 2 quarts stock or broth - ▢ 1 cup duck fat, lard or butter - ▢ 1/2 cup yellow onion, minced - ▢ 1 clove garlic, minced - ▢ 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds - ▢ 1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds - ▢ 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds - ▢ 1/2 teaspoon yampa or anise seeds (optional) - ▢ 1 tablespoon dried lovage or parsley leaves, crushed (optional) - If you are using pork shoulder, cut it into chunks about 2 inches across. If you are using bird legs and wings, separate drumsticks from thighs. Toss the meat or meats with the brandy in a large bowl. Mix the dried marjoram and a couple tablespoons of salt and toss that with the meats. Let this sit in the fridge overnight, about 8 hours. - Rinse the meats and pat them dry. You can either submerge them in fat to cook, which is traditional -- but which requires a lot of lard, duck fat or butter -- or you can very gently simmer them in the stock, which is what I do. Cook the meats until they are very tender, anything from 2 hours for pork shoulder to 4 hours for, say, wild turkey legs. - Meanwhile, sauté the onion and garlic in a little of the fat you are using until they are soft and translucent, but not browned. Set aside to cool. - Shred the meat into a large bowl. Add the cooked onion and garlic and any fat in the pan you used to cook them. Add all the seeds and the dried herbs. Add a few tablespoons of the stock you cooked the meats in to wet everything. Start beating on it with a potato masher, adding that 1 cup of whatever fat you are using little by little. - Keep doing this until you have a rough mass that will spread. Tinker with the salt and fat to your taste, and if you want, add just a splash of the same kind of brandy you used to soak the meats in. Serve right away over bread, or pack into ramekins and top with melted fat and refrigerate. Calories: 404kcal \\| Carbohydrates: 5g \\| Protein: 26g \\| Fat: 30g \\| Saturated Fat: 10g \\| Cholesterol: 94mg \\| Sodium: 1010mg \\| Potassium: 458mg \\| Fiber: 1g \\| Sugar: 2g \\| Vitamin A: 544IU \\| Vitamin C: 1mg \\| Calcium: 26mg \\| Iron: 1mg Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation. Want Google to show you more recipes like this? You May Also Like Charcuterie ### [German Onion Sausage](https://honest-food.net/zwiebelwurst-onion-sausage-recipe/) A recipe for zwiebelwurst, a German onion sausage. It’s a fine-grained, subtly flavored sausage with lots of onions in the mix. Charcuterie ### [Green Onion Sausage](https://honest-food.net/green-onion-sausage/) An easy-to-make sausage that highlights whatever green onions you have handy. A perfect spring grilling link. Scandinavian ### [Tjalknol, Frost Bump Venison](https://honest-food.net/tjalknol-recipe-venison/) Tjalknol is a way of cooking meat, usually venison, from frozen. It’s known as ‘frost bump’ and involves slow cooking then brining. You eat the meat cold. Fish ### [Whitefish Salad](https://honest-food.net/whitefish-salad-recipe/) A classic recipe for whitefisah salad with sour cream, capers, celery and sweet onions. Smoked whitefish is traditional, but most fish works. About Hank Shaw Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet’s largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/huntgathercook/) and on [Facebook](https://facebook.com/huntgathercook/)**.
Shard	110 (laksa)
Root Hash	5862023998921741710
Unparsed URL	net,honest-food!/how-to-make-rillettes/ s443