Country-Style Pork Terrine

serves 10
Recipe from Jennifer McLagan

This is a no-holds-barred pork terrine: it is the pig’s liver that gives the dish its distinct flavor, so don’t leave it out or replace it.

Read more about this recipe in Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, With Recipes.

instructions

1. Cut the pork shoulder, belly and liver into small pieces that will easily fit into your meat grinder, removing any sinew from the meat as you go, and place the pieces in a bowl. Refrigerate the meat, the bowl from your stand mixer, and the meat grinder for 2 hours.

2. Place the caul fat in a bowl of warm water to cover and leave to soak for 1 hour.

3. Heat the lard in a small frying pan over medium-low heat. When the lard is hot, add the shallots and sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots begin to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the rum and deglaze the pan, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom with a wooden spoon. Set the shallot mixture aside to cool.

4. Remove the meat mixture, bowl, and meat grinder from the refrigerator. Using the coarse die for your grinder, grind the meat and liver into the chilled bowl. Alternate the liver, which is softer, with the meat, to help it pass through the machine. (After the last piece of meat has passed through the grinder, add some stale bread slices. This will help push out any meat still trapped in the machine. As soon as you see the bread pass through the grill, stop the machine.)

5. Whisk the eggs with the cream. Add the parsley, thyme, salt, black pepper and piment d’espelette and whisk again to mix.

6. Using the paddle attachment of your mixer, blend the ground meat and cooled shallot mixture on low speed while slowly adding the egg mixture. Continue to mix until well blended. Form a small spoonful of the pork mixture into a patty; it will be very soft. Cook the patty in a frying pan and then taste to check the seasoning, correcting it if necessary. The terrine should be very well seasoned, as it will be eaten not hot but at room temperature. Refrigerate the pork mixture.

7. Preheat the oven to 350F.

8. Remove the caul fat from the bowl and gently squeeze out the water. Place the caul fat on a towel and pat dry. Line a 9 x 5-inch terrine dish or loaf pan with the fat, leaving enough overhanging to cover the top of the terrine. Spoon the chilled pork mixture into the lined terrine, mounding the top. Place the bay leaves on top and fold over the caul fat, tucking it between the meat mixture and the side of the dish.

9. Place the terrine in a deep roasting pan. Fill the pan with enough hot water to come halfway up the side of the terrine and bake, uncovered, until cooked, about 1 1/2 hours. The top will be golden and the terrine will have shrunk from the edges of the dish and be happily swimming in its own fat and juices. A kitchen thermometer inserted into the center of the meat should register 160F.

10. Remove the terrine dish from the roasting pan and place it on a wire rack to cool. When the terrine is cool, refrigerate for 2 days before eating. Leave the fat in the terrine dish; it will help the terrine keep, and it can be easily removed when the terrine is cold.

11. To serve, dip the terrine dish in hot water for about 30 seconds (to melt the fat) and loosen the edges with a small, hot palette knife. Turn the terrine out onto a board and scrape off any excess fat. (You can use this fat, but it will be strongly flavored.) Discard any juices in the bottom of the terrine dish. Bring the terrine to room temperature before cutting it into slices.

Reprinted with permission from Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, With Recipes by Jennifer McLagan (Ten Speed Press 2008).