Recipe: Traditional pork enchaud

Name: Traditional pork enchaud
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 180 min
Total time: 195 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 4.4 lb (2 kg) farm-raised pork, boned, from the cut called côte filet; 8 cloves pink garlic, germs removed and cut into sticks; 3 beautiful shallots, peeled and halved; 1 sprig of lemon thyme and 3 bay leaves; 2.8 oz (80 g) coarse sea salt; 0.4 oz (10 g) crushed white peppercorns (mignonnette); 28 oz (800 g) good quality lard

By chef patrick Asfaux 4.9/5 (41 reviews) · 🍳 26 made it

Prep 15 min

Cook 180 min

Total 3h15

Servings 8 serv.

Pork enchaud for 6 to 8 people: three hours of cooking in the oven at 140°C in lard, then at least three days in the fridge. This is how you transform a côte filet cut into homemade charcuterie. Eight garlic cloves cut into sticks and inserted into the meat, coarse sea salt, crushed white pepper. The pork absorbs the flavors, becomes dense, and slices like ham. You eat it cold on toasted bread with a touch of mustard, or you pan-fry it hot with a raw cabbage salad and mushrooms.

Ingredients for 8 servings

Adjust for

servings

4.4 lb (2 kg) farm-raised pork, boned, from the cut called côte filet
8 cloves pink garlic, germs removed and cut into sticks
3 beautiful shallots, peeled and halved
1 sprig of lemon thyme and 3 bay leaves
2.8 oz (80 g) coarse sea salt
0.4 oz (10 g) crushed white peppercorns (mignonnette)
28 oz (800 g) good quality lard

Step-by-step directions

1 Preheat the oven to 285°F (140°C) (gas mark 4-5).

2 In a large cast iron pot on the stove, melt your lard. Pour in your crushed peppercorns, add your 3 bay leaves, a little thyme and the shallots.

3 Meanwhile, stud your pork with all your garlic sticks, then roll it in salt, then place it on absorbent paper to remove excess and place it all in the lard (the pork must be submerged). Cover, bring to a gentle simmer, then cook in the middle of the oven for 3 hours.

4 Carefully remove your confit pork with a skimmer, place it in a salad bowl, then strain the fat and cover the pork with it. Let it all cool, then refrigerate wrapped for at least 3 days. When you feel like enjoying some, you can eat this pork cold, sliced and placed on slices of toasted country bread spread for example with a little blackcurrant mustard. You can also slice it cold and pan-fry it served with a good raw cabbage salad. And what can I say about small new potatoes just sautéed in this fat and suddenly becoming the most delicious garnish. Of course, if you have some wild mushrooms to sauté with it, then it's even better! You can do the same with a lamb fillet by confit it in duck fat, that's fantastic! For jars, cook 1 hour less and have them sterilized for 2 hours, letting them cool inside.

A chef's advice

Enchaud is really a dish for winter Sundays, when you have the time and it's cold outside. Historically it comes from Périgord, the Southwest: it's the ancestor of pâté en croûte, but without the crust and without liver. Just the meat, the lard, the aromatics. Farmers offer their best pork in October, November, December: that's your window of opportunity for a beautiful farm-raised côte filet.

For wines, go for a red of medium structure, not too young. A Pécharmant, of course, it's the local appellation. Otherwise a Côtes du Marmandais, a good Cahors not too heavy, or even a Beaujolais cru (Morgon, Côte de Brouilly). Dry white also works if you prefer: a Gaillac dry, a Marcillac white.

The classic accompaniment remains simple: toasted country bread, blackcurrant mustard, small gherkin salad. You can serve the new potatoes sautéed in the cooking fat: that's when it becomes real. If you have ceps or chanterelles in the fall, sauté them separately with a little of this same fat, a touch of lemon thyme, it's magical. Count about 250 g per person as a generous appetizer, or 150 g as part of a longer meal.

Frequently asked questions

Can you replace the lard with another fat?

Yes, duck fat works very well, even better. Goose fat too. Avoid olive oil, it's too light and won't set like a confit. Butter burns at 140°C. Use the same weight: 800 g.

How long does enchaud keep in the fridge?

At least three weeks, covered in fat. The fat protects it from air. Once you start eating it, keep it well covered. In the freezer, it lasts six months without issue.

Why bring to a light boil before moving to the oven?

To seal the meat surface and remove excess salt once placed on absorbent paper. If you submerge it cold, the salt penetrates too much. This step creates a nice white crust.