Charentais Grillons

Ingredients

• 500 g pork neck (or pork shoulder)
• 500 g fresh pork fat
• Lard, for browning
• 1 bay leaf
• Fresh thyme
• 1 small onion, chopped
• A pinch of four-spice blend (quatre-épices)
• 20 g black pepper
• 6 g ground nutmeg
• 6 g ground cloves
• 6 g ground cinnamon
• 6 g ground ginger

Instructions

1. Melt the lard in a heavy casserole dish, brown the meat and pork fat, and then add the chopped onion.
2. Remove the meat and pour about 2 cm of water into the casserole dish, then season with salt and pepper.
3. Add a pinch of the four-spice blend along with the thyme and bay leaf.
4. Return the meat to the pot and simmer for 2 hours, stirring regularly with a wooden spatula.
5. Once the meat is fully cooked and tender, transfer it to a bowl and shred it or pass it through a coarse mincer.
6. Transfer the shredded meat to a terrine or jar, and cover completely with the strained cooking fat.