I love recipes that allow me to easily make sure there's no remaining shot in my wild game. This is a great way to do that, and use up otherwise shot up and less appetizing bits. Works great with any game bird, and pairs incredibly well with a perfectly chilled martini.
Upland Rillettes:
- A couple pounds of legs/wings/necks (Pheasant, Chukar, Grouse, etc.)
- Fresh herbs Rosemary / Thyme / Sage
- Butter
- Lots of duck fat
- Salt
- Pepper
- Lemon
1: Trim your birds up and liberally salt the bits
2: Put a bunch of herbs in a non reactive pan, and lay the birds in there, adding more herbs over the top. Put in the fridge overnight or up to a day.
3: Rinse the salt off (I do a half assed job at this) and place all the bits in a slow cooker for 8 hours, or until the meat is falling off the bone and tender as can be.
4: Shred all the meat, pulling out tendons, bone splinters, shot, and other unwanted shrapnel. This takes an alarmingly long time, and is best done with some cold beers and a movie you've seen a hundred times on in the background.
5: Pour the duck fat from the slow cooker through a strainer and set aside.
6: Chop up some fresh dry herbs like thyme and rosemary, or add whatever dried stuff you'd like. Now's not the time for precise measurements, but a solid couple tablespoons of each is ok. Mix it all up and taste, add salt as necessary.
7: I like to can these in small Ball jars, as it's rich, and you don't need a lot in one sitting. I usually sterilize the jars a bit in boiling water, then fill with the dry-ish meat mixture. Leave a good 3/8" between the meat and top of the jar.
8: Take that liquid gold duck fat you set aside, and pour some into the jar, pulling the bird mixture from the side of the jar to ensure you get the fat all the way to the bottom, and removing any air that's in the voids. Add enough duck fat so it comes up to the top of the meat, but not so much that it's completely pooled on the top. That's what the butter is for.
9: Melt a few tablespoons of butter in the microwave, and pour it over the top of each jar, so it creates a sealed layer over that rich duck fat game bird mixture. Add some herbs and lemon zest to it for panache. Sage leaves work well here.
10: Put it in the fridge for the butter to solidify and seal everything up. I don't know how long it lasts, but definitely a good while in the fridge, probably an easy 4 weeks.
11: To serve, I like to remove from the fridge and set at room temperature for an hour or so. This allows everything to soften up so it's easily spreadable. Break through and scoop the butter off the top and discard. I like to serve with a good crusty bread, coated in olive oil, and grilled over coals or an open flame. The flavor this imparts can't be beat, and goes great with the richness of the rillettes. Spread liberally and serve with anything acidic, which basically means anything pickled. You need it to cut through that richness.
This is a real crowd pleaser and great for entertaining or special occasions.
