French Rillettes

• 1 3/4 pounds pork lean belly, with skin & in one piece
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 5/8 cup white wine
• 6 3/4 tablespoons cognac or brandy
• 1 sheet gelatin

1. Preheat the oven to 150C.
2. Grind the garlic with a mortar and pestle into a paste. Spread over the meat.
3. Place the meat in an oven-proof dish with the bay leaves, thyme, and black pepper.
4. Pour in the wine and cognacup
5. Cover the dish with a sheet of parchment paper, then wrap the dish completely with a sheet of aluminum foil so as to form an air-tight seal.
6. Cook for 3 hours without removing the lid.
7. Remove the herbs, leave the meat to cool, and strain the stock.
8. Remove the skin from the meat and shred the meat in large chunks.
9. Add the meat with 2-3 tbsp. of stock to a food mixer and blend until smooth and thick.
10. Divide into clean jars.
11. Dissolve the gelatine in cold water, and heat up the stock.
12. Remove from the heat and add the gelatine. Stir until dissolved.
13. Cover the rillettes with 1 centimeter of stock and leave to cool until it forms a layer of fat. This will preserve the rillettes and stop the air getting in.

pork lean belly, garlic, salt, bay leaves, thyme, ground black pepper, white wine, cognac, gelatin

Taken from www.yummly.com/recipe/French-Rillettes-561491 (may not work)