At a glance
You're making a delicious French lamb spread that involves browning cubed lamb in lard, then letting it simmer gently for 6–8 hours total until the meat falls completely apart. After removing any solids and packing the shredded meat into containers, you'll seal it with fat and chill — a make-ahead dish that rewards patience with rich, savory flavor.
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Get some raw, unrendered lard
In the recipe I traditionally follow for rillettes, you start with lard that's cut into cubes and rendered down. I had a bit of bad luck, though — my favourite butcher was out of raw lard. So I used lard that was already rendered.
For this step
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Brown the meat in the lard
I melted the lard in a pot and added the meat, cut into cubes. Brown the meat thoroughly in the fat it's simmering in, taking care it doesn't burn. Once the meat was nicely browned, I added a splash of water and let it simmer gently under a lid.
For this step
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Add the seasoning
After three hours, add the salt, freshly ground pepper, garlic, onion sliced into half-rings (it will completely melt away with further cooking) and a sprig of sage. Stir everything together and let it simmer for another 3 to 5 hours, this time without the lid. The meat will fall completely apart.
For this step
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