Terrines, pâtés and potted meat...

The success of your terrines, pâtés and potted meats depends on good use of your meat grinder and respect for the raw materials.

To make good pâté, potted meat, etc., there are a few things that it is essential to know.

Do not use a food processor as its blades will crush, knead and tear up the meat.
Using a grinder that turns slowly is indispensable, one that runs at under 120 revs per minute.

To get quality minced meat, the meat must turn slowly and be compressed in the holes of the plate before being cut. If you favour quality over speed, your mincemeat will not be mush.

Clearly, there is no hard and fast rule when you consider the diversity of regional specialties and the differences in texture and taste of the meat and individual taste. We can, however, not that plates used to make pâtés usually have holes that are4 ½, 6 or 8 mm and that holes of 3 and 4 ½ mm are used for mousses. You should also know that fat and flesh need to go through a plate with wider diameter holes (from 12 to 20 mm) depending on how hard the texture or the desired result.
Grind using a 12 mm plate, then season and add spices if you like the taste.
Preserve by sterilising or freezing in the same way as pâté.
If your potted meat is open and kept in the fridge, take it out a while before eating, because the cold solidifies the fat, which damages the taste.


1 - Pork, wild boar or deer pâtés
For 1 kg of meat (30% fat)
18 g of table salt
2 g of pepper
2 eggs
½ glass of Cognac (5 cl)
Flour to bind

Plate with 8 mm holes for the meat.
Plate with 4.5mm holes for the liver.


2- Rillettes or potted meat
The same ingredients as for pâté without the eggs because the fat will bind in this case.
Cut the meat and the fat (favour lard) into small pieces, place them in a cooking pot and cook over a low heat for at least 3 hours, stirring often.
Grind using a 12 mm plate, then season. Add a blend of spices if you like the taste.
If your potted meat is open and kept in the fridge, take it out a while before eating, because the cold solidifies the fat, which damages the taste.


3-Pig´s trotter pâté
Cook 12 feet for 2 hours, remove the bones and return to the same water. Add salt, pepper, chopped parsley and 1 kg of carrots and leave to cook for 2 more hours.
Preservation:
Place in jars and sterilise for 2 hours at 100°C or place in containers, vacuum seal and freeze.


4-Head pâté
The same recipe as for pork pâté but only use meat from the head. At the same time, boil the rind for 1 hour without mincing. Put the fat from the rind at the bottom of a jar and the pâté on top.
The rind adds flavour and binds. It also helps you to differentiate between the jars of head pâté and the others.
Preservation: sterilise for 3 hours at 100°C.