Confit and rillettes are French foods from the craft of charcuterie. But what exactly are they and what makes them different? If you’re dying to know the answers to those questions, you’re in the right place as I’ve put together this helpful article to answer these questions and more.  

So … what’s the difference between confit and rillettes?

Confit and rillettes are charcuterie foods. Confit is pieces of meat—generally poultry or pork—slow cooked in fat (lard, duck or goose fat), that can be preserved for months or even years. Rillettes are a chunky meat spread made of pork, fatback, another meat such as duck or rabbit and spices. It’s also called potted meat. Confit can be used to quickly make rillettes.

Now you know the basic differences, let’s dig deeper into what confit and rillettes are, what foods can be confited and what ingredients you need for rillettes. Plus, I’ve put the differences between confit and rillettes into a handy chart for you. But first, let’s review one definition…

What is charcuterie?

As I said, confit and rillettes are classified as charcuterie, but what is charcuterie other than a wooden cutting board topped with sliced salami, pickles and mustard?

In Garde Manger: The Art and Craft of the Cold Kitchen, Fourth Edition, The Culinary Institute of America defines charcuterie as, “The preparation of pork and other meat items, such as hams, terrines, sausages, pâtés, and other forcemeats that are usually preserved in some manner, such as smoking, brining, and curing.”

Charcuterie is an old tradition.

In their book, Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking & Curing, Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn say, “The term charcuterie came to designate the shops in fifteenth-century France that sold products of the pig including offal … It was the French charcutier who brough the greatest ingenuity to pig preparations. These tradesmen in charge of pork butchering played a critical role in maintaining the food supply in their towns; charcuterie then meant cooking and preserving the meat for a community.”

What is confit?

In French, confit means to preserve, and we’ve integrated this French word into English. (Confit is pronounced con-fee and confited (as in the anglicized, “Did you see the duck legs I confited?”) is pronounced con-feed.)

Confit describes both the cooking method and the final preserved product.

The confit cooking method is when you slow cook meat—typically poultry or pork—in animal fat. This fat is either attached to the meat or added (as necessary). If additional fat is required, you can use duck or goose fat or lard.

Fatty birds such as duck and goose and fatty cuts of pork can be cooked in their own fat. Leaner birds and pork cuts need additional fat.   

In her book, Regional French Cooking, Anne Willan says, “Goose is normally cooked in goose fat, which can be bought in tins, duck in duck fat and pork in lard. However, lard can be used for everything, or fat left from previous confits can be reused after straining, although after three or four cycles it becomes too salty.”

The basic method for making confit:

• Marinate the meat with salt and other aromatics (marinating instructions vary from eight hours to three days).
• Put meat, additional fat (as necessary) and water, stock or wine in a pot that’s small enough so the meat fits snugly.
• Cook low and slow for a few hours (when the confit is done, the fat will be clear, and the meat will be at the bottom of the pot).
• Store the meat in glass or stoneware jars and cover the contents entirely with a layer of fat to keep the air out.
• Enjoy your confit for weeks and/or months.

Confit is so tasty because of this slow cooking process. The water in the meat and skin evaporates, the gelatin from the skin and bones separates from the cooking fat (giving you a small supply of meat jelly at the end) and the meat retains its flavour instead of leaching out into the liquid (as can happen when you boil or simmer meat for stock).

As confit was invented as a preservation technique in France—Gascony to be exact—it doesn’t need refrigeration. Back then, they preserved confit for years. However, in these modern times, you can feel free to store your confit in the fridge.

[For more information on confit cooking, read my lengthy article, Confit: Preserving Yummy Meats the French Way. And if you’re wondering if meat cooked entirely in animal fat is a quick and decadent ride to Heart Attack City, check out another one of my articles, Is Confit Cooking Healthy? The Pros, Cons & Alternatives.]

What foods can be confited?

You can’t confit everything but what you can confit is amazing. Even though the variety of foods you can confit are far fewer foods than foods you can braise, for example, you basically get one whole animal (the pig) and half of another (the birds). That’s pretty good.

Foods that are best for the confit method:

• Duck legs.
• Chicken legs.
• Turkey legs.
• Goose legs.
• Legs of any poultry.
• Wings of any poultry.
• Poultry gizzards.
• Pork loin.
• Pork belly.
• Pork shoulder.
• Any part of the pig!
• Vegetables including fennel, tomatoes, cauliflower, onion, garlic, etc. (Confit vegetables are typically simmered in olive oil (not animal fat) and won’t keep your family from starving over the winter; they only keep a couple weeks in the fridge.)

Duck legs are the most famous confit dishes but there’s more to confit than that. Especially when you discover that with confit, you can go whole hog.

In their book, Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking & Curing, Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn say, “Pork is excellent for confit … Actually, any part of the pig can be confited with excellent results. Confited belly and shoulder are rare treats in the home kitchen, extraordinary for their succulence and flavor.”

Confit can be gently heated up before serving and then broiled to crisp up the skin (as in confit legs). You can serve confit with just about anything including roast potatoes, salad, cassoulet, etc.

What are rillettes?

Rillettes are a shredded meat spread, generally made with pork and another meat. Unlike a smooth pâté, rillettes have a chunky texture. They’re also known as potted meat.

Rillettes are extremely fatty and like with confit, the high fat content is one reason rillettes last for months. [To explore a larger discussion about how long rillettes last, check out my article, How Long Do Rillettes Last? A Long Time So Eat Up!]

Rillettes are typically made of these ingredients:

• Pork meat.
• Pork fat such as fatback, pork belly and/or lard.
• Other meat such as duck confit, rabbit, chicken or game.
• Other fat such as duck fat.
• Spices.
• Aromatics such as garlic, leeks, onions, orange and lemon zest, etc.
• Stock, wine and/or water.
• Salt (more than you’d expect; rillettes are served cold and cold dishes taste less salty than warm dishes, so more salt is needed).

The word rillettes—as you’ve probably guessed—is French (pronounced ree-ette or ree-yette, even in the plural form). They take their rillettes seriously in France, even giving some types of rillettes protected agricultural and artisanal status.

For example, in The Guardian article, What’s better than a rich French paté?, they explain, “In 2013, producers of Rillettes de Tours secured EU protected geographical indication status for their product. Producers further north have been trying to obtain the same protection for Rillettes du Mans for 20 years.”

This status means that only artisanal producers from the Indre-et-Loire area (historically called Touraine) can call their product rillettes de Tours, which guarantees authenticity. You might think you’re making rillettes de Tours at home in Spirit Lake, Iowa, but they can never be official!

What’s the difference between confit and rillettes?

The differences between confit and rillettes include presentation, ingredients, temperature and time.

The differences between confit and rillettes

	Confit	Rillettes
What it is	A cooking method and the result of that cooking method: poultry or pork preserved in fat.	A chunky meat spread made of pork, pork fat and generally another type of meat, such as rabbit, poultry or game.
Ingredients (not all ingredients listed are required for all recipes)	Meat (poultry legs, wings and gizzards or pork belly, shoulder, ribs and any other part of the pig). Fat (lard, duck or goose fat). Spices and aromatics. Water, stock or wine.	Pork meat. Pork fat such as fatback, pork belly and/or lard. Other meat such as duck confit, rabbit, chicken or game. Other fat such as duck fat. Salt and spices. Aromatics such as garlic, leeks, onions, orange and lemon zest, etc. Stock, wine and/or water.
The purpose	To cook meat until tender and preserve it in its own fat.	To cook meat until tender and preserve it in its own fat and be able to spread it on another food (rillettes are also called pig jam in France).
Cooking temperatures	Low oven temperature: 200°F (93°C) to 300°F (150°C).	Low oven temperature but a little higher: 275°F (133°C) to 320°F (160°C).
Serving temperature	Hot.	Cold or room temperature.
Cooking time required	Two to six hours.	Two to 12 hours, but generally in the same two to six hours as confit. Rillettes de Tours are traditionally cooked for up to 12 hours in an uncovered pot.

What are the similarities between confit and rillettes?

Confit and rillettes are both slow-cooked meat in fat, generally in the poultry and pork domain. They both require only basic kitchen equipment to make; if you have a pot, oven, a knife for cutting the meat and aromatics and some glass or stoneware jars for storage, then you can make confit and rillettes.

Plus, they’re both a traditional way to preserve meat, which is a nutrient dense food. Think of the value of these foods like this … How would you rather stock your cellar for a long winter? With confit that comes with lots of nutrients and calories or pickles that come with dill-flavoured crunch? Both are delicious, of course, but only one will address your hunger. 

How does confit turn into rillettes?

Surprise! As if confit wasn’t already amazing on its own, it can be easily transformed into rillettes on a moment’s notice.

All you have to do is take your confit meat out of the confit pot, remove all the bones, add some salt and pepper (to taste) and mash it up with a supply of confit fat or other leftover lard, duck or goose fat. To turn the confit into a spreadable paste, you can use a fork and a wooden spoon. Or, if you have a stand mixer, throw it in there and mix it up with the paddle attachment.

This is a quick way to add substance to your baguette or an impromptu ploughman’s lunch.

[For more information on what to do with rillettes, check out my article, How Do You Eat Rillettes? Sandwiches, Nibbles and More!]

Conclusion

Well, there you have it. Confit and rillettes are from the same delicious family but a little different. Both are easy to make which is why they’re a perfect gateway into the world of charcuterie. May your confit be tender and bountiful and may your rillettes be the perfect spread for any baguette, cracker or cucumber slice!