Ingredients
Pork and Beans
- 6 ounces (170g) fresh pork skin with ¼ inch (½cm) fat attached
- 1 pound (450g) boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1 ½-inch (3.75cm) cubes
- 2 pounds (900g) dried Tarbais or cannellini beans, rinsed
- 2 ounces (55g) skinless salt pork
- 2 fresh ham hocks
- 5 ounces (140g) pancetta, in 1 piece
- 5 ounces (140g) prosciutto, in 1 piece
Aromatics and Broth
- 1 unpeeled head garlic
- 4 small garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 plum tomato, chopped
- 3 small carrots, thinly sliced
- 2 onions, diced
- ⅓ cup (80ml) duck fat
- 2 quarts plus 2 cups (2.5 liters) chicken broth
- 1 bouquet garni made with 4 parsley sprigs, 3 small celery ribs, 2 thyme sprigs and 1 bay leaf, tied with kitchen twine
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
To Finish
- 6 duck confit legs
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 pound (450g) fresh French-style pork sausage, such as saucisse de Toulouse
- ¼ cup (30g) fresh breadcrumbs
Equipment
- Large dish or container for seasoning the pork overnight
- Large bowl for soaking the beans
- Large saucepan
- Large enameled cast-iron Dutch oven
- 5-quart baking dish or cassoulet dish
- Food processor
- Large skillet (frying pan)
- Slotted spoon
- Kitchen twine
Method
Night Before: Season the Pork and Soak the Beans
- Add the pork shoulder, pork skin and ham hocks to a large dish. Season with salt and black pepper, cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Add the beans to a large bowl and cover with about 3 inches (7.5cm) cold water. Leave them to soak overnight.
Cook the Pork and Beans
- Add the salt pork and seasoned pork skin to a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until the skin is supple. Drain and cool.
- Refrigerate the salt pork. Cut the pork skin into 5 long pieces, roll each piece into a bundle and tie with kitchen twine.
- Pat the pork shoulder and ham hocks dry. Heat the duck fat in a large enameled cast-iron Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the pork shoulder in 2 batches and transfer it to a plate.
- Brown the ham hocks in the same pot. Add the onions and carrots and cook over medium heat for about 7 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are golden. Add the pancetta and brown it.
- Add the unpeeled garlic head, tomato and prosciutto. Cook for 1 minute, stirring.
- Add the pork skin bundles, bouquet garni, 2 quarts (2 liters) of the chicken broth, browned pork shoulder and any juices from the plate. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally.
- Drain the soaked beans. Add them to a separate pot, cover with fresh water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 3 minutes, then drain.
- Add the beans to the pork mixture and simmer for about 2 hours or until the beans are tender.
Chill Overnight
- Let the cassoulet cool.
- Refrigerate it overnight.
Following Day: Prepare the Cassoulet
- Remove as much fat as possible from the surface, reserving ¼ cup (60ml). Let the cassoulet come back toward room temperature.
- Remove the pancetta, prosciutto and ham hocks. Cut the meat into bite-size pieces, discarding the gristle, skin and bones. Discard the bouquet garni.
- Remove and reserve the cooked garlic head and pork skin bundles.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Bring the cassoulet to a simmer on the stovetop.
- Cut the chilled salt pork into small pieces. Squeeze the cooked garlic cloves from their skins into a food processor. Add the 4 raw garlic cloves and salt pork, then process to a smooth paste.
- Stir the garlic and salt pork paste into the cassoulet. Simmer gently for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, then stir the cooked pancetta, prosciutto and ham hock meat back in.
Make-ahead point: If you want to prepare the cassoulet another 1 to 3 days ahead, cool and refrigerate it at this stage. Otherwise continue straight away. This make-ahead pause is optional.
Add the Duck and Assemble
- Arrange the duck confit legs in a baking dish and roast for 15 minutes or until heated through. Remove the meat from the bones and cut up the skin. Discard the bones.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F (160°C). Unroll the pork skin bundles and use them to line a 5-quart baking dish, skin side down.
- Add half the cassoulet to the baking dish with a slotted spoon. Add the duck confit, then spoon the remaining cassoulet over it.
- Add the remaining 2 cups (½ liter) chicken broth to the liquid left in the Dutch oven. Season with salt and black pepper, then pour it over the cassoulet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the reserved fat.
Bake and Finish with Sausage
- Bake for 1 ½ hours.
- Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a skillet. Prick the sausages with a fork and brown them on all sides. Let them cool slightly, then cut into 3-inch (7.5cm) pieces.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 275°F (135°C). Stir the crust that has formed on top back into the cassoulet. Nestle in the sausage pieces and drizzle with another 2 tablespoons of the reserved fat.
- Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake for another hour or until deeply browned on top. Rest for 20 minutes before serving.
Notes
- This is genuinely a 3-calendar-day recipe as currently written, because there are 2 separate overnight rests. The actual hands-on and cooking time is about 8 hours.
- Tarbais beans are the traditional choice, while cannellini beans are a much easier substitute to find.
- The additional 1 to 3-day make-ahead pause in the instructions is optional. You don't have to make this into a 4, 5 or 6-day cassoulet!