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French-Canadian Spiced Pork Spread (Gorton)
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When Marie Griffin of Los Angeles lost a cherished family recipe during a move, she contacted Milk Street for help. Three of her grandparents were from Quebec and moved to Fall River, Massachusetts, in the early 20th century, bringing their culinary traditions with them. During the holidays when she was growing up, Marie’s grandmother, and later her mother, prepared gorton, a rich spiced pork spread resembling classic pork rillettes that originates with French settlers in Canada. (The dish was called cretons in Quebec, but the name evolved into “gorton” in New England.) With the family recipe now lost, Marie tried to re-create the dish using recipes she found online, but they just weren’t the same. Many included other types of meat in addition to pork, but her family’s version used only pork and pork fat, she recalled. She thought that pork in two forms, ground and chunks of shoulder, went into the gorton. These days, however, ground pork can vary greatly in fat content, and we learned through testing that if the ground pork is very lean, it will give the gorton a less-than-pleasing texture. Therefore our recipe calls for only boneless pork shoulder. If possible, purchase Boston butt, which is cut from a specific area of the shoulder and contains more marbling. The seasonings for the gorton were a bit of a mystery. Marie told us it was an herb or spice that she couldn’t quite pinpoint. We settled on cinnamon, allspice and cloves, spices that were often used in traditional recipes for gorton. This pork spread is excellent on toast for breakfast or as an appetizer slathered on baguette slices with Dijon mustard and sliced cornichons. The gorton can be kept, covered and refrigerated, for up to three days.
1
9-inch loaf
3 hours
plus cooling and overnight refrigeration
2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, untrimmed, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
½ cup lard
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Ingredients
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2
pounds boneless pork shoulder, untrimmed, cut into 1-inch chunks
-
2
medium yellow onions, finely chopped
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Kosher salt and ground black pepper
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½
cup lard
-
½
teaspoon ground cinnamon
-
½
teaspoon ground allspice
-
¼
teaspoon ground cloves
Directions
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01Line a rimmed baking sheet with kitchen parchment. Arrange the pork in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and freeze, uncovered, until partially frozen, about 30 minutes.
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02Transfer up to a one-third of the pork to a food processor and pulse until finely ground, about 15 pulses. Transfer to a large Dutch oven. Repeat with the remaining pork, processing it in batches. Add the onions, 1 teaspoon salt and 4 cups water to the pot. Using a silicone spatula, stir until no clumps of meat remain, then add the lard.
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03Bring to a boil over medium-high, then cook for 10 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent the meat from clumping together, until no longer pink. Reduce to low and simmer, uncovered and mashing often with a potato masher, until the meat is tender and the water has evaporated, about 2 hours.
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04Off heat, stir in the cinnamon, allspice and cloves. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Cool to room temperature. Using the potato masher, mash the mixture to a coarse, spreadable paste. Taste again and adjust the seasoning as needed with salt and pepper.
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05If you wish to serve the gorton from a bowl, transfer the pork mixture to serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. If you wish serve it molded into a loaf, mist a 9-inch loaf pan with cooking spray, then line with plastic wrap. Scrape the pork mixture into the prepared pan and smooth with a silicone spatula. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
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06If serving from a bowl, let the gorton stand at room temperature for about 1 hour, then uncover. If you have used a loaf pan, invert a serving platter on top. Flip the pan and platter together, then lift off the pan and remove the plastic wrap. Let stand at room temperature for about 1 hour before serving.
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