So it’s happening……
I am learning so much!!
I am learning so much!!
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Resting comfortably until the final bake tomorrow!
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BD, I reread the recipe (taking slightly less than 5 hours). Nothing in there re subbing for salt pork.
You must start over.Comment
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I've started mine: got the skin, cubed pork, and ham hocks seasoned and 1 lb of beans soaking. I have two duck confit legs so I should really do 1/3 batch but a 1/2 batch of the beans will be good - I'll have some left over when I put together the final cassoulet. Tomorrow morning I'll make a pound of the sausage and begin the cooking process.
I got the skin from a rather lean pork belly so I just used that for the cubed pork. Might even use it for the sausage.Comment
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This all looks like flavor! I need to work on sourcing!Comment
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today,shopping. store out of pancetta and pork belly. truck in tomorrow. we will see.Comment
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It begins: Got the ragout finished and just added the Rancho Gordo Cassoulet beans. The bouquet garni basically fell apart as did one or two pork skin pinwheels - now I have to go on a string hunt. For the bouquet garni I used two celery stalks from the center of the bunch, leaves and all. When I started the ragout I added the 4 oz. of cooking liquid from the skin and salt pork along with the chicken broth. I also added a little bean cooking water.
I could only find smoked ham hocks so I bought some boneless ones for this. The smoke should add a nice touch.
Saucisse de Toulouse is done and in the fridge to let the casings dry a little and the flavors meld. I fried a patty with what was left in the stuffer and it is really good! A great sausage for the beginner and very similar to the basic Texas sausage that I make except: My Texas sausage is a beef and pork blend, red pepper instead of nutmeg.
I'm using this sausage recipe:
Last edited by 58limited; December 27, 2025, 02:01 PM.Comment
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Today, got a hunk of pork belly, a bunch of pork skin, some duck fat. But no pancetta in 2 stores.
Will start tomorrow, Sunday.
We await, with bated breath, BD's feedback discourse.Comment
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Esteemed Team Cookers: Cassoulet de Toulouse a.k.a. Bougie Pork and Beans
Let me start by saying this is not a difficult recipe, it’s just layers upon layers of flavor.
I cut the recipe in half. I did not do the bonus cooks. I sourced the saucisse from a French market at LA Farmers Market and the duck from WF. Both products are amazing. I sourced skin-on belly the from a Korean market, trimmed and put up the belly for a future cook. I used the pancetta option and prosciutto option (prosciutto ends, diced). Also, I had a Roma tomato
Day one: all we are doing is dry brining this part of the pork. We do it with just about every other protein we prepare. Done in 5-7 minutes.
Day two: cook the beans with aromatics and more pork. I honestly do not see the benefit of the pork skin lining. Maybe because I struggled because of the nature of the pot I had. Paula states that you probably won’t need to soak the beans if they are less than 6 months old. So little miss smarty pants decided she didn’t need to soak the beans because they are RG. Only rinsed. Wrong on lots of levels. Used twice as much stock as the recipe called for. Beans were firm…. Don’t worry, they will cook more tomorrow, she thinks. An hour or two of work. But I also work slow. Can you move straight to the Day three cook? Absolutely, BUT I believe that the 24 hour rest is for good reason. Think about it… stew, chili, red sauce…. They all taste better the next day right?
Day three: poach and sear the sausage. Assemble. Bake. Maybe an hour tops. After 90 minutes at 275*F, beans were still crunchy. I called an audible and raised the temp to 325*F and covered. Checked every 30-ish minutes (while dealing with Bordeaux cork faux pas). Final check revealed tender beans, but no crust, after a total of 90 more minutes. Removed cover and went another 30 minutes. You know the rest!
1. Garlic and pork fat paste was an ah-ha moment for me. Can you imagine with this paste and @RichardChrz potatoes hooked up? I am going to make a bunch of this and freeze little portions so I always have it on hand!
2. I did not use the andoullette option, so I used extra saucisse.
3. Why the breadcrumbs? I did not see how they bring anything to the party. Especially because there is so little of them.
I can’t wait to see/hear from the rest of y’all!
BDComment
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Excellent. Thank you BD.
I typically soak RG beans, just because.
So did you get a crust up top? Maybe use more bread crumbs?
58limited sausage looks fantastic.Comment
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The prep for this production reminds me of some land use hearings I used to run. Long homework required. One hearing we held in our local convention center due to crowd size. A retired judge got the podium, I could not control him, recessed, and ducked into the kitchen directly behind me. He later apologized for his rant. Dont ask about the alleged ex party contact I had on recess at a urinal.
This is the biggest cook I have attempted. Some guys here are blasé re doing multiple racks of ribs, wings, etc. I am in awe.
And the photographic skills here simply amaze and intimidate me.
Tomorrow I start. Resources are stockpiled.Comment
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