• Remove the rind from each pork belly piece. Rub them with 10 g of salt, the crushed thyme and bay leaf, and the Espelette pepper. Arrange the seasoned pork in a dish.
  1.6 kg pork belly, 1 bay leaf, 3 sprigs of thyme, 10 g Guérande salt, 3 g Espelette pepper
• Season all sides with pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours.
  3 g black pepper
• Melt 1 tablespoon of duck fat in a Dutch oven or large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the pork pieces and brown for 5 minutes.
• Pour in the Vouvray and the teaspoon of Patrelle. Add the remaining duck fat and 10 g salt. Cover, reduce the heat, and gently simmer for 1 hour 30 minutes, turning the pork occasionally.
  500 ml Vouvray wine, 400 g duck fat, 10 g Guérande salt, 0.5 teaspoon Patrelle
• Sprinkle in the chicory and stir to deepen the color of the rillons without altering their flavor.
  2 tablespoons chicory
• Leave the pork to confit, uncovered, over low heat for 2 hours, basting regularly with the rendered fat.
• Transfer the rillons to a rack to drain, then let them cool completely before refrigerating.
  
• Strain the warm fat through a fine sieve into an airtight container. Add a glass of cold water, seal, and refrigerate.
• After a few hours, lift off the solidified fat. Poke a hole through it and pour off the water beneath.

Storage

• Pack the rillons into a jar for up to 20 days’ storage. Gently rewarm the filtered fat and pour it over the meat. Seal and refrigerate.

Serving

• Slice the rillons thinly and serve them cold as part of an appetizer platter or a mixed salad. They’re also delicious warm—try them in a tomato tart.