• Remove the rind from the pieces of pork belly. Rub them between your hands with 10 g of salt, the crushed thyme and bay leaf, and the Espelette pepper. Arrange the pork pieces in a dish.
  1.6 kg pork belly, 1 bay leaf, 3 thyme sprigs, 10 g Guérande salt, 3 g Espelette pepper
• Season with pepper on all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
  3 g black pepper
• Melt a tablespoon of duck fat in a Dutch oven or large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the pork pieces and brown them for 5 minutes.
• Pour the Vouvray into the pot along with the teaspoon of Patrelle. Add the rest of the duck fat and 10 g of salt. Cover, lower the heat and let simmer gently for 1 hour 30 minutes, turning the pork from time to time.
  500 ml Vouvray wine, 400 g duck fat, 10 g Guérande salt, 0.5 teaspoon Patrelle
• Add the chicory and stir to give the rillons color without altering their flavor.
  2 tablespoons chicory
• Let the pieces confit over low heat, uncovered, for 2 hours, basting them regularly with the fat.
• Drain the rillons on a wire rack and let them cool before refrigerating them.
  
• While the fat is still warm, strain it through a sieve into an airtight container. Add a glass of cold water, close the container and refrigerate.
• After a few hours, collect the fat that has set on the surface. Make a hole in the block of fat and pour out the water underneath.

Storage

• Arrange the rillons in a jar to keep them for up to 20 days. Pour the strained fat, barely warmed, over the top. Seal and refrigerate.

Serving

• Cut the rillons into thin slices to serve cold with drinks or in a mixed salad. They can also be eaten hot, for example in a tomato tart.