As its name implies, grillon charentais comes from Charente. This recipe is quite similar to the rillettes from a neighbouring region, but with much larger pieces of meat.
This sort of Charentais pâté can be made from pork or, more rarely, duck or goose from Périgord. Garlic, pepper, sea salt and nutmeg can then be added. You start by browning the pieces of lean pork before slow-cooking them.
Grillon charentais can be eaten cold as a starter, or as an accompaniment to oysters, another very popular local culinary speciality. Traditionally, it is eaten on 1 May with a young garlic shoot (aillet).