Making Cracklins

[veener88]

Well after watching a few BBQ shows I see some BBQ places make cracklins from the hog skin and their fat. I am thinking of giving this a shot. Before I was buying hog skin for making my dogs treats by buying the skins, cutting off the fat, and smoking them till they got crisp. For 59 cents a lb I was making about 70 treat per 10lbs of skin. A lot cheaper them buying pig ears. Right now my butcher seems to have little surplus of skin so I am trying to get about 30lbs of it to make dog treats and to try and make some cracklins.

What I am trying to fugure out is two things. What I want to get is get the turkey frier going and put in the rendered lard that I made from the last hog and just add in the skins with the fat one to the oil lard. Should this be OK to do? Also once they are done does anyone know of some good flavoring to add the skins? I have never made anything like this.

Thanks,

 

[zapper]

I have always seen it done in an Iron pot but I would think that a catfish cooker might work. I would take a little extra care to sheild the burner from drips, runs and grease splashes (A candle maker once asked me if I had any idea of what five lbs of wax looked like when it was on fire and spreading across the floor. I never never did see it, but something in the way he asked me has lasted some forty years)

Cajun is always popular, something like Old bay. Mexi is always good too either powdered Japalenos, Chipoltes? I got to be honest, I am starting to get burned out on too much salt, I mean yes it is most likely killing me, but it just seems that everyone lately is salting the food every time they walk by it, but plain old salted is good too. There is a flavor that I kind of have been trying to duplicate off and on for years that I really liked. Bar-B-Que. What I mean is that when I was a kid in the east suburbs of Chicago (Gary, IN) they sold a "Jays' Potato chip" that was Barbeque flavored, or someones Idea of it anyways, This would be a great little flavor for all kinds of dishes that just required a sprinkel of flavor, not too hot, not too anything, just good. So I mention this because I have had a shrimp dish, basicly shrip broiled in butter and this type of bbq powder that is killer!

 

[scpatterson`]

I make these all the time since we raise our own hogs. The best way is to put them into a heavy cast iron dutch oven but I have used the turkey fryer pot before. We add about a 1/4 of an inch of water in the pot just to get them started and if you use the turkey fryer keep the temp low and stir them alot to start off. They will make plenty of oil once they get started. And for seasoning, I like a mixture os salt ceyenne and a little black pepper. Hope This helps

 

[gypsyseagod]

i've got an uncle in morgan city,la. who told me he shakes them in a ziploc bag w/ tony cacheries or emeril's & a lil extra garlic pdr.

 

[analog assassin]

I've seen them made. They have to be constantly stirred. Once they're ready to be pulled out, they throw a little ice in the fryer and it makes it bubble real fast and is supposed to crisp up the cracklin.
We call them gratons here. (pronounced grah-tawns) We have fairs where the pig is slaughtered, butchered and cooked, that part is called the boucherie.

 

[scpatterson`]

I have always heard the term Gratan but never really knew what it meant. Thanks

 

[herr tulpe]

I have normally made crackling as part of a pork roast in the oven. Make sure the skin is dry, and cut some grooves about 1" apart along the width of the roast. Rub the skin and fat with salt. Then roast on high heat for about 20 minutes, and then at a lower temp for something like 20 minutes/lb, and you should end up with good meat and crispy golden crackling.

 

[gypsyseagod]

boucherie from the term boucan,later to buccaneers (as in pirates-out of work pirates). i'm not to sure about the throwing ice in a deep fryer... kinda like frying bacon nekkid