Pig cracklings

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atomicsmoke

Master of the Pit
Original poster
OTBS Member
Apr 3, 2014
4,313
1,235
Toronto, Canada
I make backfat chips whenever i have extra available. But never tried cracklings. I looked up recipes: found everything from simply stick them in the oven to boil-dehydrate-deep fry. Since the skin felt hard i doubted simple oven roasting would yield edible (chewable) product. The chicharon approach, while temtping, sounded labor intensive. So I pressure cooked them first. 20min. When they were finish it took a lot of willpower not to eat them. They smelled so great and were so tender. I removed most fat - comes off easily.

I let them dry in the fridge overnight; then finished them in the oven 375 , skin side up, until they blistered. I think it was about an hour. I coated them with lard before roasting then applied some seasonings.

They came out just how i expected. Supercrunchy, superporky with just enough fat to drip of your chin.

I have plenty more pig skin in the freezer so i won't be booking blood tests anytime soon.
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I was about to toss the cooking liquid (from the pressure cooker) when i remember we had cabbage with smoked sausage in the menu. I used the liquid to cook the cabbage (pressure cooker too).
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Here is cabbage dish...after we devoured more than half
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Looks good . I tried the boil then dry and fry method . First part was spot on , but my fryer didnt get hot enough to get the instant puff . Try it . It's not as bad as it sounds work wise .
 
Looks great what we called cracklings came from when we cooked down fat for lard what you have we would just call pork rinds. Grandmother use to put bits of cracklings in biscuits. Enjoy

Warren
 
Looks great what we called cracklings came from when we cooked down fat for lard what you have we would just call pork rinds. Grandmother use to put bits of cracklings in biscuits. Enjoy

Warren
Terminology varies...depends who you talk to. The cracklings that you get from rendering fat are the ones I am familiar with. I called them chips for the lack of a better term. Love those too.
The pork rinds, i am told, are chicharrones. Deep fried before serving.
Biscuits with cracklings....we make those too. Delish
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So this it the skin. I am in Warrens neck of the wood. Cracklins came from pressing lard.
 
AS, They do look tasty !!!! They remind me of my grandparents farm when my grandmother would do chitlins after butchering the pigs, I would eat bread bags full of them, I'm surprised that my cholesterol is low ! :)
 
SW Louisiana cracklim are only made frying skin and fat in grease and either double fried to get the ski. To pop or heat rue d up high to get over the “stall” where the are bubbles pop in the skin. Those do look tasty though.
 
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