Slow-Roasted Pork Belly with Chicharrones

[petehalsted]

The Thermoworks blog is featuring their Slow-Roasted Pork Belly with Chicharrones recipe.

I have been playing with pork bellies burnt ends. But this caught my eye as something else to try.

Has anyone tried it in a smoker? One of my challenges would be finishing the Chicharrones, the only source I have for roasting is our convection micro. I can set it so it is just using the top heating element and not doing any microwaving, but not sure it would produce the heat need for this. I am curious if it could be produce with my map torch instead.

Would like to hear any tips / tricks / comments from anyone that has made these in a smoker.

 

[PerazziMx14]

Please remove

 

[petehalsted]

I thought about doing that with the removed skin, but I think by the time I read step 5, I tapped out.

What I am talking about, they do it while on the pork belly itself. makes for an interesting presentation. Take a look at the link. Hoping someone has tried it and has some comments about how it went.

 

[browneyesvictim]

I use every inch of pork skin I trim off by making pork rinds after I collect enough to make it worthwhile. I do similar as above and I dry them in my convection oven in strips till they are "Snap" brittle, not leathery. Then I break them up into pieces in a Ziploc bag until Im ready to puff them up to eat them- usually while camping.

I have also made chicharones. I leave the meat on the skin, then cut them into strips and score them. Start by slow simmering them in a wok (I use a dutch oven when outdoors) with a little water at first until the water evaporates and they have rendered enough oil for them to fry in their own oil and continue cooking and rendering them down. I then remove them and clean the oil and pan, then crank up the heat! Then when you drop them back in the hot oil, the skins will pop like cracklings or pork rinds do. Drain season and serve.