This is not so much a recipe it’s just me telling you how I make my cracklin’. There’s nothing difficult about it, but it does require patience. Once done, the cracklin’ can sit out at room temperature for days, but I promise it’ll never last that long. Technically cracklin’ is the skin of the pork belly, but over the years, I’ve made it with every part of the pig. Basically, whatever scraps are left over from butchering and trimming a hog can become cracklin’. Be very careful doing this in your home kitchen: as with any prolonged deep-frying recipe, you have to watch the oil constantly.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds pork belly skin and other trimmings
- 1 cup peanut oil, or just enough to cover pork pieces
- 1 cup lard or bacon fat
- Salt
How to Make It
- Freeze the pork skin for at least an hour, not so that it is frozen solid but so that it is at least pretty stiff . Slice into slivers about ¾ inch thick and about 1 inch long.
- Heat the peanut oil and lard in a large cast-iron pot over medium heat to around 340°F. Add the pork a little at a time, making sure not to let the hot oil splash. Monitor and regulate the temperature of the oil so that it doesn’t fall below 300°F and doesn’t go above 350°F. As the pork cooks, it will render more fat. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, gently turning the pieces of pork, until the pork is floating in the oil. I use a set of long wooden chopsticks to flip the pork, or a pair of long tongs. The cracklin’ should be dark and crispy. Gently scoop the pork out of the oil with a skimmer or slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Season immediately with salt, nothing else. Let cool to room temperature.
- Store the cracklin’ in jars or resealable plastic bags at room temperature.
