Spanish Chicharrón Recipe
Chicharrón originated in Andalusia, Spain, but is now more popular outside of Spain. While Andalusia is known for its chicharrón, it is not the only region that makes it. In the Cádiz region, chicharrónes de Cádiz are made by cooking a slab of bacon, slicing it thin, and serving it with a sprinkle of lemon juice. Chicharrón is a Spanish pork dish made by frying pieces of pork skin or pork belly until they are golden brown and crispy. While frying is the traditional and preferred method, chicharrón can also be made by baking.
Ingredients
- Pork rind, without excess fat – 24 oz.
- White vinegar – 2 tbsp
- Salt – 1 tsp
- Ground black pepper – ¼ tsp
- Oil - for frying
Instructions
- Place the pork rind in a large saucepan and cover with water.
- Bring the water to a boil, cover the pot and cook over medium heat until the skin is very soft (about 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes).
- Drain the pork rind and place it on an oven rack, drizzle evenly with the vinegar, sprinkle with salt and rub it to evenly distribute the salt and vinegar.
- Place the oven rack and the rind in the refrigerator for 2 hours to cool completely.
- Preheat the oven to 160 F.
- Remove the fat from the rind using a spoon or other scraping utensil; the fat will come away easily.
- Place the rind back on the rack and place the rack on top of a baking sheet.
- Put the rind in the oven and let it dry out for 8 hours.
- Remove from the oven and let sit for about 30 minutes.
- Cut the now dehydrated rind into long strips or pieces about 1½ x 1 inch.
- Rub the pieces with the pepper.
- Heat a small pan over high heat and, when hot, pour in the oil.
- Fry the pieces of pork rind two by two, pierce them until they are puffed and begin to float.
- Quickly remove the pork rinds from the oil with a skimmer as the frying process takes about 20 seconds.
- Drain on absorbent paper before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 639kcalProtein: 70gFat: 38gSaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 108mgSodium: 2451mg
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