Pork Cracklings Recipes

PORK AND CRACKLING

Steps:

• Lay out your pork on a board and rub some salt and 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary into the scored lines, trying to get this into every bit by pushing and rubbing in. In a pestle and mortar smash up the fennel seeds, then the garlic and remaining chopped rosemary, and rub this into the meat ? not the skin, or it will burn. Place in a large roasting tray with the balsamic vinegar, bay and olive oil. Leave for about 1/2 hour to marinate.
• Meanwhile, preheat your oven to its highest temperature and brown the bones. Rub the skin of the pork with lots of sea salt ? this will help puff it up and dry it out. Place the pork directly on the bars at the top of the oven. Finally add the browned bones and vegetables to the leftover balsamic marinade, add 570ml, 1 pint water and put into the oven directly under the pork. As the pork cooks all the goodness drips from it into the tray. This liquid will then become your gravy. You also get quite charred bar marks on the base of the pork.
• The pork will take about 1 hour to cook. After 20 minutes turn the temperature down to 220C/425F/Gas 7. Once the pork is cooked, remove it from the oven on the rack and place on a piece of foil to save any juices. Allow to rest for at least 10 minutes. Finish off any vegetables that you are going to serve with it and make a gravy out of the juices in the tray which was underneath the pork.
• Put the bones, the liquid and the vegetables into a large pan. Add some water to the tray that contained the bones and vegetables, as there will be some Marmite-like, sticky stuff on the bottom to the tray which is very tasty. Reboil the water, scrape off all the goodness from the bottom of the tray and then pour everything into the pan. Bring to the boil, shaking occasionally, remove any oil, grease or scum from the top, then pass the contents through a sieve, discarding all the vegetables and bones. You can reduce and then correct the seasoning, to taste.

PORK BELLY CRACKLINGS

Steps:

• Using a utility knife, razor blade or sharp knife, score skin into 1 1/2-inch squares, then use score marks as guides to cut through meat and fat underneath, resulting in 1 1/2-inch cubes.
• Pour oil into a pot deep enough that top of oil is at least 6 inches from rim; place over medium-high heat. When oil reaches 225 degrees on a deep-fat frying thermometer, add pork cubes and immediately stir gently to prevent clumping. Cook pork until it is lightly golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes. Meanwhile, combine spices in a small bowl.
• Reheat oil to 400 or 425 degrees and add pork again. Cook for another 3 to 5 minutes or until skin "cracks" or bubbles up. Remove cubes to a plate lined with fresh paper towels. After a minute put cracklings in a bowl, toss with spice mix and kosher salt, and serve.

LEG OF PORK WITH CRACKLINGS

Steps:

• Mix minced garlic, lemon zest and juice, oregano, 2 teaspoons salt, and the oil in a medium bowl.
• Using a sharp knife, make parallel cuts all over pork leg, cutting through skin and fat (but not meat), spacing cuts 1/2 inch apart. Using a paring knife, cut ten 1/2-inch slits into meat (between parallel cuts). Stuff each slit with a halved garlic clove.
• Pat garlic mixture all over pork, pushing paste between each parallel line and covering pork. Season generously with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large plastic bag set in a pan (such as a turkey roasting bag), leaving top open to let skin dry. Refrigerate overnight (or up to 2 days).
• Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Position rack in lower third of oven. Remove pork from bag, and place in a large roasting pan, skin side up. Let stand 1 hour at room temperature. Season again with salt and pepper, and pour wine in pan. Roast for 45 minutes, reduce heat to 350, and continue roasting until thickest part of pork registers 145 degrees on a meat thermometer, about 3 hours. (Check temperature every 15 minutes during final hour of roasting.) Let rest at least 1 hour before serving.

PK'S PORK CRACKLINGS

Steps:

• Cut the pork skin into 4 pieces. It will cook more evenly and be easier to clean later on.
• In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring 4 quarts water to a simmer. Add the skins and cook for 1 hour, or until they are soft and somewhat gelatinous.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Remove the skins from the water with a slotted spoon and put onto a large plate. Discard the liquid. Let the skins cool in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes so they will be easier to handle.
• Put one of the pieces on a cutting board skin-side-down. The other side will have bits of meat and fat on it that will have turned white during cooking. With a very sharp chef's knife, slice as much of the meat and fat off as possible, leaving only a thin piece of skin. Be careful not to slice into the skin underneath. The cleaner you get the skin, the crispier the crackling will be when fried. Repeat with remaining pieces.
• Arrange the skins on a parchment-paper or Silpat-lined sheet tray and put in the oven for 1 1/2 hours. Flip the skins and continue cooking for 1 1/2 hours, or until the skins are completely dry. Remove from the oven and let cool.
• When cool enough to handle, scrape off any remaining bits of fat and meat. The back of a knife works well for this. At this point, the cracklings can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
• Heat about 4 inches of oil in a deep-fryer or pot to 350 degrees F. Break the cracklings into small, inch-sized pieces. Fry in batches for 30 to 45 seconds, until crisp and puffy. Remove from the oil and season with salt. Serve immediately.

PORK CRACKLINGS

Steps:

• Pulse kosher salt and fennel in grinder until fennel is coarsely ground. Arrange fatback, skin side up, on a work surface with longest side nearest you. Score pork skin (1/4 inch deep) crosswise with a sharp knife at 1/3-inch intervals (do not cut through to fat). Pat skin completely dry with paper towels, then rub fennel salt into skin. Let stand, loosely covered, at room temperature 1 hour.
• Put oven rack in bottom third of oven and preheat oven to 450°F.
• Pat skin completely dry with paper towels again, then cut skin into strips using scored cuts as a guide. Arrange strips close together in a large shallow baking pan (1 inch deep) and slowly pour water into pan (not over skin). Roast, stirring twice (use caution, as fat may splatter), until strips are golden, blistered, and crisp, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain, then discard fat remaining in pan.

CRACKLINS (DEEP-FRIED PORK BELLY)

Steps:

• Heat about 4 inches of oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Fry pork belly squares in batches until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
• Heat about 4 inches of oil in another large saucepan to 425 degrees F (218 degrees C).
• Fry pork belly squares in batches a second time until skin "pops," 30 seconds to 1 minute. Drain on fresh paper towels.