Schmaltz And Gribenes Recipe And Photo Tutorial

SCHMALTZ AND GRIBENES

Steps:

• In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, toss chicken skin and fat with salt and 1 tablespoon water and spread out in one layer. Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes, until fat starts to render and skin begins to turn golden at the edges.
• Add onions and cook 45 to 60 minutes longer, tossing occasionally, until chicken skin and onions are crispy and richly browned, but not burned.
• Strain through a sieve. Reserve the schmaltz. If you want the gribenes to be crispier, return to the skillet and cook over high heat until done to taste. Drain gribenes on a paper-towel-lined plate.

SCHMALTZ AND GRIBENES

Steps:

• Rinse the pound of chicken skin and fat, pat dry, then chop it into small 1/2 inch pieces.
• Toss the chicken skin pieces with 1 tsp kosher salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Place the skin and fat into a skillet on the stovetop (make sure it's cast iron or nonstick!) and turn heat to medium low. Cover the skillet and let it cook on medium low for about 15 minutes. Liquid fat will start to pool at the bottom of the skillet.
• Uncover the skillet and raise heat to medium. At this point you can add onion, which will give you an onion-flavored darker colored schmaltz, or you can render the fat without onion for a cleaner, purer fat with no onion essence. Most Jewish cooks prefer to render the fat with onion. Let the skin and fat cook for another 15-20 minutes, breaking the pieces apart with a spatula and stirring frequently, until the skin starts to brown and curl at the edges. At this point there should be quite a bit of liquid fat at the bottom of the pan-this liquid is your schmaltz.
• Remove pan from heat. Pour the schmaltz from the skillet into a container, using a mesh strainer to catch any small pieces of skin. A golden oil will result-this is called schmaltz. It can be used in a variety of Jewish dishes or as a cooking fat.
• If you cooked the onions as the fat rendered, your oil will be a darker golden color with an orange hue. The schmaltz will stay liquid at room temperature; it will become solid and opaque if you refrigerate it.
• If you cooked the skin and onion together, return to medium heat and continue cooking in the skillet until the skin is deeply golden, curled and crispy, and the onions are dark brown. Drain on a paper towel and serve.
• If you did not cook the onions with the skin, you can cook them after the schmaltz is collected. Return the cooked chicken skin and fat to the skillet.
• Turn heat to medium and sauté the mixture for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Don't leave them alone for long or they'll burn! Adjust heat lower as needed to keep from blackening too much.When pieces are dark brown and crispy, remove the gribenes from the skillet with a slotted spoon and drain them on a paper towel. They become crispier as they cool.
• Gribenes can be snacked on as-is or added to other dishes as a topping.
• Rinse the pound of chicken skin and fat, pat dry, then chop it into small 1/2 inch pieces.Cut your onions into slices, then cut slices into pieces around 1/4 inch long.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Toss the chicken skin and fat with 1 tsp kosher salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper, then spread it out into a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet.
• Place baking sheet in the oven and let it roast for 20 minutes, until the skin starts to turn golden and curl at the edges. Fat will have started collecting on the sheet.
• Add onions to the hot baking sheet, spreading them out evenly throughout the chicken skin.
• Return to oven and continue roasting for another 40-50 minutes until the skin is golden brown and crispy and the onions are dark brown. When stirring, make sure to move the pieces on the outside towards the center, and move the center pieces out towards the middle, so the pieces evenly brown.
• When the pieces become crispy, remove from the oven and let the tray cool down. Strain the fat from the tray through a mesh strainer into a collection container.
• The gribenes are delicious to snack on or used as a topping. The schmaltz should be saved and used in a variety of savory dishes. In will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator.

SCHMALTZ AND GRIBENES (RENDERED CHICKEN FAT)

Steps:

• Chop the fat into large chunks. Combine everything in a saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Cook slowly 1 1/2 - 2 hours, until the water has evaporated, the fat is completely melted, and the onion has turned dark mahogany brown, but not burned.
• Strain the clear fat into a clean jar and allow to cool to room temperature. Store in refrigerator up to 3 months, or in freezer up to a year. The gribenes should be used within a few days.

SCHMALTZ AND GRIBENES

Steps:

• 1. Wash fat and skin well in a colander, and pat dry. Place in a heavy skillet, and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
• 2. Cook, uncovered, over low heat (you can turn it up a bit once the fat has begun melting). When the fat starts to melt and get slightly brown, add onions (and garlic cloves if you like), and continue cooking until onions and cracklings are golden brown and crunchy.
• 3. When partially cooled, strain over a bowl to remove onions and cracklings, and refrigerate them in a covered glass jar. Poor schmaltz into another jar, cover, and refrigerate.

SCHMALTZ AND GRIBENESS

Steps:

• Cut the chicken skin in 1/4-inch strips and dice the fat. Place the skin and fat in a large, heavy skillet, add the water, and simmer over medium heat for 35 to 45 minutes until the water has evaporated.
• Add the onion to the pan and continue cooking over medium heat until the onion is soft and golden, about 5 minutes.
• Strain the mixture and add the salt to the solid part: the skin and onion called gribeness. The remaining liquid is the schmaltz. Both should be stored in tightly covered containers in the refrigerator. They will keep for up to a month. Use schmaltz for frying and sauteeing or as a spread. Gribeness can be used to garnish mashed potatoes and salads or eaten as finger food.