Inspiced — Recipe Manager
Chicharrones

Chicharrones

cooking.nytimes.com
A snack prized for their crunch and salt factor, chicharrones commonly involve fried pork skin. You’ll find versions across Spain and Latin America where they might be crisped by methods that include deep-frying, baking or boiling. This recipe uses long, 1-inch-wide pork belly strips that include the skin, fat and belly. In order to get them as crisp as possible, they’re rubbed with baking soda before cooking. Next, they’re rinsed and submerged in water in a nonstick skillet. They’ll simmer and tenderize as the water evaporates, then eventually they sizzle in their own rendered fat. (A splatter screen will help protect you from the pork belly skin as it crackles and crisps in the pan, and long sleeves will help prevent any hot oil burns.) Serve these meaty, crunchy chicharrones on their own, with lime wedges, or with one-pot rice and beans.
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  • Serves: 4 persons

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Step 1

    Place the pork belly, skin-side down, on a clean work surface. Cut into 1-inch wide strips across the width of the meat, perpendicular to the grain. With the skin-side still facing down, make crosswise cuts every 1 1/2 inches into each piece along the entire length, slicing about 3/4 of the way into the belly, being careful not to cut through the skin. (Each strip will look similar to one side of a zipper.)

  2. Step 2

    Set the pork belly strips skin-side up on a sheet pan fitted with a rack. Rub the pork belly skin with the baking soda and refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours.

  3. Step 3

    Rinse the baking soda off of the pork, then place the strips in a large (12-inch) nonstick skillet. Cover with 2 to 4 cups of room temperature water and bring to a boil. (It’s OK if the pork belly isn’t completely submerged; simply turn using tongs halfway through.) Decrease the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook until the liquid has completely evaporated, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    When the liquid has evaporated, cover the pot with a splatter guard. Continue cooking the pork in its fat, carefully turning the strips as needed, until golden and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes. Carefully transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and season with salt. Cool slightly, then serve as is or with lime wedges, as desired.
NY Times
cooking.nytimes.com