How to Make Pork Rinds (Chicharron)

Get step-by-step instructions for making pork rinds, or chicharron.

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How to Make Pork Rinds (Chicharron)

If you're someone who loves pork rinds but typically prefers good-quality meat over the fast-food variety, you can have your pork and eat it too. This recipe for delicious, crispy-crunchy-porky snacks –– seasoned just the way you like it –– takes time (at a minimum, 24 hours), but it's mostly waiting, not working. Check out the recipe here, and then follow these step-by-step instructions for making your own guilty pleasure snacks.

Get the Recipe: Pork Rinds (Chicharron)

 

Pork skin from around the belly makes the best rinds. Buy some from your local butcher or order it online.

   

Boil the skin for about two hours to make the fat easier to remove.

  

Once the skin has cooled, take a bench scraper or spoon and scrape off some of the fat (save that for frying). You want to end up with rind that’s about 1/8 inch-thick. Use a rag or towel to hold onto the slippery skin. You’ll have a better grip and more control.

  

Push the fat towards the ends, then use the scraper to trim it off. 

   

Next, dry your rind in the oven overnight. It should be a shiny, translucent sheet once the drying process is done. 

   

Take your sheet and crack it into little pieces. Keep in mind that the rinds will puff up to be about three or four times their size, so you want your pieces to be about 1-inch square. 

   

And now you can finally fry the chips! They’ll puff up best if the oil is 385 to 390 degrees Fahrenheit. They’ll float to the top, so keep them submerged for even cooking. 

   

Sadly, you might have a couple of duds. Not all of your pieces will puff up the way they’re supposed to. No matter! You’ve got plenty more. 

   

Lay the finished product on a paper towel so that the oil drains. The sooner you season, the better; hot oil helps your seasoning stick to the chips.

   

Voila! Now it’s time to bite into your warm, crunchy pork rinds. Get creative: Serve with a dipping sauce... 

   

...or try them with different salts and seasonings.

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