What is chicharrón?
Chicharrón, or chicharrones in the plural, is a very popular dish throughout Latin America and Spain. This is a fresh pork belly cut into slices ¼ – ½ inch (5 mm to 1 cm) thick on which to keep the rind.
The pork slices are cooked for a long time in water and then cooled on a rack in a refrigerator. They are then dehydrated and then fried. The result is very crispy, almost like crisps. Chicharrones are eaten as they are or can accompany a dish or a salad.
What is the origin of chicharrón?
Chicharrón is found throughout Latin America and Spain, however its name can sometimes be different. It is found for example in Brazil under the name of torresmo. Outside of Latin America, it can be called “oreilles de crisse“ in French-speaking Canada.
The process of dehydrating meat is now very popular in the street food world. It is applied to many cuts of meat and always gives excellent results. Pollo chicharrones, for example, make chicken skin extremely crispy, same with duck skin. This technique has even become popular in large restaurants.
Pork belly has nevertheless established itself for this cooking process because this piece has three very distinct parts, the rind, the fat and the lean. What’s more, lean and fat are distributed in successive layers, much like strata. This balance makes this piece of pork particularly interesting to taste because it combines different textures and sensations.
How to prepare chicharrón
Preparing chicharrones is a long process. Preparation begins with cooking the slices of pork. It is important to keep the rind, it must be very clean and no longer contain any residual hair. You can choose whether or not to remove the cartilage that is on the pork belly.
The slices are cooked in water for an hour. They are then salted and vinegared and set aside in the refrigerator until they are dry and cold. The salt and vinegar will squeeze out all the water in the meat, making the outside very dry.
It is then necessary to continue the dehydration either by placing the slices of pork directly in the sun for long hours or by using the oven at low temperature.
After about 8 hours of drying, the pork belly slices are completely dehydrated. This technique is now very popular in the United States and is applied to other meats, it is called dry-aging.
The chicharrones are then peppered and fried in oil. Bubbles will form on the rind and on the fatty parts of each chicharrón. They must then be put to drain. Chicharrones are best enjoyed hot once fried, or cold.
What are the variations?
If the chicharrón is invariably associated with the Hispanic world, other versions exist as in Italy with ciccioli. In France, we will also find the gratons. In Latin America, chicharrones are eaten on their own or can be part of a dish, serve as a garnish in soup or accompany a salad.
The seasoning of the chicharrón is variable, the slices of pork can be marinated in different spices which give it an always different taste. You can also dip your chicharrón in a sauce, or chop it to make a stuffing.
In some cases, rather than directly immersing the chicharrones in the oil, you can repeatedly pour the hot oil directly over them. This takes longer but the result is even more crisp thanks to the successive baths.
The Chinese are also masters of the art of cooking pork belly. It is also dehydrated with salt and vinegar after being poached in a very fragrant broth. The rind is then fried in oil to obtain a result that is very crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.
Chicharrón
Ingredients
- 25 oz pork rind , without excess fat
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Frying oil
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 / low heat until the skin is very soft (about 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes).
- Drain the pork rind and place it on the 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 ( 70°C).
- Remove the subcutaneous fat from the rind using a spoon or other scraping utensil; the fat will come away very 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 pieces of dehydrated rind into long strips or pieces about 1½ x 1 inch (4 x 2 cm).
- 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.
Video
Notes
Esther and Morgan are the two foodies behind Renards Gourmets. They are based in Paris where they develop four-handed recipes and culinary photos.
Addison says
When you start digging into this snack, you can’t resit it. You’ll find yourself eating the whole pack of chicharron.