Description
Crispy Pork Crackling turns your kitchen into a flavor paradise, delivering golden, crunchy perfection that makes snack time seriously delicious. Sizzling with simple seasoning and expert technique, this crackling delivers pure pork pleasure straight to your plate.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 2 pounds pork belly
Seasonings:
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons chile de árbol, ground
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon white pepper, ground
- ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
- ½ teaspoon celery seeds, ground
Cooking Fats:
- 1 cup lard
- peanut oil for frying
- hot sauce to sprinkle on at the end
Instructions
- Transfer 2 pounds of pork belly pieces into a Dutch oven with 1 cup of lard. Heat the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring regularly until the meat browns and becomes tender, approximately 25-30 minutes.
- Move the pork belly onto a rimmed baking sheet and chill in the refrigerator until completely cold.
- Create the seasoning by combining 2 tablespoons ground chile de árbol, 2 tablespoons kosher salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, ½ teaspoon white pepper, ½ teaspoon granulated garlic, and ½ teaspoon ground celery seeds in a small bowl.
- Strain the lard from the Dutch oven and set aside for future cooking. Pour peanut oil into the Dutch oven and heat to exactly 380°F.
- Carefully place the cold pork belly pieces into the hot oil, working in small batches. Fry each batch for 2-3 minutes until they puff up and turn golden brown.
- Transfer the fried cracklins to paper towels to drain excess oil. Toss the pieces with a few dashes of hot sauce in a bowl or bag.
- Sprinkle the prepared Cracklin’ Dust seasoning generously over the hot cracklins, ensuring each piece gets an even coating of the spice mix.
Notes
- Selecting pork belly with a good fat-to-meat ratio ensures the most satisfying crackling texture and flavor.
- Chilling the pork belly before frying helps create a crispier exterior and prevents excessive oil splatter.
- Use a deep-fry thermometer to maintain precise oil temperature, as this guarantees consistent crunchiness and prevents burning.
- Experiment with the Cracklin’ Dust seasoning by adjusting spice levels or swapping chile de árbol for other ground peppers to match your heat preference.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30-35 minutes
- Category: Pork
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: British
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 to 6
- Calories: 682 kcal
- Sugar: 0.25 g
- Sodium: 1042 mg
- Fat: 72 g
- Saturated Fat: 26 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 43 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 1.5 g
- Fiber: 1.2 g
- Protein: 14 g
- Cholesterol: 72 mg