Anyone here make pork rinds?

[rodamala]

I am looking for something to do with the skins I cut off picnic hams everytime I make pulled pork. I'm not really a pork rind eater, but if it's something I can make and be able to use the skins, then I'm all for it.

I've seen videos on youtube with a guy frying up a bunch of dried skin chunks... but I guess this is a 2 step process where the skins is rendered first to get moisture out, then it's deep fried at high temperature.

I really can't find anything on how to do this on a small scale. It's probably a waste of time, but I'd like to at least try.

Rod

[CanNerd]

If anybody can do something like that it would be Paula Deen, so:

Homemade Pork Rinds (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/home-made-pork-rinds-recipe/index.html)

[Anon001]

but I guess this is a 2 step process where the skins is rendered first to get moisture out, then it's deep fried at high temperature.

I really can't find anything on how to do this on a small scale. It's probably a waste of time, but I'd like to at least try.

Rod

With rendering, you would make cracklin's. I did pork rinds several years ago, one time, but I can't really remember what I did other than fry them in a deep cast iron skillet, sorta like deep frying.

When you "render" you are rendering lard and you are usually left with "chunks" that become cracklins. I do that and freeze them to add to other foods for seasoning.

I also don't know how well the "skin" from a ham will work as pork rinds.

[NCLee]

Do you take the skins off before or after the low & slow?

Alot of people around here chop the crisp skin and serve it along side the Q. You can further cook it by putting it in the oven and baking it (slowly) to remove more of the fat. (Scrap off any fat that was clinging when you removed it from the shoulder.) BTW, around here a "picnic" is the lower part of the front leg. Upper part is a Boston butt. However, that may be a regional difference in the names.

This won't result in the puffy rinds sold in the grocery stores. That's done by frying. Think it's done by cutting off all the fat, slicing the skin into small strips and then frying in hot oil/grease. Similar to frying fat back.

Just my 2-cents - love the Q & love the skins, too. :)

Lee

[rodamala]

I get a nice big pork shoulder for 99 cents/lb., skin it, dump it in a slow cooker along with a can of beer and some water, and 7 hours later the pork is completely falling off the bone.

I saw the Paula Deen, ya'll, thing with a google search, ya'll... that's not what i was looking for... ya'll.

Hahahahah. Sorry, every gratutious, "Ya'll", she says (every 10 seconds) makes me want to pull a Sherman and burn Atlanta, march to the sea... and burn Savannah too.

What I am looking to make is deep fried pork skins. Look at some of the videos on youtube... the skins go in and poof up so much they look like they are gonna overflow the pot.

[NCLee]

Oh, OK - you're doing something different from what I had envisioned.

For me, pulled pork is a butt, rubbed in yellow mustard, then coated with a dry rub. Goes on the smoker for 12 hrs +/- skin side up. When it's done, skin doesn't puff up. Gets crispy, instead.

I'm on dial-up so I can't watch those on-line videos. Sorry.

Have you tried cutting the skin (after removing the fat) into thin strips and putting it in hot oil (heated to just below the smoking point of that oil) and frying it? Suspect the whole "secret" is the temp of the oil. That's based on my experience with both rending lard and frying fatback that has a "puffy" skin when done. Just be careful because that hot oil and too many skins can have the same effect as a wet turkey and too much oil in the turkey fryer.

Lee

[tufhelp]

We know these as pork rinds, cracklings, also know as chicharones (chicharrones) out here in the Southwest, pronounced chee-chaa-rone-ees -heavily rolling the r's. Big doings at any pig roast. While the fresh killed pig is cooked low and slow in a pit in the ground, the skin is de-fatted and cut into 2" - 3" squares and deep fried in pig fat - palatal orgasms...:man_in_love:

Basically deep fried pig skin fried in pig fat... here is a typical recipe:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070325113922AAkzir4

[Anon001]

When I was growing up, we always called the meat that is left after rendering, cracklins, not the pork rind. But, after looking around on the internet, it appears that it depends on where you are. Many places have them interchangeable while others areas keep cracklins and chicharones as two separate things.

[rodamala]

Oh, OK - you're doing something different from what I had envisioned.

Yeah, it's extreme lazyman's pulled pork, but it works well and tastes ok. I've sauced it after shredding, but the plain pulled pork is great w/o seasoning.

The bones go to the doggies, the leftover "beer broth" makes a mighty fine stock for beer cheese soup stock the next day, and the skimmed fat from the slowcooker gets used to saute the onions and sausage for the beer cheese soup too.

If I can make pork rinds from the skin... I will have maximized my $0.99/lb investment in picnic hams.

Commodity utilization factor is now approaching unity... Engaging warp drive, hold on!

Sadly, after the last pork shoulder, I had left the pork skin in the reefer too long (as I tried to find someone's recipie for pork rinds) and it went bad. FAIL.

Thanks to everyone for your input on this thread. I think next time I will render some of the fat off the back of the skin at a lower temperature, cut the skin into strips, then deep fry in 400 degree oil. I think that's a temperature I've seen online.

Rod