How To Make Chicharrones

I'm finally able to share my mom's chicharrones recipe. As a Colombian, chicharrones are a part of my mother's culture. It's a traditional dish she loves, but she hated frying them in her small kitchen. There would be grease everywhere and the entire house smelled of fried foods for days. She eventually figured out how to make them in the oven. Not only are they better than traditional chicharrones, they stay crunchy for days!

What are chicharrones?

Chicharrones are sliced and typically fried skin-on pork belly. It's also called pork rinds or cracklin. This recipe is for baked chicharron, so they yield a slightly healthier and crispier result.

What I feel makes these healthier is the fact that they're baked skin side up. Not only are they baked vs. deep fried, but by baking them skin up on a baking rack it allows for a lot of the grease to render out.

For this recipe, I have the chicharron marinate in mojo for 2 hours, however over-night would be best.

Ingredients needed

• Skin-on pork belly
• Salt
• Cuban mojo
• Baking soda
• Lime

Directions to make chicharrones in the oven

• Slice the porkbelly into 1 ½ inch strips.
• Place the pork belly pieces, skin side down on a work surface then make 1 inch crosswise cuts on each piece, being careful not to cut through the skin.
• Place the strips into a bowl and rinse them with water. Drain out the water and add the mojo and salt to the meat. mix the meat to ensure the salt and mojo has been spread out. Cover and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
• Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
• Place the strips skin side up on baking rack inside of a baking sheet.
• In a small bowl mix the juice from your lime and baking soda. Using a kitchen brush, brush the lime mixture over all of the skin. This ensures the skin crackles and crisps.
• Place the meat in the oven for 90 minutes.
• Set your oven to broil and watch the skin crackle. Once the skin has crisped to your liking, remove from the oven and serve. Do not look away as this requires all of your attention. Your pork can go from crisp to burnt in a few seconds.

What can you pair chicharrones with?

Chicharrones are sometimes chopped up and served as an appetizer with mini arepas and lime wedges. Chicharrones are also served as a protein in a bandeja paisa. A bandeja paisa typically consists of white rice, Colombian red beans, arepa, fried eggs and carne en polvo.

Storage

Cooked chicharrones can keep in an airtight container inside the refrigerator for upto 3-4 days.

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