Crackling, made from frying pork rinds, is a popular snack and ingredient in many dishes. It can be seasoned and stored without refrigeration, and is used to flavor vegetables and cornbread in the southern United States.
As a favorite treat created by frying leftover pork rinds, crackling has a long history as a snack and additive in recipes. Here is some information on preparing cracklings, as well as some of the ways crackling pork rinds are used in various dishes.
The crackling is created with the use of the tough outer crust of the pork sections. The sturdier sections can be boiled ahead of time to provide a more pleasing texture. Subsequently, the sections of rind are cut into strips and immersed in boiling oil. When the strips of rind begin to sizzle, they tend to curl and puff somewhat, providing the look most people associate with crackling pork products.
After letting the crackle die down, the result is a light, crunchy snack that is popular in many places around the world. While cooling, the crackling strips can be treated with a number of spices or sprinkled with a light sprinkle of salt.
Also known in some cultures as chicharron, pork crackling is very popular in the southern United States. Not only is crackling considered a snack in the United States and the Philippines, but the pork rinds can also be used in the preparation of different types of vegetable dishes. For example, crackling can be used as a seasoning element in the preparation of cabbage, mustard and turnip tops. It’s not unusual for crackling to be used with peas, pinto beans, and blue beans as well. Basically, any food that can be flavored with the presence of bacon or ham can also be flavored with the use of crackling.
Along with vegetables, crackling is also used as an ingredient in cornbread flatbreads. Cooked directly in the batter of corn pone, the presence of the crackle imparts a distinctive hint of bacon flavor to the cornbread. Especially in rural southern areas, a meal isn’t considered complete unless crackling cornbread is on the table.
Crackle has the edge over some other curing mediums in that crackle can be stored in a cabinet without refrigeration. Since the shelf life of properly prepared pork peel crackling strips is several months, you can have a constant supply of meat-flavored seasonings for cooking. Relatively inexpensive to produce, crackling retains a pleasant flavor that enhances the taste of a number of vegetables, without containing a high level of fat and carbohydrates like many other options.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
