Pork Scratchings Mexican Style

[Gill]

Thomasina Miers recently featured Mexican pork scratchings on her excellent cookery programme. They were the size of pillow cases! I've tried making pork scratchings in the past but without much success, so after making my last batch of sausages I decided to try her method and see if it worked. Basically, you boil the skin, scrape off the fat and let it dry for a few days before roasting it. The full recipe is in her book.

I decided that scratchings the size of pillow cases were not really what I wanted, so I cut the skin into more manageable pieces. Here they are drying in my home-made biltong box:



After a couple of days I roasted two of the pieces to see how they would turn out:



They're fabulous! So light, so puffy, so crispy and so big. Thank goodness I cut them into pieces. Apparently they'll keep for at least a week in an airtight container but I can't see these lasting the night .

[wheels]

There's nothing better with a good pint.

Phil

[Big Guy]

Give us a step by step process please

[Gill]

I'd love to, but the recipe is in a newly published book and I don't think it would be fair for the chef to have her recipe detailed on the internet.

[johnfb]

I'd love to, but the recipe is in a newly published book and I don't think it would be fair for the chef to have her recipe detailed on the internet.

That's a very good approach and must be commended.

[wheels]

For anyone interested there are very good methods to make both types of UK scratchings here:

http://alexrushmer.com/tag/pork-scratchings/

Phil

[Big Guy]

thats what I needed! thanks

[mitchamus]

to make both types of UK scratchings

there is more than one kind?!?!!

[BriCan]

to make both types of UK scratchings

there is more than one kind?!?!!

there's the one you av at home, and the other one which is the best as far as I am concerned and that's the you av at the pub.

[wheels]

to make both types of UK scratchings

there is more than one kind?!?!!

If you follow the link there are photos of both types. They explain it better than I ever could.

Phil

[Kuma]

Great minds think alike, I too tried to get big sheets of puffy crackling and did the same method but deep fried. Unfortunately they still had some moisture in and I managed a spectacular eruption of fat all over the kitchen - I would recommend making sure they are very dry indeed for roasting or frying.