belly pork skin

[chorizo]

Hi everyone,
I currently remove the skin from the belly pork i use, is this normal practise?
I have just made my first batch of chicken sausages useng only boned thighs with skin on and they were so delicious.
your advice please sausage folk!
Thanks
Chorizo

[saucisson]

You can use it in sausages, but it's best to remove it and cook it until soft before putting it in with the meat. Otherwise roast it as a snack.

Dave

[Fallow Buck]

Mine goes to the dog, as I found it made the sausages taste a bit gristly. I think the dog would rather have had the othher bit though!!

FB

[welsh wizard]

IMO the only place for the rind is with apple sauce and not in the sausage.

Cheers WW

[Spuddy]

To use it in sausages you've really got to boil it well until it's very soft or it can end up gristley like FB said, I've tried it a couple of times and I'm not too impressed. It does wonders for an emulsified sausage though.

Most of mine ends up as Pork Scratchings these days:

Slash, then rub generously with salt and a little pepper. Roast in an oven at 140C for 1�-2 hours, draining the rendered fat every 30 mins or so. Then increase the oven temp to 200C and after about � an hour they should have puffed up and crisped.
Take out, drain on some kitcken paper, allow to cool, break along the slashes, sit back with a beer and watch everyone wolf them down.

[chorizo]

Many thanks,
I am definately going to be making pork scratchingsnext week!
cheers
Chorizo

[Spuddy]

Sorry should have mentioned - If using a fan oven then reduce temperatures by 10-20C or according to your manufacturer's instructions etc. etc.

[Josh]

I had a pretty nice pig skin dish for breakfast in Malaysia last year.

They took just the skin (completely scraped of fat) and hung it to dry. Once dry they cut into sections maybe 6"x3" and deep fried so it puffed up. They then braised it until soft before folding over a little seasoned minced pork, securing with a cocktail and steaming until cooked with a little thicken stock.

[Lance Yeoh]

I had a pretty nice pig skin dish for breakfast in Malaysia last year.

They took just the skin (completely scraped of fat) and hung it to dry. Once dry they cut into sections maybe 6"x3" and deep fried so it puffed up. They then braised it until soft before folding over a little seasoned minced pork, securing with a cocktail and steaming until cooked with a little thicken stock.

Don't remember seeing anything like that here actually, must be something out of the ordinary. where did you get them anyway?

[Josh]

I was up in Kota Kinabalu staying with my gf's (she's half malaysian) uncle. It was just in some little cafe by the side of the road inbetween Kota Kinabalu and Mount Kinabalu it didn't seem somewhere you got many folk outside of locals as everyone seemed to find me quite interesting to watch eating. He said it was one of his favourite things but he wasn't meant to eat it often (cholestrol I believe) but he'd make an exception as we were there. The breakfast consisted of the pig skin, tofu stuffed with pork and a bit of aubergine (I think) stuffed with pork all served on top of a plate of fried mee. Pretty tasty by all accounts.

[Lance Yeoh]

I was up in Kota Kinabalu staying with my gf's (she's half malaysian) uncle. It was just in some little cafe by the side of the road inbetween Kota Kinabalu and Mount Kinabalu it didn't seem somewhere you got many folk outside of locals as everyone seemed to find me quite interesting to watch eating. He said it was one of his favourite things but he wasn't meant to eat it often (cholestrol I believe) but he'd make an exception as we were there. The breakfast consisted of the pig skin, tofu stuffed with pork and a bit of aubergine (I think) stuffed with pork all served on top of a plate of fried mee. Pretty tasty by all accounts.

Ahhh... you were in East Malaysia, no wonder I've not seen or even heard of the dish here. I'm in KL.

[Josh]

Aye, we were a bit more out in the sticks when we had it. The breakfasts in Sabah were different to say the least. if it wasn't pig skin it was bowls of noodle soup loaded with intestines, liver, stomach, pork and fish balls. Tasty once you got used to them but strange at first.

Breakfast was a high point in KL too as we were staying at the Mandarin Oriental and they put on a bit of an amazing spread (to say the least) even if it is completely lacking in pig products. Am I correct in thinking this lack of pig products is law in Malaysian hotels?

[Lance Yeoh]

Aye, we were a bit more out in the sticks when we had it. The breakfasts in Sabah were different to say the least. if it wasn't pig skin it was bowls of noodle soup loaded with intestines, liver, stomach, pork and fish balls. Tasty once you got used to them but strange at first.

Breakfast was a high point in KL too as we were staying at the Mandarin Oriental and they put on a bit of an amazing spread (to say the least) even if it is completely lacking in pig products. Am I correct in thinking this lack of pig products is law in Malaysian hotels?

I don't think it's a law but since Malaysia is an Islamic Country with about 60% of the population muslim I guess it makes sense to take pork off the menu in the hotels to be able to cater to them.
But pork and all things pork are still easily available here.

[Josh]

Aye, there was definitely a lot of pork about and as my gf's family are part of the 40% and half hailing from China we got to eat lots of it.

The food in Malaysia (and Malaysia itself for that matter) is simply amazing IMO, the best I've had anywhere in the world, and we're already talking about our return trip. I could happily live there in the future if the opportunity arose.

[Zulululu]

Hi ,
I have taken the skin soaked it in salt water for a while then allow it to dry . Lay on a flat surface skin side down srinkle some salt and pepper , then I take some sausage meat what ever I have add some chopped peppers , cabbage or other greens mix it with the meat and make it into a roll . I then roll the mixture up in the skin with a slight over lap , once it is all rolled up and the skin trimed I tie it with string and sprinkle with salt . bake in the oven till the skin is crisp . I normally slice it into rings the peppers and the greens add a splash of colour .