How will we Northerners cope?
I’ll bite.
What are they?
Pork scratchings - a gift of the culinary gods. Packets of salted, very crispy, pork rind eaten as a snack.
See the UK section of this Wikipedia article:
We’ve got an abundance of those over here.
But the link says " Unlike the physically large, but relatively light bags of deep-fried skin without the fat sold around the world, in the UK they are sold in relatively small bags which usually weigh between 42 g and 90 g. and are eaten as an accompaniment to a pint of beer in a pub, just like crisps or peanuts."
I’ve always wondered why they don’t get rancid.
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I heard today that Americans should refrain from eating “Italian-style” meats due to salmonella concerns. Figures, I just bought a huge hunk of pepperoni to enjoy with my crackers and cheddar. No more Italian hoagies for a while?
I make my own and store in air-tight Weck pots. Lasts months.
I can only order it from my usual organic butcher’s shofor p in the big city. The rinds come in big sheets and are cheap. The butcher says I’m one of the super rare people who wants to buy pork rinds. He keeps them around for me.
In Hungary scratchings are more popular than crisps! Wander round the central market in the capital and prepare to have your mind blown. Both pork and goose scratchings are equally popular.
Pork and goose scratchings are also part of a wine tasting platter:
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Chicaronne are a tapa in historic bars of The Madrid Capital …
Presunto:
Awesome that you make your own !
Those look delicious! Do they called them scratchings where you aren’t? It sounds like scratchings include some fat. I’m wondering if having only skin/rind and no fat (chicharrón, “pork rinds” in the US) would make them keep better.
“But how are they made? The first step in the process is simmering the pork skin in boiling water. They’re then divided up into bite-size pieces known as “pellets.” These pellets are chilled for at least four hours, allowing the fat to solidify. This fat is then removed and discarded”
“So what separates a cracklin from its cousin, the pork rind? While pork rinds are placed in the fryers devoid of any fat, cracklins still have some fat on the skin when it goes in the fryer, giving it a chewier, somewhat meatier crunch. The fat also prevents the cracklin from puffing up into a shape similar to that of a pork rind.”
Pork rinds are low/zero carb!
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Absolutely. Once you’ve opened the small bag, you’re not going to stop until its empty. I think there is still a law from the “between the wars” period that requires that.
We went to a food festival in Huddersfield a couple of years ago. There was stall there selling really large bags of scratchings. Instinct, and a respect for Art Deco period laws, kicked in and I tried to finish it in one session. This was not a good idea.
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I don’t scrape off the fat. You need it for the crunch (besides keeping the rinds cold).
Very simple to make. When you make them yourself you can experiment with spices and flavourings.
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Certainly the commercial product in the UK has fat. I think that’s what makes them so addictive - you have the very crisp skin contrasting with the softer fat layer. You’re probably talking about a total thickness of around 3mm or so.
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There are also many classic bars in the historic districts of the Madrid Capital that prepare TORRENOS, which are actually the same as CHICARONES BUT they are sliced in Square Cubes.
Also, quite tasty.
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So scratchings will satisfy my pork itch?
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