chicarrones

Cara Nicoletti of The Meat Hook helps us get to know our favorite cuts of meat a little bit better—and introduces us to a few new ones, too. Read on, study up, then hightail it to your nearest butcher.

If former articles in this column are any indication, it's pretty clear that I think crispy skin is the tops. Frankly, we’re all for crispy everything but today we’re here to talk about homemade chicharrones. Chicharrones are a traditional Spanish dish consisting of fried pork belly or pork rinds. It’s as delicious as it sounds. We've talked about getting our pork skin crisp while cooking pork belly, and then again later with pork shoulder and chops. We've talked about crispy skin while spatchcocking and beer-canning our chickens, and a l’orange-ing ducks, and maybe we snuck some of the gribenes out of our apple and onion schmaltz to snack on, too. (I’m not here to judge.)

Crispy skin is usually the icing on the (meat) cake of a good recipe, but because the universe is ultimately kind and generous, crispy skin can also be the main event. To make this happen, go to your butcher and get a nice slab of pig skin. The perk of this crispy treat is that pork skin is inexpensive because it’s an all-too-often underappreciated part of the pork universe. It’s also a great way to make use of a part of the pig that is often looked over. Pick up some lard to melt and turn into hot oil for frying while you’re there, and voila! You now have everything you need to make yourself a satisfying and insanely addictive crispy skin snack. Are you hungry yet? Let’s get started. Here’s what you need to make chicharrones at home, and how to do it without causing a grease fire.

The list of ingredients you need couldn’t be simpler and can likely be purchased at most grocery stores (just ask your butcher). You’ll need one large piece of pork skin, trimmed of fat (totaling about two pounds). You’ll also need one quart of pork lard or neutral oil for frying (you may not need this much, but you want to keep your oil clean in between batches).

Pork skin has so much flavor on its own, but you know what’s really good? Chicharrones with the juice of one lime, a sprinkle of salt (about two teaspoons, and chili powder (anywhere from ¼ to ½ teaspoon will do the trick, depending on your spice tolerance. 

Ask your butcher to find you pork skin that is as hairless as possible. Gross to think about, I know, but you’ll thank me later. The parboiling will help get rid of whatever hair remains. If your skin still has a large cap of white fat on it, use a sharp knife or bench scraper to remove as much as you can. This won’t break down during the cooking process and will remain tough and chewy. And who wants that when all you’re here for is that signature crispiness? Place the skin in a stockpot and cover it with about four inches of water, then place a plate on top of the skin to keep it below the water. Cover the pot and bring the water to a rapid boil. Lower the heat slightly, and gently boil the skin for two hours, checking occasionally to make sure there is still water in the pot. 

After two hours, remove the skin using a slotted spoon or tongs and allow it to cool until you’re able to handle it. Gently remove any white fat that's left (this will be much easier now that the fat is softened from boiling).

Pat the skin dry, and place it on a perforated sheet pan with a non-perforated sheet pan underneath it to catch any fat that renders out during the next step. 

Set your oven to the lowest setting (usually that’s around 200° F), and dehydrate the skin for eight to 10 hours. (Of course, if you’re lucky enough to have a dehydrator, use that!). The skin is done when it's brittle enough to crack cleanly into pieces. Once the skin is at this point, fill a pot with about 4 inches of melted lard or frying oil and heat it 400° F. 

Then you fry them up: Crack the skin into small pieces—roughly one-inch squares—and fry them one or two at a time, poking them until they puff up and turn golden brown. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain, and once they’ve cooled slightly, squeeze the juice of one lime over them and sprinkle with salt and chili powder. 

It goes without saying that these are best enjoyed hot and crispy, straight from the fryer. Cooking the chicharrones is the dictionary definition of a labor of love, so you might as well eat the fruits, err pork skin, of your labor when it’s at its best.

Serves many 

1 large piece of pork skin, trimmed of fat (about 2 pounds)
1 quart pork lard or neutral oil for frying
1 lime 
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

See the full recipe (and save it and print it) here.

This post was updated in January 2022 to include additional tips from our editors.

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Did you just search for the best chicharrones or something similar to that? If yes, then trust us, you have arrived at the right place. In this article, we will take a look at some of the best chosen affordable chicharrones that you can buy online. Our team has spent a considerable amount of time in researching and physically reviewing the products. So, if you would like to know the detailed insights then make sure that you read the article carefully till the end.

We always take that extra step while reviewing products, so that our user base only gets exposed to the best and reliable chicharrones. After hours and hours of analysis and deduction, we come to the decision that 4505 Meats, Chicharrones Fried Pork Rinds, Sea Salt, 2.5 Ounce could be the best chicharrones for your needs. But, if you are still looking for something more cheaper and reliable, then you are free to go for Duritos (Duros) Pinwheels Wheat Snacks 1LB – Mexican Wheat Wheel Pasta – Chicharrones De Harina – by Turinos.

The table below provides a quick overview of the Top chicharrones. You can take a look on the design before reading a complete review. Plus, the features that make each product stand out from the crowd are highlighted, with a view to save your precious time.

How to make authentic homemade Chicharrones de Harina, the popular Mexican street food snack! Deep fried and doused in hot sauce or chili powder and lime these vegan snacks are irresistible.

SUMMER IS ALMOST HERE and I’m making Chicharrones de Harina to celebrate!

Can you tell I’m excited?

Memorial Day is supposed to be the unofficial beginning of summer so I’m unofficially going to declare that we get this party started.

I’ve got a looooooooong list of things I want to accomplish so I need to get going if I’m serious about making things happen.

Want to join me?

Here’s what we’re going to do:

1. Spend a lot, A LOT of time at the pool/beach (whatever water source you rely on for straight chillin’).

2. Make/eat more food on sticks. I’m thinking fruit, paletas, kebabs, corn, corn dogs, s’mores you name it….but no Twinkies people, please have some decency.

3. Two words: Water Guns.

4. Two more words:Tomato Sandwich.

5. Eat our weight in pie.

6. Play endless games of tag to burn off said pie.

7. Take down a margarita or two.

8. Outdoor movies are a must.

9. Sparklers…..sparklers are definitely in order.

10. And of course a ton of crispy snacks to keep us energized.

Chicharrones de harina (also known as duros de harina) are the addictive, crunchy wheat chips in the ever-adorable wheel shapes, doused in lime juice and generously sprinkled with tongue-tingling spice mix.

They come in different shapes, the classic ones are rectangular and a dead-ringer for crispy, fried pork skins or chicharrones (hence the name).

These fried wheat crisps with that signature potato chips crunch are a popular street food in Mexico.

I found the dried wheels in the Mexican section of our local grocery store so I’m almost positive you can find them in yours.

If you live near a Mexican grocery store, even better!

Chicharrones de harina are really simple to make.

The first step is to combine your spice mix in a small bowl. If you don’t want to make your own spice mix you can use Tajin or hot sauce instead.

Next, heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot.

Fry a few at a time in the hot oil until they puff up to twice their size and become crisp.

Remove to a plate lined with paper towels and drain the excess oil. Then toss with fresh lime juice and the spice mix.

Enjoy immediately, they get soggy quickly.

Deep-frying at home can be intimidating, very hot oil can be dangerous.

But if you follow a few simple tips, you can safely and easily fry your favorite foods with no trouble at all.

First, make sure your pan in very dry. Water and hot oil are enemies and can cause the oil to violently pop and sputter when it gets hot.

Next, only fill the pan up half-way full with oil. Once you add the food the oil bubbles up and you don’t want it to be so full that it boils over.

Use a deep-fat thermometer to measure the oil temperature. You want the oil to be between 350°F-375°F for this recipe. Adjust the heat so it stays in this range.

Don’t have a deep-fry thermometer? You can tell when the oil is ready by inserting a chopstick into the hot oil. If it is immediately covered in bubbles, the oil is hot enough.

After frying your chicharrones, let the oil cool down completely. Then pour it into an empty resealable bottle (I usually pour it back into an empty bottle I have in the recycling) seal it back up and throw the oil in the garbage—don’t pour it down your sink.

Last, and most importantly, keep a box of baking soda within arm’s reach at all times. Baking soda will put out a grease fire. Water will only make it worse.

Want to try a healthier version? If you really don’t want to fry your chicharrones, you can also pop them like popcorn. Check out this video on make duros in the microwave!

A simple Sparkling Blood Orange Margarita is the perfect compliment to these salty, spicy snacks.

Need help with the clean up? Check out these 6 Kitchen Cleaning Hacks that really work, and take less than 5 minutes.

Homemade is always better than store bought so when you make your own chicharrones de harina at home snap a pic and tag me on Instagram  @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating) !

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