Chicharrones (Recipe)

Fried, crispy, pork skin. These words may not evoke chills down everyone's spine, but they do for me. If I actually felt guilty eating anything, this would be my guilty pleasure. Of course, I don't eat them, or make them, very often. These are time consuming to make and you need some equipment, like a dehydrator and a candy thermometer. But once you take a taste of homemade, fresh chicharrones, you'll be hard pressed to buy the bagged kind ever again. Here is my recipe, which is pretty standard across the board. I will share my secret, but super easy, seasoning mix though.

Here's what you'll need:
2 lbs. pork skin (you can find this at most Asian or Latin markets)
water
lime juice (about 1/2 teaspoon)
1 tbsp. smoked paprika
1/8 cup salt
1 quart of canola or safflower oil


Here's what you'll do:
- Add the pig skin, either cut into large sheets or whole, into a large pot.
- Cover with water, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 90 minutes or until very tender (it will break apart easily when squeezed with a pair of tongs).
- Remove from pot carefully and let cool on a sheet rack or large plate.
- When cool enough, cut into 1 inch x 2 inch pieces.
- Spread out each piece without overlapping onto trays of your dehydrator.
- Set the temperature to medium and let it go overnight.
- When the pieces of pork skin are hard, then they are ready to fry.
- Before going to bed after putting the pork skin in the dehydrator, dribble the lime juice over the salt that's been spread out on a plate.
- Do not saturate the salt, otherwise it will dissolve.
- Mix with the tips of your fingers, then spread out on the plate (it should feel like moist sand).
- Leave out, uncovered, overnight to evaporate the liquid. This makes lime salt.
- The next day before you're ready to fry, mix the lime salt with the smoked paprika and set aside. Any leftover seasoning can be used next time or for other foods.
- Heat up the oil in a medium pot until it reaches about 360 Fahrenheit.
- Drop a few pieces of the dehydrated pork skin into the hot oil until it bubbles out, puffs and floats.
- Remove from oil with a spider or slotted spoon and place on a sheet tray or plate lined with a paper towel.
- Immediately sprinkle with the seasoning mix and place in your serving bowl.
- Fry pork pieces and season in batches until all done. Then enjoy!
- Also note: after the pork skin has been dehydrated, you can keep them in a container or baggie for weeks if you're not ready to fry them right away.