Los Chicharrones

Los Chicharrones. Much cooler sounding than the American name – Pork Rinds. No matter what you call them, they are delicious. I buy homemade ones at La Palmita, a local gas station/market. Made from deep fried pork belly or skin, with zero carbs and half the calories of potato chips they are better for you than chips, and other processed snacks.

I see you looking at me in disbelief, but it is true.

They have zero carbs, half the calories of potato chips, nine times the protein of chips, and while they contain saturated fat, 45% of the fat in chicharrones is oleic acid. That is the same monounsaturated fat celebrated in olive oil for supporting heart health. 

How do they taste? They are crunchy, a little salty, and have a bacony flavor.

Pork rinds are made all over the world—pretty much anywhere they raise pigs. While they are more known in Latin/Spanish influenced countries, you can find them in lots of places. I remember them from our time serving in Germany where they are called Schweinekrusten. And of course, we all know the Germans understand a thing or two about pork. 😉

 You can buy prepackaged ones at grocery stores, but if you want the real thing, the La Palmita Market Citgo Station in Marshall has fresh bags of these every few weeks. They sell out quickly, so you need to keep an eye out for them.

 They taste so much better than the store-bought ones. Natural chicharrones like these are minimally processed, typically consisting of just two ingredients: pig skin fried in its own natural fat, and salt. 

Contrast that with over-processed, store-bought potato chips and their list of ingredients: 

Potatoes, Vegetable Oil, Corn Oil, Whey, Dextrose, Shortening Powder, Salt, Sugar, Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Disodium Inosinate, and Disodium Guanylate.

 I remember first having these as a kid. Dad would sometimes get homemade ones from a guy he worked with on the railroad. I don’t remember mom being wild about them, but dad and I wolfed them down.

 Cathy isn’t crazy about them either and I receive a mild admonishment from her when I buy them. Still, when I use them in my “Salmon with a Secret Ingredient” recipe, she is all in. And yes, Pork Rinds are the secret ingredient. When serving the dish to others, I typically don’t tell them ahead of time because some folks become … unsettled.

With all the strange, deep-fried items you can buy at county and state fairs, you’d think no one would bat an eye at pig skin. Common deep-fried items at fairs include:  Oreo cookies; candy bars; cookie dough; cheesecake; bacon; butter; and mashed potatoes on a stick. Yet somehow, simple pig skin is where many draw the line.

 I still see the eye rolls and slight sneers. I understand. No one will force you to eat them, but if you come to our house and I serve salmon, you might want to be adventurous that night. ;-). 

Addendum:

Here is a copy of the recipe: