Pork Belly Chicharrones (Printable Version)
Crunchy pork belly chicharrones, fried till shatteringly crisp and punched up with lime, garlic, and bay leaves.
# What You'll Need:
→ Main Ingredients
01 -
5 g salt
02 -
2 bay leaves
03 -
Peel and juice from one lime
04 -
3 unpeeled garlic cloves
05 -
1.36 kg slab of pork belly, skin on
# Steps to Follow:
01 -
Score deep lines through the meaty part of the pork belly strips, but don't go through the skin. Cut the pork belly into thick strips about 5 cm wide.
02 -
Toss in garlic, lime juice with the peel, salt, bay leaves, and the pork belly strips in your big sturdy pot.
03 -
Pour in just enough water to barely cover the pork. Turn the heat to medium and let everything come to a boil.
04 -
Let it bubble away without the lid. Give it a stir now and then. Wait until the water is almost all gone, usually 40-50 minutes.
05 -
Lower the heat to medium-low. As the fat starts melting, flip the pieces every 10 minutes. Do this for half an hour.
06 -
Keep flipping with tongs for another half an hour. You'll notice the pork browning nicely and getting crunchy all over.
07 -
When your pork’s deeply browned, puffy, and snap-crispy, scoop pieces out with a slotted spoon. Let them rest on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.
08 -
Chop into bites. Serve warm with your go-to salsa, or let them cool down for snacking later on.
# Additional Notes:
01 -
Stay close while frying—these get golden fast and can burn real quick.
02 -
A lid or splatter screen keeps hot oil mess to a minimum.
03 -
Skip draining on paper towels—a cooling rack works so much better for staying crispy.
04 -
Let them sit a minute or two before eating; they'll taste crunchier.
05 -
Hang onto that pork fat for things like tamales or even refried beans.