Homemade chicharrones, or pork rinds, are a healthy and flavorful low carb snack without the additives or hydrogenated oils. The ultimate keto and paleo snack!
It’s funny to think that I am posting a recipe for homemade chicharonnes, when the very thought of them used to freak me out. It was in my younger, more squeamish days, and may have something to do with being chased around by a college friend with a dried pig’s ear he’d purchased for his dog. I was mildly traumatized.
Many store-bought brands still freak me out, what with all the additives, MSG, hydrogenated oils and other unmentionables. But there are some good brands now like Epic and Meat 4505, among others. And having tasted some freshly-made chicharrones at a few restaurants, I no longer tar them all with the same brush. Pork rinds are being elevated from their junk food status into a true delicacy. I have overcome my distaste for them and you will be glad I did. Because I have been experimenting in the kitchen and can honestly say that homemade chicharrones are a delicious and healthy keto snack. And they really aren’t that hard to make either. So let’s get cracklin…
How To Make Chicharrones
Get yourself some pig skin:
The hardest part of the whole process is sourcing the pork skin. I couldn’t find pork skin for love nor money at any regular grocery stores in my vicinity and was considering purchasing pork belly at a local Asian market because it often comes with the skin still attached. But this was a much pricier option and it went against my waste-not-want-not nature. Knowing that many butchers are simply throwing back fat and skin away since there is so little demand for it, I was sure I could find a better solution.
With the growth of small scale farming that focuses on grassfed and pasture-raised meats, it’s easy hit up one of your local farms for some pig skin. In the Portland area, it’s pretty easy to connect with one of these farms at one of our many markets, and many of the farmers will give it to you practically for free. They are just happy to see someone take something that usually goes to waste. Although around these parts, in this food-centric city, I am sometimes facing some stiff competition from local chefs and other foodies. I can also purchase it at a local pig-focused butcher called Tails and Trotters. If you can’t find a local pig farmer to connect with, there are now a number of places where you can purchase it online. Just google “where to buy pig skin for cooking” and I promise you will find a few places.
Cut off most of the fat:
Once I had some pork skin in hand, I was off to the chicharrone races. My first attempt was tasty but I wouldn’t call it a success. I left far too much of the fat on the skin, having read that it was fine to do so. This appealed to me in part because it eliminated the extra work of cutting the fat off the skin, but also because I thought it would be tastier.
It is not fine to do so, however, since when you go to fry the pork rinds, the fat puffs up into something resembling a pillow and floats with the pork skin on top. It’s like a little life jacket for each piece of pork skin, rescuing it from drowning in the hot oil. Your pork skin won’t sizzle and get all crispy, but instead become hard and impossible to chew and the only part you will be able to eat is the fatty pillow attached to the skin. Which is delicious, by the way.
Cut the skin into pieces:
It wasn’t until my third attempt that I nailed down the process and ended up with perfectly crispy chicharrones. You really do need to remove the majority of the fat from the skin, and it’s not as hard as it appears. Cutting the skin into long strips about 2 inches wide made the removal more manageable. I then scored the fat and the slid a sharp knife (really sharp knife, so get out that knife sharpener!) under the first piece of fat. Once that was removed, I could use that part of the skin to hold onto and slide my knife easily under the remaining pieces of fat (see photo below). From there, I could cut my strips of skin into 2 inch pieces.
Save the fat!
This leaves you with a lot of cubed fat and most recipes will tell you to discard it. Don’t you DARE! That is good stuff and super healthy if you’ve managed to procure some pasture-raised pork skin. You can do a number of things with it, including making sausage, rendering your own lard (healthy lard!) and even using it to fry the chicharrones themselves. In fact, many recipes I came across have you frying the chicharrones in lard and why not fry it in its own lard instead of the hydrogenated store bought variety? This last time, I cubed the fat and froze about half of it for future sausage making, and then rendered the rest and used it to fry the chicharrones. It wasn’t quite enough lard, so I added some cooking oil (grapeseed) to top it up.
Dry out the skins:
When I started investigating making my own pork rinds, I saw any number of methods and some of them were quite laborious. Hours of boiling in water to render off the fat and soften the skin and then another hour of boiling in hot oil until they puff up and become crispy. I was beginning to think I really didn’t want to make them at all when I came across this recipe for Cuban Chicharrones. It offered me a choice of two methods, one of which meant I could turn on my oven at a low temperature for several hours and leave the skins to their own devices.
Fry them up!
Once they were sufficiently dried, I could then fry them up to cracklin’ perfection. It worked beautifully and I wouldn’t make them any other way.
As for flavourings and seasonings, you have so many great choices. I’d say the best approach to adding flavour is to wait until the crispy skins come out of the hot fat, and then toss them immediately with any spices then. For now, I am just enjoying the flavour of the chicharrones all on their own, enhanced only be a little salt and pepper.
Keto Pork Rind Recipes
These days, there are so many great ways to use chicharrones for other recipes. Check out these fun ideas!
Pork Rind Tortillas from The Primitive Palate
Oven Fried Zucchini Fries from Sugar-Free Mom
Keto Chicken Piccata Meatballs
Cheesy Crab Bites from It’s Yummi
Homemade pork rinds, or chicharrones, are a healthy and flavorful keto snack without the additives or hydrogenated oils.
- 3 to 5 lbs pork back fat and skin
- Extra cooking oil or lard if needed
- Sea salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
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Preheat oven to 250F and set a wire rack over a baking sheet.
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Using a very sharp knife, cut pork skin and fat into long strips, about 2 inches wide. Score the fat on each strip every two inches. Insert knife carefully between skin and fat on one end of the strip and remove a portion of the fat (you will end up with a thin layer of fat still on the skin and that is fine).
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Once that first part of fat is removed, you can hold the skin in one hand as you slide the knife down the strip to remove the majority of the fat. Again, a little fat still clinging to the skin is okay.
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When the fat has been removed, cut each strip into 2 inch squares and place, fat-side down, on wire rack.
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Bake 3 hours, until skin is completely dried out.
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Meanwhile, if you want to use the pork fat to cook your chicharrones, place it in a large saucepan over medium low heat. Cook gently until most of the fat has liquified, about 2 hours. This is also the same way you can render lard for future cooking use. Use a slotted spoon to remove any remaining solids. Discard (or eat, they taste like bacon and are great on salad!).
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When baking time is up, heat oil/lard to a depth of 1/3 in the pan. Or you can just have a few inches of oil and can cook your pork rinds in batches. Oil should be quite hot but not bubbling.
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Add pork rinds and cook until they bubble and puff up, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle immediately with salt and pepper.
*These counts reflect the nutrition in a serving of commercially made pork rinds because I could find no information regarding the nutrition of uncooked pork skin. They are made very similarly but would contain far less sodium since you season to taste with salt and pepper. Commercial brands add more sodium as a preservative.
Ivonne says
You did it again! I’ve always tried to make chicharrones at home and now I know the secret! (At least I got what we call here cuerito which is just the crispy skin without the puffed up texture and yes it can be hard on the teeth!) You rock! 🙂
Carolyn says
Try this oven-baked and then fried method, it’s worked well for me. Be sure to cut off most of the fat layer, though. It provides too much moisture and they tend to get tough and chewy as they sit if you leave too much on.
Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) says
WOW are you serious? I am so pinning this to the super bowl board!
Carolyn says
Thanks, Jocelyn!
[email protected] says
I WANT!!!! This look fantastic Carolyn!
Aishah @ Coffee, Love, Health says
For someone who doesn’t eat pork, do you think it would be just as good with another meat’s fat?
Christiana says
Hi Aishah – I seriously doubt any other skin would work – I can’t think of another domestic animal that has the same type/thickness of skin.
Carolyn says
Thanks for responding. Aishah, people do make chicken skin cracklins but I think it’s a very different process because pig skin is so tough. Google chicken cracklins though and you might find some good info on now to do those.
Mary says
Hi Aisha,
my mum used to make it for us from chicken skin with some fat left on skin. It was crispy and delicious.
Ratna says
You can also make soy chicharones by frying strips of flat dried tofu, available in Asian food stores.
Stacy says
Bean curd? That definitely won’t be the same.
It won’t satisfy a person who’s craving a real chicharrone.
Plus, too much soy is not healthy. And, soy is in so many foods already.
It mimics estrogen. That’s why soy boys grow moobs. Not pretty.
speedwell says
Yeah, the Chinese and Japanese are known for their feminine men with overdeveloped boobs. What are you on about?
Susan says
I’ve been waiting for this recipe! See now I see it as an excuse to pick up pork belly to use the meat and then save the skin for chicharrones! Yum!!!
Carolyn says
That’s a great idea, Susan!
Alyssa (Everyday Maven) says
What an undertaking! My husband would go crazy for these.
Jeanette | Jeanette's Healthy Living says
Great idea – sourcing from your local farmer so you know it’s a trusted source. I’m impressed you made these!
Mary says
I have gotten pork skin from a local butcher. I used to use it for flavoring in ham and beans. I would love to make my own Chicharrones!
Carolyn says
Definitely try it!
mellissa @ ibreatheimhungry says
Thanks for doing all of this work and experimentation Carolyn, I can’t wait to try these out! I’m always complaining that here in South Carolina it’s impossible to get ingredients like fresh vegetables and decent cheese, but one thing we have in abundance in every grocery store is pork skin! Now I know what to do with it thanks to you!!! 🙂
Carolyn says
Wow, really? Kind of jealous of the pork skin abundance in your area. But I do love my John Crow farm supply!
Karen Olayo says
Thanks so much for this recipe. My husband is from Mexico and loves “chicharron” but it is soooo different there–I actually kind of like it (and I don’t like the store bought stuff at all). If you’ve never had chicharron in salsa verde–that should be the way you eat it next! Thanks again. Going to contact my farmer ASAP!
Carolyn says
I love salsa verde! Next time I make them, that’s on my list!
Martina says
Thank you so much for this – I have to try it ASAP! I never managed to make them crispy and now I know why… I always left the nice fat on and never dried them in the oven 🙂
Carolyn says
Yep, that just doesn’t work. A thin layer of fat is fine but too thick and they won’t crisp up.
Anne-Marie @ This Mama Cooks! says
Since pork is the preferred meat of Georgians everywhere, I doubt I’d have problems finding pork back fat here in Athens. (Plus I know someone whose dad used to own a pork processing business.) Now if I could only get the whole, “Pork rinds are the favorite snack of President Bush (the first)” out of my mind thing, I just may try these!
Carolyn says
Oh my. Well, at least it’s Georgie Senior and not junior.
Joshua Hampton says
Chicharrones are a guilty pleasure of mine – guilty because I always buy the store-bought ones and couldn’t get the trick of making them at home. Now I know how. Thanks for this.
Carolyn says
Thanks Joshua!
Shaina says
Now THESE are some chicharrones I can get behind.
Carolyn says
I know! I love them and I love knowing they are good for me.
AMANDA says
These look great! I have a question about storage: what’s the best way to store them? Can you freeze once cooked? Thank you
Carolyn says
Hi Amanda,
So sorry, this comment somehow got buried and I didn’t see it until just now. I am doubtful you can freeze them as I think that would add moisture back into them and they would get chewy. I stored mine on the counter, uncovered for 3 days and they were fine. The frying really preserves them but you don’t want them in a closed container or they will get all chewy and tough.
Dale Hoffman says
Thank you so much for this recipe. I have been wasting so much pork skin and oven time, I was ready to walk away. Tiny parts of the skin were crisp and beautiful, while others were tough and wouldn’t be any good! Going to give this a go and see what happens.
Just one thing though, you go to the trouble of buying beautiful grass fed and therefore low Omega 6 meats, but you use a vegetable oil that is high in Omega 6, Grapeseed. I was a little confused there. I don’t go near any seed oil, otherwise known as vegetable oils.
Carolyn says
I only used a very little grapeseed to top up, since the lard from rendering the fat wasn’t quite enough. You can use whatever you wish, I do not get overly concerned as to O6 oils because I eat a wide variety of foods that give me O3.
lescaret says
I noticed that you referenced John Crow Farm in this posting. Have you picked up from them lately? I imagine not because they seem to have gone out of business. That’s sad, true, but what’s sadder is the fact that they seem to have absconded with everyone’s money. I, for example, joined their meat, poultry, and vegetable shares in November, 2013. Paid $1300. I received two distributions since … and now they have disappeared. They don’t respond to emails, don’t return phone calls, their face Book Page is gone and, when I drove to the farm yesterday, I couldn’t find a soul (despite there being dogs, caged chickens, ducks, etc.).
Carolyn says
Wow. Yep, we haven’t heard from them either and I just searched and found the thread on Chowhound. I’ve applied to join the FB group and plan on contacting a lawyer too, as well as seeing if PayPal can do anything. I can hardly believe it. Thankfully, we’d only paid up through June. But still, it’s about $500 worth of money.
Deborah says
Instead of baking in the oven at 250 degrees, do you think leaving them in a dehydrator would work? I’m guessing the purpose of putting them in the oven is to dry them out. I want to make these so bad. I’m very fortunate that I have a supply of pastured and humanely raised pork!
Carolyn says
I can’t say for sure since I don’t have a dehydrator. Keep in mind that the gentle heat of the oven also melts away some of the remaining fat so that might be an issue in a dehydrator.
Erin says
Mmm I love me some pork rinds! I’ve made them myself, definitely not as hard as it I always thought. Yours look DELICIOUS!
Carolyn says
Thanks!
Salixisme says
NICE ONE!… I do something similar every time I make lard – I buy half a pastured pig, and each time I get one I ask for EVERYTHING that is edible… so I get a fair amount of skin and fat (and the bits I do not want to eat I feed to the dog or the cat!)….. I am going to try your method next time I get one.
Up to this time I have just rendered down the fat out of the skin and discarded them…. this sounds a much better way of doing things because I can use the rendered lard to cook the rinds an then I can put the rinds in lunch boxes…….
Carolyn says
I don’t have the freezer space for a half a pastured pig. Wish I did!
Mayren says
I love chicharrones! And they taste great with guacamole!
Oanh Van says
Thank you very much for this recipe! You guided very detail. I was making pork rinds since last night and I just found this place 30mins ago. English isn’t my first language and I had looked for the recipe in my mother language… sadly, none recipe, so I decided to try English searching, and took me awhile to find out “pork rinds” instead of “crunchy fried pig skin” ( my English is so poor as you see 🙁 ) I love your recipe! Again, thank you very much for sharing all to us.
I can’t find the recipe in my language because people make and sell. However, I read that, if you want to keep it long, don’t fry them all once. After it’s totally dry (from oven as you guys used, or to us, we put them under the sun for 2 days), you can keep it in room temperature in a clean box or plastic bag, just fry whenever you want to eat. Hope it helps.
Sorry for my bad English.
Sandra G says
Thanks for this tip Oanh!
Jamal Shabazz says
Filet knife would work better for that step.
Laura F. says
I must try this! Thanks for the recipe; never thought of making my own! BTW, I live in Groton, MA! Our we neighbors?
Carolyn says
No, I don’t live in Groton. I am much closer to Boston. Hope you love the recipe!
Jessica w. says
First hun, thank you 🙂 UR really good at speaking to people. And very well at explaining things. I don’t know,. Ur just darn cute. Lol. I have looked at a few rind recipes out of curiosity. I read yours because it looked like a really good recipe! I love the frying in the fat. I did have a huge suggestion for you. That I think you might love. I don’t want to ramble on here. So if you would like to email me ? This is if you are interested. It will help u a lot with the fat issue,. Make it easier on you. And also SHOULD cut down on your frying time. Rinds should only take about 30 seconds to one minute to completely fry up. Too bad we don’t have industrial fryers. Lol. That right there would take 10-15 seconds. Haha. Thank you sweetie. I hope I get to hear from you. [email protected]. Take care 🙂 and thank you again for sharing your recipe.
JAMIE says
I have been LOOKING for a keto friendly recipe for these! Stop living in my HEAD! LOL! In downtown L.A. they make the REAL thing! Crispy, thick and authentic near Olvera street! Im just toooo lazy to get over there! But this is making me also want to just pick up my mom and get down there! MUST try these! Thanks!
JAMIE says
I found a place for local, pastured and organic meats, including PORK! They also sell JUST THE SKIN! Awesome! $4.99/pound so I guess they ‘get it’ thats its valuable! LOL! I may pick up some pork belly while there. They even deliver to your door if you order $150 or more…. which Im not about to do so I will have to wait until the weekend to schlep over the hill to Hollywood! Im excited to find them! http://lindyandgrundy.com/
Carolyn says
Very cool! Once we move out to Portland, I am going to have to seek out a new source for myself.
Raneil says
I too live in LA. I just emailed the place you recommended to find out if they have organic pork. Thanks!
Lonnie says
Chicharrones take care of the carbohydrate problem, but what about Omega 6 content? What oil are you guys using to fry them in and how much Omega 6 in the pork back fat and skin?
Allison says
If you’re cooking the skin in the fat (as this recipe does) from a pasture-raised animal, the Omega 6 content should be much lower and the Omega 3 content higher. If you’re using a factory-farmed animal, you’ll most-likely have a higher Omega 6 count.
Melissa says
So does the butcher take the hair off of the skin? If not, how is that part handled??
Carolyn says
Yes it comes with the hair removed.
Tom says
Has anyone tried to use crushed chicharrones as a coating for fried foods — either pan-fried or deep-fried? No idea whether it would work but it seems like it could be good for chicken, maybe even some fish, and certainly some vegetables. Just curious.
Carolyn says
Yes, many people use crushed pork rinds for coating.
Peter says
I’d love to make these..someone gave me a very long strip of pork rind tonight..about 6 inches wide
I rarely have oil at home. Guess they can’t be made without it? Margerine? What about cranking the heat up…or using the broil function?
Carolyn says
Please, please do not use margarine. That’s truly horrible stuff. I think if you really want to do this, you need to purchase some lard or oil.
Patrick says
Broiling after drying is exactly what got me here. I like to make dried pork skin for my dog when I get a cut with skin on it. I happened to forget about it being in the oven after drying overnight and ended up with crackling Puffed right up to my surprise. Now my dog has some competition for the skins.
Raneil says
Thank you very much for this recipe. I love pork rinds! Someday, when I can find organic pork, I’ll make some.
old.frt says
Fell in love with chicharrones years back and did not discover them again till visiting in Mazatlan’s Central Market where they were for sale at bupkes prices.
Your write-up has been bookmarked for future reference!
Thank you.
-p-.
Jim Benjamin says
Are these what you would consider hard and crunchy, as opposed to light and puffy. I am looking for a crunchy cracklin more than a puffy pork rind type product
Carolyn says
Crunchy, yes, but make sure you get that oil nice and hot!
Jim Benjamin says
Thanks for the info.
How thick should the layer of fat be that is attached to the skin after trimming for frying
Carolyn says
No more than a few millimetres. If you leave too much on, the skin won’t get crisp. But keep that fat for other uses!
Jim Benjamin says
I have made a few batches and they are great!! Thanks for the recipe ?
Meg says
I sent you a message via your contact page but will try this way as well. I know this is a long shot but we are close to you and have locally raised pork skin from a belly slab we used to cure and cold smoke our own bacon. Might you want it for a batch of chicharrones? Hate to see it wasted but we don’ use it…at least not yet.
Carolyn says
Well, I am no longer in Massachusetts now so I am not so sure we are close. I would take if we were but I now live in Oregon!
Raneil says
Meg, are you in the Los Angeles area by chance? If so, I would like to pick up some of the chicharones.
Kathy Templeton says
We have plenty of non gmo non soy and antibiotic free pork products. We are located in central South Carolina. All our pork is usda inspected and packaged. Check us out fairacreashomestead.com or fair acreas homestead on fb or call 803-351-3364.
Jerry Rice says
Here in the Philippines we like it with some meat make sure you do this on super low heat after the water boils off…and time is the most important ingredient i have found, but yes this is the best recipe i have found to make the best Chicharrón. Fore sure this is the best way to make it. Thanks Infobohol.com
Lusine Roy says
Made a huge batch but not sure how to store them, any ideas would help, thanks for the recipe
Carolyn says
If you don’t live in a humid area, I find it best to store them out in the open so they remain crisp. A paper bag would work.
Jon M says
Greetings from Scotland – thanks for sharing the secret – the light fluffy results are a joy compared with the soggy tooth breaking commercially available alternatives here.
This has to be the ultimate no-carb, optional salt snack. I really missed potato chips (crisps) before discovering these.
No longer – thanks so much!
Vicki parker says
How long can you keep them in a air tight container or seal a meal bag
Carolyn says
You can’t, really. They will soften very quickly in a sealed container.
240Lbfatloss says
If you use a hot air convection type oven like a Jetstrean, Nuwave, Galloping Gourmet etc, you can roast them in about 30 minutes.
Ester Dian Fajar Rainy says
I try your chicaron recipe and it works. Amazing.
Thanks for sharing.
clifton says
I know I’m kind of late to this party but have you thought about doing the drying out in a smoker? I bet some pecan wood smoke would make my mouth a happy camper!