CHICHARRON LOVERS
Ingredients:
700 g of pork belly with meat
1 teaspoon baking soda
salt
½ cup of water
1-To start, cut the pork belly into thin strips the length of a strip of bacon. If you start with the recommended amount of 1 1/2 pounds (700 g), you should have 4 strips.
2-Make many diagonal cuts about 2 to 3 cm (1 to 1.5 inches) deep on each pork strip from the “meat side” of the strip to the “skin side.” These cuts will ensure that the meat is well cooked during the frying process without burning.
3- Place a frying pan on a burner over medium heat. While you wait for the pan to heat up, rub each pork strip with a thin layer of baking soda. With this, the meat will have a delicious, crispy crust while it cooks.
4-When the pan is hot, carefully place the baking soda coated strips in a circle around the center of the pan, leaving a small space in the middle. Pour ½ cup of water into that space and cover the strips with the lid of a pot to retain their moisture. Let them cook, turn them and stir them after about 15 minutes.
5-While the water evaporates and the liquid fat from the pork replaces it, remove the lid and lower the heat a little. Let the meat continue cooking. If necessary, continue turning and moving the meat to ensure it cooks evenly. Simmer it this way for about an hour so the fat melts completely.
6-When the meat is browned and almost all the fat has melted, remove the pork belly from the pan. The meat will not be as cooked yet. For maximum crispiness, you will still need a final “searing.” When you remove all the meat from the pan, turn up the heat on the burner and let the liquid fat in the pan heat up.
7- Quickly fry each chicharrón so that it has a crispy coating. When the fat in the pan is hot, fry the pork rinds one at a time or two at a time until they have a delicious, crispy crust. This process will only take you a minute or two. To check that it is ready, the skin should have “bubbles”. Remove each chicharrón from the pan and place it on a plate with a paper towel to finish cooking.
8-Congratulations! You’ve finished frying a stack of luscious pork belly cracklings. Add salt and other seasonings of your choice and serve immediately.
