pork rinds

Homemade pork rinds, or chicharrones, are a healthy and flavorful keto snack without the additives or hydrogenated oils.&nbsp;

Homemade Chicharrones

pork

cooking oil

salt

Pepper

Preheat oven to 250F and set a wire rack over a baking sheet.

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).

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.

When the fat has been removed, cut each strip into 2 inch squares and place, fat-side down, on wire rack.

Bake 3 hours, until skin is completely dried out.

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!).

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.

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.

A complete visual and video walk through of how to make pork rinds, also known as chicharrones, from scratch! Get the best 30+ pork rind recipes that are keto friendly, allergen free and gluten free.

Pork Rinds from Scratch

Salt

Pork Skin - Find

Acquire Pork Skin: Typically found in charcuteries or smaller or local butcher shops or international markets. Make sure to use skin within 3 days of purchase, as the high moisture content makes it subject to quick spoilage.

Cut Pork Skin Into Pork Squares: Cut skin into small squares roughly 1 x 1. Each one of these squares will become a singular rind. This process is harder than it looks - pork skin is VERY tough and best cut with sanitary kitchen shears.

Boil Skins: Boil water in a pot sized to accommodate your skin squares. Add skins carefully once water is boiling. Let the skins boil for about one hour.

Chill Skins: After skins have been boiled, pour out water and allow them to cool down and place in refrigerator for 4 hours or longer. This will solidify the layer of fat beneath the skin

Eliminate Fat From Skin: Cut off the fat from each skin piece starting with a knife and scraping with spoon like tool. Pork Rinds are made of pork skin. This step is the difference between 'Pork Cracklins' and Pork Rinds. If you left the fat on at this stage, you would end up with a Cracklin.

Place Skins Face Down On Drip Tray: Place all skins spaced apart as much as possible facing down on a mesh tray with a pan underneath.

Render And Dehydrate Skins: Set your oven to a low temperature - setting 170˚-180˚F is ideal - and leave the door cracked. This allows air to circulate and carry away the moisture in the skins. Total drying time should be approximately 8 hours or overnight with a convection oven - add 2 hours for ovens without convection. You can also use a dehydrator for this step - just dehydrate the skin as you would any other food. Pork skins puff when fried because they have been dehydrated to the point that there is only a small amount of water remaining in the skin. When skins hit the fryer, this water turns to steam and puffs the skins.

Prep Oil And Tools: Fill a fryer or stainless steel pot with your chosen frying oil. If using pot, make sure to add a thermometer to monitor oil temperature - if it smokes it is absolutely too hot! Heat oil to around 400˚F. Set out nylon or stainless steel tools for placing the skin chips into the oil - other materials can melt.

Fry Skins: When oil reaches about 400˚F, gently add a few skins into your fryer or pot. The skins will begin to make popping noises after a few seconds and start to float to the top. When this happens, stir them around! You want the un-puffed areas to stay submerged in the oil until the entire skin has puffed up. Un-puffed areas will be chewy and hard rather than crispy.

Cool And Season Skins: When skins are completely puffed, remove them from the oil and place on the dehydrating try or similar grate surface. This allows excess oil to drip off and the skins to cool. Immediately use your shaker to season skins - seasonings only stick when they are hot.

Season Rinds: While the puffs are cooling is the ideal time to season them. Seasonings stick much better when the oil is still hot.

Eat Pork Rinds: You now have Pork Rinds. Get at 'em.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzlGlQlY5u0

A complete visual and video walk through of how to make pork rinds, also known as chicharrones, from scratch.

How to make Pork Rinds

A rough version of this recipe was given to me by one of my viewers back in 2019.  I made a few modifications to both the ingredients and the preparation method.  I have had some of my viewers tell me that this recipe is "carnivore" and others tell me that they would call it "ketovore".  Regardless, I think you'll call it "delicious".  My non-keto wife and daughter couldn't believe there was no flour of ANY type in these pancakes.

Carnivore Pancakes

pork rind powder (65 grams) *see note 2

TB beef gelatin powder (10 grams)

cinnamon

tsp baking powder

eggs

heavy whipping cream (60 milliliters)

TB vanilla extract

Combine the dry ingredients in a food processor and pulse until thoroughly combined.  You can also prepare this recipe with a whisk and medium sized mixing bowl, but using a food processor ensures that any larger bits of pork rind crumbs get broken down.

Add the wet ingredients and process for 10-20 seconds.  Scrape down the sides with a spatula and pulse 3-4 more times.

The batter will seem very thin at this point.  Let it rest for 5-10 minutes as you you preheat your griddle to between 300F and 325F (150C - 160C).

Pour the batter on to the griddle to make pancakes that are roughly 4 inches (10cm) in size.  The batter should yield 8 pancakes.

Cook for about 4 minutes, or until bubbles begin to form and pop, then flip the pancakes and let them cook for an additional 4 minutes.

Serve with your choice of toppings (depending on how "carnivore" you are).

Pork Rinds made in an Air Fryer is a perfect idea to make a great Puffy and Curly Keto Snack with your movie night. This ever so popular 0 carb substitution is greatly used in a low carb cuisine instead of your regular breadcrumbs. Fully Gluten-Free and Grain-Free full of collagen, this is a genius food choice to enjoy our lifestyle.

Air Fryer Pork Rinds

kg (approx 1,1 lb) Pork Skin

First of all, make sure the pork skin...

First of all, make sure the pork skin you have bought is at its best quality and fully clean. If it is not clean just wash it properly and dry with a paper towel.

Cut the pork skin into the blocks, which...

Cut the pork skin into the blocks, which will fit into your cooking pot. Place all of the skin inside the cooking pot, add water and use a heavy subject to make sure the skin is always submerged under the water. Cook the skin for approximately an hour.

Once your pork skin is cooked, let it...

Once your pork skin is cooked, let it cool and make sure it is fully dry. With a sharp knife scrape the remaining fat which has been on.

When all of the pieces are fully dry,...

When all of the pieces are fully dry, place them one by one on the dehydrator racks and switch on the dehydrator for approximately eight hours.

After the pork skin is fully dehydrated, take...

After the pork skin is fully dehydrated, take them all and place them in a jar or a bowl.

Once you’re ready to air fry, place a...

Once you’re ready to air fry, place a few pieces of the dehydrated pork skin into an air fryer. Bear in mind that the Pork Rinds will double in size and need a lot of space for them to pop up properly. Therefore use only a handful amount of pork skin. Switch on the air fryer on the highest temperature for approximately 7 to 10 minutes at 200C or 400F.

In about 10 minutes you should have a...

In about 10 minutes you should have a beautiful crunchy Cracklings or Pork Rinds done in an air fryer.

While still warm, sprinkle them with salt or...

While still warm, sprinkle them with salt or season with your favorite spices.

https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/bxblyfq8hz6l0ahq7xtu.mp4

Pork Rinds made in an Air Fryer is a perfect idea to make a great puffy Curly Keto Snack with your movie night. This ever so popular 0 carb substitution is greatly used in a low carb cuisine instead of your regular breadcrumbs. Fully Gluten-Free and Grain-Free full of collagen, this is a genius food choice to enjoy our lifestyle.

How to make Pork Rinds in an Air Fryer

Our Homemade Keto Bread Crumbs, made with only 1 Ingredient, will give you a perfectly crispy and crunchy breading for all your low-carb needs. Those Low Carb Breadcrumbs are entirely Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, and Perfect for Diabetics with only 1 carb per portion.

Homemade Keto Bread Crumbs

Farmers Bread

Keto Bun

Prepare your ingredient

Prepare keto bread of your choice and heat the oven to 120 Celsius or 250 Fahrenheits.

Slice your Bread

Slice your keto bread into as thin as you can manage.

Cut slices into squares

Place on a baking sheet and bake

Once all the slices are cut, place them on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Make sure you layer all of the bread pieces into one layer, so they do not overlap. Place into the oven and bake for 30 minutes. 

Fill a container for grinding

Depending on if you are using a magic bullet, blender, or a food processor, fill up the container and close the lid.

Blend and grind

Blend fully until you get the best homemade breadcrumbs.

https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/y2376cqjujmmenq7rg9f.mp4

This fresh, homemade pork rind recipe makes crunchy and airy pork rinds (aka chicharrones) for a tasty, better-than-store-bought snack!

Homemade Pork Rinds

pork skin (or ~ 6 lbs skin-on pork belly)

salt +

avocado oil

Remove skin

If starting with pork skin, you can skip this step. If starting with pork belly with the skin on, cut the pork belly into 1 inch strips. Using kitchen shears or a sharp knife, cut the skin away from the fat, cutting as close to the skin as possible without cutting through the skin. 

Cut into bite sized pieces

Using kitchen shears or a sharp knife, cut the pork skin strips into bite sized pieces, either 1 x 1 inch strips or 1 x 2 inch strips.

Boil pork skins to soften them

Fill a large pot halfway with water. Add 1-2 teaspoons of salt and pork skins to the water. Bring to a boil. Let boil for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Stain water

Remove from the heat and pour the water off of the pork skins by straining it through a colander.

Remove excess fat

Once the pork skins are cool enough to handle, trim away any excess fat from the skin. Take a paring knife and scrap or slice the fat off the skin of each piece. It's okay if a little bit of the fat remains. These edges just might be a little softer and may not puff up as much. 

Scatter on a baking tray

Scatter the pork skins on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil. Sprinkle salt or desired seasoning. Toss to evenly coat. Then evenly space the pork skins on the tray so they don’t touch each other. Place them skin side up. 

Bake to dry out

Bake at 200 degrees for 4 hours. Once done baking, remove from the oven. This is a stopping point where you can store your dried pork skins overnight in an airtight container.

Heat oil

To fry, fill a large saucepan with 1-2 inches of avocado oil, lard or any other oil with a high smoke point. Heat oil to 350 degrees. 

Fry pork skins

Once oil is hot enough, gently drop in a few pork skins by lowering them into the hot oil with a slotted spoon. Gently stir to help separate the pork skins to keep them from sticking to each other. After a few seconds the pork skins will start to pop like popcorn corn and puff up into a crispy pork rind. Let them cook for 2-3 minutes, gently stirring to ensure they are cooked through and will remain crispy. Pulling them right after they puff will cause them to deflate a bit and they won’t be as crunchy. Once they are done cooking, remove them with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Season again if needed. Repeat with remaining pork skins. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1RSyMJYYXY

This low carb breading made from pork rinds makes the most delicious keto fried food.

Easy Pork Rind Breading for Low Carb Fried Chicken, Fish etc.

Pork Rinds

parmesan cheese

garlic powder

paprika

Add the pork rinds to a food processor...

Add the pork rinds to a food processor and grind until the pork rinds make a fine crumb.

Mix together with the parmesan cheese and spices.

Store in a sealed container.

https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/lz8vnpugh34ut8e6qxgg.mp4

If you like to eat fried foods such as fried chicken, zucchini, fish, etc. try this easy pork rind breading recipe to make them low carb. I have used it for many of my low carb recipes and my family just loves it.

Easy Low Carb Pork Rind Breading & Topping

How To Make Chicharrones

lbs skin-on pork belly

tbs salt

cuban mojo

tbs baking soda

lime

Slice the porkbelly into 1 1/2 inch strips.

Place the pork belly pieces, skin side down on a work surface then make 1 inch crosswise cuts on each piece, being careful not to cut through the skin.

Place the strips into a bowl and rinse them with water. Drain out the water and add the mojo and salt to the meat. mix the meat to ensure the salt and mojo has been spread out. Cover and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.

Place the strips skin side up on baking rack inside of a baking sheet.

In a small bowl mix the juice from your lime and baking soda. Using a kitchen brush, brush the lime mixture over all of the skin. This ensures the skin crackles and crisps.

Place the meat in the oven for 90 minutes.

Set your oven to broil and watch the skin crackle. Once the skin has crisped to your liking, remove from the oven and serve. Do not look away as this requires all of your attention. Your pork can go from crisp to burnt in a few seconds.

The meat is wonderful! I used the Cuban mojo recipe from The Chef Show.  Had some difficulty getting the skin to crisp evenly. This is a fault of my oven and not the recipe. I think next time I’ll try my kitchen blow torch so I can control how the skin crisps.  Also considering cooking the meat on a charcoal grill.

Oh yeah. Our oven is broken so we use a toaster oven. Definitely going to tell my mom to buy some pork to make chicharon which we both love. I would have thought you flip it over. The rack definitely helps with the it bit soaking up the fat it lets out. Don’t have a rack but girl it will be on my must get list once we get the new oven. But not waiting till them to try your mom’s and you recipe. Que Rico!

Top 9 pork rinds recipes from across the web

The most viewed pork rinds recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

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Homemade Chicharrones

Homemade Chicharrones

Pork Rinds from Scratch

Carnivore Pancakes

Air Fryer Pork Rinds

Homemade Keto Bread Crumbs

Homemade Pork Rinds

Easy Pork Rind Breading for Low Car...

How To Make Chicharrones

Top 9 pork rinds recipes from across the web

The most viewed pork rinds recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Homemade Chicharrones

Homemade Chicharrones

Pork Rinds from Scratch

Carnivore Pancakes

Air Fryer Pork Rinds

Homemade Keto Bread Crumbs

Homemade Pork Rinds

Easy Pork Rind Breading for Low Car...

How To Make Chicharrones

The most viewed pork rinds recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine