Pork Chicharrones (Fried Pork Belly)
Servings: 10
Calories: 749kcal
Pork Chicharrones are seasoned with Puerto Rican sofrito, adobo, and vinegar, with a Mexican-style cut. You'll love them as a snack, appetizer, or main dish.Begin the night before you plan to serve them or early in the day.
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Equipment
- caldero 10 or 11 quarts
- food storage bin with lid
- deep fat fryer thermometer recommended
Ingredients
- 3 pounds pork belly
- 4 cups water
- 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar
- 1/4 cup adobo or less (for low-sodium diets)
- 1 tablespoon oregano leaves
- 3 teaspoons sazón con culantro y achiote or 2 envelopes
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 large bay leaf optional
- 1 medium yellow onion peeled and sliced thickly
- 6 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
- 1/4 cup sofrito
- 3 cups ice
- lard as needed for frying (about 5-6 cups)
Instructions
Prep the Pork Belly
- Rinse the pork belly under cold running water (if you choose to) and pat it dry for safe handling. Put the pork belly on your cutting board and use a sharp chef’s knife to score, not cut, the skin side and fat about 1/3 inch (approximately 1 cm) deep. Slice the belly slab into 1-inch (2.5cm) thick strips after scoring it.
Boil the Brine
- Add water, white vinegar, adobo, oregano, sazón, black pepper, sugar, and bay leaf to the caldero or large pot. Stir the ingredients together and bring the liquid up to a boil over medium heat.
- Once the liquid boils, continue boiling for 1-2 minutes to ensure the spices are fully dissolved.Add the onion, garlic, and sofrito to the boiling liquid and cook for 5 minutes to infuse the liquid with their flavor.
Parboil, then Cool Pork Belly
- Add the strips of pork belly to the pot, stirring them into the liquid to cover them. Cover the pot and cook the pork belly for 10 minutes.
- Turn the stove off and uncover the pot. Allow the contents to cool for 30 minutes on or off the stove. The liquid needs to cool substantially before you proceed.
To Skip Brining
- If you opt to skip brining, remove the meat from the liquid and allow it to drain in a colander or strainer in the sink. Once the meat is cool enough to handle, pat it dry with paper towels. Make sure to pat in between the cuts on the skin side.Proceed to Heat the Oil.
Brine the Pork Belly (Overnight is Best)
- Carefully transfer the meat and liquid to a food storage bin (like a Cambro) or a similar large container with a lid. Add the ice to the container and stir until everything is combined.
- Brine the pork chicharrones in the marinade for at least 4 hours, but I really encourage you to go for a full 12 hours (or overnight).
Prep the Pork For Frying
- Remove the pork strips from the brine and pat them dry with paper towels. Be sure to get in between the cuts you made in the meat. Allow the meat to sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes to warm up. Give each strip another pat before frying to ensure the exterior is bone dry.
- Place a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet (sheetpan) as a draining station for the pork chicharrones.Set it beside a large pot or your deep fryer on the stove or countertop.
Heat the Lard While the Pork Comes to Room Temp
- Add the lard to the pot or your deep fryer and heat it over medium-high heat. Use a deep fryer thermometer to monitor the lard’s temperature.
- Once the lard reaches 365°F (185°C), add 3 or 4 strips of pork belly to the pot and fry them for 6 minutes or until they reach an internal temp of 150°F (65°C). Use tongs to remove them from the pot and drain them on the wire rack to drain fully.
- Continue frying the remaining chicharrones in small batches to ensure they fry evenly.See the Tips and Techniques section for instructions on extra-crispy pork chicharrones.
Serve and Enjoy
- Serve the pork chicharrones with lime wedges on the side to cut through the fatty mouth feel. You can also serve them an entree with arroz con gandules, arroz con habichuelas, or Mexican-style with guacamole, a favorite salsa, or hot sauce.I usually serve pork chicharrones as an entrée with rice, beans, and a garden salad.
Notes
Swaps and Substitutions
- Use bitter orange juice, lemon juice, or lime juice instead of white vinegar.
- Replace the lard with peanut, vegetable, or corn oil.
- Scoring the skin and fat is how you achieve even crispiness on your pork chicharrones.
- The drier your chicharrones are, the crispier they’ll fry up. You can even return them to the fridge for a couple of hours to let that cold air further dry out the surface.
- Don’t fry the meat straight out of the fridge, or it will take longer (and the exterior may burn before the meat is cooked).
- If your pork chicharrones are soft or chewy instead of crispy, they probably weren’t dry enough when you began frying them, or the oil wasn’t at the proper temperature when you began frying. Test fry 1-2 strips, then make adjustments by drying the meat or heating the oil as needed.
- For extra crunch on your pork chicharrones, fry them a second time:
- Increase the oil temp to 375°F (190°C) after you’ve fried all of the chicharrones.
- Return them to the frying oil in batches of 3 or 4 and flash fry them for 3 minutes.
- Drain as instructed.
- Allow leftovers cool to room temp before storing to prevent steam from accumulating and softening the skin.
- Line a food storage container with paper towels to absorb excess moisture, then pack the chicharrones in the container, separating the layers with more paper towels (or parchment paper).
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Reheat in a conventional or toaster oven preheated to 375°F (190°C) for 10-12 minutes until crisp again.
- Decrease the temp to 350°F (180°C) if you're reheating in a convection oven.
- For air fryers, preheat to 350°F (175°C) and reheat the chicharrones for 3–5 minutes, turning over halfway through reheating.
- Avoid reheating chicharrones in the microwave because it makes them rubbery.
Nutrition
Calories: 749kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 72g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 34g | Cholesterol: 98mg | Sodium: 165mg | Potassium: 354mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 24IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 1mg