Comments on: Can I do anything with pig skin after slow-cooking it?

Question: Can I do anything with pig skin after slow-cooking it?

Magnakai — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 13:57:08 -0800

I made some delicious slow-cooker pulled pork using this chow.com recipe. I cooked the pork shoulder with the skin on, believing it to add flavour. After cooking, it came right off, along with a thick layer of fat. I've looked up pork scratching recipes, but none of them take into account that I cooked it for 8 hours beforehand. I'd like to do something useful with it, but I'm not sure what. Is it destined for my tummy or the bin?

By: JPD

JPD — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 14:21:35 -0800

yeah, you can just lay it flat on a silpat or parchment (or directly on a cookie sheet, but that can be a hassle wrt to sticking) and just roast it on high temp until its crispy. No problem.

Depending on how thick the later of fat is you might want to remove some of it. Cooling it first would make that easier. Cooling it overnight in the fridge uncovered would also have the advantage of dehydrating it a bit, making crisping it easier.

By: desuetude

desuetude — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 14:43:35 -0800

Put a cooling rack or a flat roasting rack atop a roasting dish to catch the fat as it renders. Roast in oven until crispy. It's okay that it was cooked once already.

By: Chocolate Pickle

Chocolate Pickle — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 14:46:50 -0800

Is there a dog you like? You could make a friend for life.

By: lollusc

lollusc — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 14:47:57 -0800

I turned slow-cooked pork skin into cracklings with no trouble last time I made it. Just follow your usual recipe for this bit.

By: JPD

JPD — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 14:50:19 -0800

Do not give it to your dog unless you enjoy cleaning up runny poop and nauseating gas. I used some pig skin in stock the other day The dog got the leavings. Not good times.

By: Magnakai

Magnakai — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 14:59:49 -0800

Thanks for the reassurance, guys. I'll leave it overnight in the fridge (bit late here in the UK) and make some heart attack-friendly nibbles tomorrow.

No dog in our small flat, much to my girlfriend's disappointment.

By: Bruce H.

Bruce H. — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 18:54:18 -0800

The rendered fat is then useful for frying potatoes or making (American style) biscuits, or whatever the local shortbread equivalent is.

By: fiercekitten

fiercekitten — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 22:37:34 -0800

If your interested in other cuisines, Chicharrón is popular in Mexico as a taco or torta filling. (I see you're in GB - torta is essentially a sandwich made with taco stuff.) Look around for some recipes if you're interested.

By: flabdablet

flabdablet — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 02:32:34 -0800

Is there a dog you like? You could make a friend for life.

The friend you make will not, however, be the dog's owner or anybody else who has to be around the dog for the next couple of days.

Dog guts + excess fat = very, very, very nasty.