How to make cracklins

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My mother was from Tennessee. She made us kids a delicious treat when her and dad butchered pigs, It was called cracklins and I can't find anyone who knows what they are or how to make them. They are both gone now. Does anyone know? Judi

-- Judi Amon (peacelane@certainty.net), October 22, 2001

Answers

xracklins are the bits of meat, tendon ect, left over from rendering lard. They sink to the bottom of the post, and get real crisp. A close second is pork rinds.

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), October 22, 2001.

we render our lard (and make cracklins) on our woodstove on the porch. we put the lard in a roaster-type pan with water and let the water cook off. you can cut the lard in chunks, or have it ground. when the steam stops coming out of the top, it's time to pay more attention and stir it off and on so it doesn't burn. pretty soon you notice your chunks or bits are smaller and then they start to brown - stire alot now! when they're pretty brown, dip them out and put them in a cheesecloth-lined colander. after they've drained awhile, you can squeeze the rest of the lard out of them and you have cracklins! i take the hot lard and put it in clean canning jars and let the flats seal from the heat over the top. sometimes i get impatient and take the cracklins out too early - then i put them in a metal colander and set them in the oven to finish browning. i've also heard you can do them in a microwave, but have never tried it. we usually use ground lard, and then our cracklins are like bacon bits!

-- leslie in missouri (whomestead@hotmail.com), October 22, 2001.

We make cracklins from bits of fat(which may have a small amount of lean meat attached)that have been chopped into about 1 inch squares. These are cooked (rendered) in a large cast iron pot(wash pot) in a small amount of water just to start them boiling and are cooked until they are a golden brown. These are pressed to get the remaining fat (lard) out---which leaves the almost dry cracklin. These can be used in a variety of ways such as cracklin cornbread. ---Wayne

-- Wayne Thompson (wtap@starband.net), October 22, 2001.

MMMMMMmmm! This was the BEST treat every fall when we were kids. Cholesterol nightmare, but REALLY good.

Dad used a great big square metal pan on top of the woodstove. As he butchered he tossed in the bits of fat and then every once in a while would scoop out the finished ones onto a towel and let them cool. These were "rewards" for us kids while the butchering was being done. Dad never had any shortage of helpers!!!

-- Tracy (trimmer31@hotmail.com), October 22, 2001.


Wayne Thompson does just like we do except we put some of the cracklins in the micro-wave and they puff up into the pig skins you buy. MAN ARE THEY GOOD.

-- Mel Kelly (melkelly@webtv.net), October 23, 2001.


We take one more step with our cracklins. We press them. This can be done with a sausage stuffer that has the perforated insert. Crank down and press out the lard. Makes the cracklins thin, light, and not so greasy. Put the cracklins out into small box lined with several layers of paper towell. There goes even more grease out into the paper towells. Sprinkly with popcorn salt. super

If you don't have the sausage stuffer to press the cracklins, I have done it with a big strainer (collainder) full of cracklins and a bowl or pan just a little smaller than the strainer placed on top the cracklins. Gently step in the bowl until you are standing with your wait on that foot in the bowl. Buncha grease will press out.

Have it all in a large tub to catch the grease.

-- homestead2 (homestead@localnetplus.com), October 23, 2001.


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