Pork crackling in Australia

(Monika ) #1

The only pork crackling I see in Australia is this one…

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But is this what you use to make those pancakes and for crumbing? These are haaaard!

If not, what brand and where can I get them?

Pork rinds and cream cheese-OMG
(Rob) #2

Those look like the breading kind (1:2 fat:protein) though they have a few too many ingredients for my taste. They need crushing rather than crumbling but they turn to a nice crumb.

These are the eating kind (1:1 fat:protein)

Amazon may well import US rinds or UK scratchings but I doubt they are economical.

(Bryce G Stuart) #3

Continuing the discussion from Pork crackling in Australia:

Check out the Asian grocery stores. Not sure where you are in Sydney but I get mine from Marrickville Metro where there is an Asian grocery store right next door to Woolies. $5.50 for a bag.

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(Monika ) #4

Yes, those ingredients blow my mind!! They are very hard and I have to bash them with a mallet to make them into crumbing. So the Pascals are not good for crumbing or pancakes?

(Monika ) #5

I am in Adelaide, not Sydney but I will check out the Asian stores at the Central Market to see what they have.

So, I presume the kind for crumbing and pancakes are meant to be very hard??

Love to find some that dont have all the ingredients like the one I use.

(Rob) #6

I don’t know for sure (I’m not in Oz) but the pictures and name suggests they are like British scratchings which are skins with the fat left on. Much nicer to eat but the fat content makes the breading quite different. Half the crumb will melt away as the fat melts which I think is why they don’t work so well.

I’d stick with the current ones or those like them for breading. In the UK you have to go to an ethnic grocery to find the skin-only ones while scratchings are everywhere. I use a mallet or rolling pin on the US ones to get a crumb so it’s not weird.

(Bryce G Stuart) #7

I can take a pic of these ones with the ingredients of it helps. I’ve used them for crumbing recently, they were great. I just pop them in the blender and they’re fine.

(Monika ) #8

Ah! I see different names but didn’t realise that they were different in their make (skin and fat), so yes, makes sense that the scratchings wouldn’t be good for crumbing.

(Monika ) #9

That would be great! Thanks Bryce

(Bryce G Stuart) #10

No problem Monika,

Here’s the picture.

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(Monika ) #11

Thank you :blush: I definitely like those ingredients a lot better. Will hunt them down or at least similar to them.

(Bryce G Stuart) #12

You’re welcome, good luck with the search :slightly_smiling_face:

#13

My butcher has rolled up pork skin for $3. Once you get the hang of it, it’s a doddle to cook, no extra ingredients, a nice boost to the glycine content of my diet, and lots of lovely lard as a byproduct. Win :grin:

(Monika ) #14

I can get that as well, and have in the past but I am looking at dried out pre-packaged pork crackling/rinds for making crumbing and pancakes.

So, on a different note…how do you cook your pork skin from the butcher? I def need tips on that!

#15

I get a big baking tray, deep enough to catch the lard basically, and a wire rack (like for cookies) that fits on top and is big enough for the skin. Set an oven shelf so that the tray is close to the top,set the tray aside, set oven to 220 C. If I don’t like the way the butcher scored it I get a Stanley knife set aside for the kitchen and add some more, paring knife works, also remove any meat left by the butcher. Put the skin on the rack skin side up and the rack in the sink, boil kettle, pour boiling water on until the scores open up. Tip it up to get excess water off, pat dry with paper towel, flip the skin and dry the bottom. Put heaps of salt (the salt reacts with the fat to make the bubbles, so don’t skimp) on both sides, rubbing into the scores. Some people add oil on top, I find it unnecessary. Try to get the skin to lie as flat as possible, if there are low points they take longer to cook because lard pools, not a huge deal, you can tip it up to get it off while cooking. Onto the tray, into the oven, wait 35 min, turn it all around and wait 15 more. Look at it, if there’s maybe not quite cooked bits tap them with a fork, if there’s give put it back for 10 min and keep trying till it’s done. Less than 10 min tends to be self defeating due to oven cooling. When it’s done, leave in oven to cool for 15 min, stick crackling in a container and pour the lard into your fat jar. Done.:heart_eyes:
Put that way, it does seem sorta complex, but it quickly becomes 5 min actual work. My son won’t take bone broth, but loves this, I rarely get much, and it sorts the methionine / glycine balance.
May have to post this to recipes…