These crispy, crunchy pork products are staples of Southern snacking.
Pork is a big part of Southern culture.
Its our go-to for a backyard barbecue and the main event at football tailgates.
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Ribs,pulled pork, smoked sausagewhen it comes to pork, we dont discriminate.
Behold, the glory of cracklins, pork rinds, and fat back.
What makes these delicious pork products different from one another?
Read on to learn about these Southern delicacies.
What Are Pork Rinds?
Many would consider them theultimate road trip snack, and we dont disagree.
Pork rinds are sliced pig skins that are dehydrated, deep-fried, or baked into a crispy chip-like snack.
Using pig skin makes this a meat-based snack, as the definition of meat includes animal tissue.
Pork rinds have a light, aerated texture similar to that of a cheese puff.
Theyre extremely crunchy, but once they hit the tongue, they practically melt in your mouth.
Finally, it’s added to hot oil so it can puff up into that perfectly snackable bite.
What Are Cracklins?
The result is a heavier, chewier product with a meatier crunch.
Though they dont puff up like pork rinds, theyre addictively satisfying in their own right.
The bit of fat gives an added pork flavor that pork rinds miss out on.
Cracklins have their roots inCajun cooking.
They were discovered through the process of rendering pork fat.
Cracklins are essentially the excess scraps that rise to the top of the freshly rendered lard.
Theyre scooped out, salted and seasoned, then eaten as a delicious precursor to the meal.
If you do find them, use them to make ourCracklin' Cornbread.
What Is Fatback?
Its similar to pork belly in flavor and mouthfeel, just without those tiny strips of meat.
They may also include meat, while pork rinds are only skin.
Pork rinds have some nutritional benefits, including being lower in carbohydrates than potato chips.
However, pork rinds are high in saturated fat, sodium, and cholesterol, which is unhealthy.
you might store cracklins in the refrigerator for two days or freeze them for up to three months.
Store them in an airtight container or wrap securely in plastic wrap so they don’t dry out.
you could reheat them in the oven.
