By MELBA
Homemade Keto Carnivore Snack – Pork Cracklings. Salty, crunchy goodness, these are more like the English Style pork scratchings rather than airy chicharrones. I made these in my trusty air fryer, but you can also make them in a conventional oven.
You should be able to buy pork skin from your local butcher or supermarket. It is pig skin where the meat has been removed but usually a fine layer of fat still remains. The bonus is that it is incredibly cheap so this makes for a very cost effective home-made snack considering that buying pork cracklings from a store is often very expensive.
I used an air fryer 1. Because I have one and 2. Because it is quicker than a conventional oven, not to mention, easy.
These are so simple to make and if you have an air fryer, they only take 5 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook!! They come out just like store bought ones but with no nasty MSG/E621 flavour enhancer.
They satisfy the desire for a salty and crunchy snack food whilst also meeting the low carb and high fat criteria, and once made, you can keep them in an air-tight container to snack on when the urge takes you. They’re the perfect keto snack as they are very high in fat relative to protein and carbohydrates. You get the salt..you get the crunch…you get the fatty hit…and because of that, you get the satiation very quickly. I’ve suggested 2 servings for this recipe, but you may find that it is more like 3-4 servings, although, they are certainly addictive.
As a final tip…save the pork fat that has rendered off the cracklings to use for cooking. Lard is a very tasty cooking fat, especially in stir-fries.
METHOD
- Take 400g of pork/pig skin and slice into 1 cm strips, then slice those strips into 2-3 cm pieces.
- Place the pork skin pieces into a bowl and sprinkle with 1-2 tsp of Himalayan pink salt. Mix to ensure the salt is spread evenly over the pork skin pieces.
- Place them in a single layer in your air fryer and cook at 200°C/390°F for 15 minutes.
- Once done, remove them from the air fryer and allow them to cool then store in an airtight container.
Tip: If using a conventional oven instead of an air fryer, place the pork skin pieces on a rack over a roasting pan and bake them in a 200°C/390°F till they reach your desired crunchy level and the fat has rendered off. Cooking time will vary depending on your particular oven and the amount you are cooking. The rack is not essential, but it enables the fat to drip away as it renders and allows for even cooking.
