I’d like to pretend that I make these for my kids, but the fact is that my husband and I try to hoard them a bit for ourselves.
I know, you can get them out and about these days. I recently saw a display at Whole Foods with a brand they were promoting – several flavor options. But I always wonder about the quality of ingredients in packaged food. What was the pig fed? Was it a whey-based and foraged diet, organic grains and soy, standard GMO feed? It’s so hard to know with packaged food. Or without knowing your farmers.
In my pursuit of nutrient-density, I am always looking for the highest quality ingredients I can find. Usually, that means procuring from my local farmers. Farms and farmers I know and trust.
Finding your farmers
You can oftentimes find these farmers at your local farmers markets. Say hi, start asking questions, get to know them. Practice listening. You can learn a lot about raising animals (and lots of other things) if you do this enough.
If you have a local Weston A Price chapter, contact them and ask for their resource list. Chapter leaders are required to compile a list of local farms of the highest quality and this list is available to anyone who asks. It might even be online if your chapter has a website.
If you have the opportunity to go on a farm tour, go! Ask to see their animal feeds so you can read the ingredients yourself. Your farmer would probably be happy to tell you about any variations they’ve tried over the years and how the animals have fared.
Be curious. They can help you understand why and what the animals are currently eating. Then again, your questions might move them in a direction they hadn’t yet considered.
Why does quality matter?
I offered a broad brush over the atrocity that is CAFO, or factory farmed, meat here. And some of the nutritional and environmental benefits of the pastured alternatives.
However, some of our pastured farmers still use soy-based protein supplements for their chickens and pigs. Even if the soy is organic, there is evidence that animals that eat soy do pass along phytoestrogens, or plant-based estrogen compounds, to us in their meat.
Phytoestrogens are known to disrupt the endocrine system – the hormones that regulate our metabolism, reproduction, and sleep, as well as growth and development in our children. They’ve been linked to breast cancer, hypothyroidism, depressed immune function…Â This is not for me, nor for my family, and probably not for you.
Know your farmer. If they feed soy protein, ask them if they would consider trying alternative protein sources in the future. Tell them why you don’t want to feed these foods to your family.
The farmers I support have been using fish, pea, and/or seed protein sources for chicken and pork for many years. Yes, these alternatives cost more than soy, yet they also provide higher quality nutrition for the animals and the consumers eating them.
Deep-fried pork rinds
One of our local farmers occasionally has skin-on pork products. I use the pig’s feet in Menudo, when available. Strips of skin yield pork rinds… light, crunchy, deep-fried pork rinds.
Like everything else in my kitchen, I confess that it’s a multi-step process. In summary:
- Boil (reserve broth).
- Scrape any fat and/or meat off the skin (reserve extra fat/meat).
- Dehydrate.
- Fry.
- Season.
- Munch!
After some average batches I’ve learned the secret step to doing this at home is to dehydrate the pork skin. Dehydrate it long enough such that it’s really dry. Overnight is optimal.
Of course you are welcome to season as you’d like. Copy your favorite store version (know exactly what ‘spices’ are included) or just stick with salt. Season when they are hot. And plan to eat the same day, as if they would last longer.
In the end, the pork rinds will be gobbled up quickly, but you can savor the remaining broth and bits. This gelatinous broth is always good for soup, or cooking grains. Bits can go into soup, stir-fry or fried rice. Enjoy!
Notes
*Prep time includes 30 minutes for boiling and scraping skin, but not 6-14 hours for dehydrating. Cook time involves cutting skin to size and deep frying. *For frying, you want about 2-3 inches of oil in a pot, with high enough sides to prevent splattering. We use a 2 quart pot. *If lard did not reach it's smoke point (370 degrees) while deep-frying (which is the intention), you may pour through a sieve back into your jar for reuse.
Ingredients
- 1 lb pork skin
- 1 pint pork lard
- salt
Instructions
- Cover pig skin in 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil, skim, then simmer for 20 minutes. (Reserve broth for another use.)
- Remove skin from pot. Lay flat and use a paring knife to scrape any fat or meat off the inside of the skin. (Reserve bits for another use.)
- Lay skin on a baking sheet lined with parchment in your oven and dehydrate at 140 degrees for 6-8 hours or overnight. (If using a dehydrator, place something under the skin, as any remaining fat will render out and drip.) If possible, flip over after several hours. Make sure that there is no moisture remaining in the oven or dehydrator when you remove the skin, else, add another couple of hours of dehydrating time.
- Heat pork lard in a narrow pot on medium, bringing up to temperature slowly. Meanwhile, while the lard is coming up to temperature, cut the skin into 1-1.5 inch strips, and then into little squares. When the lard is up to temperature (presumably 350, if you happen to have a candy thermometer, which I don't), it should be barely bubbling up and look hot. Test the oil to see if it's right by dropping in a small piece of skin - it should start crackling and puffing a bit. If not, wait a few more minutes while it continues to heat.
- When the oil is hot enough to fry a piece, fry in small batches without crowding, about 1-2 minutes, prodding down if necessary until all puffed out and crispy all over (like in the photo). Pause between batches to allow oil temperature to rise again.
- Remove with slotted spoon or deep-frying skimmer onto a lined plate. Season immediately with salt. Serve while still warm.
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