The Rolled Pork Crackling is made with a part of the pork loin, called barriga in Portuguese, flavored with seasonings, rolled, roasted, and then fried.
But first of all, it is necessary to explain what crackling is.
It is a culinary preparation based on pork skin cut into pieces and fried to make it crispy.
It is used as an ingredient in various preparations in Portuguese cuisine, as well as in other regions of South America, and in Spanish-speaking countries, it is called “chicharron”.
For Brazil and Portugal, it is part of their gastronomic tradition, and in Brazil, it is prepared with some added spices imported from African peoples.
Crackling is especially associated with the state of Minas Gerais, where it is often enjoyed as an appetizer or used as an ingredient in feijoada and feijão tropeiro.
The picture below shows the Rolled Pork Crackling tasted at the restaurant “Porto Gerais” in Porto Seguro, accompanied by manioc puree.
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 4 Hours
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 8 people
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Brazilian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 4.4 lbs Pork belly with skin (Part of the pork loin)
- to taste salt and pepper
- to taste olive oil
- to taste vegetable oil
- 3 limes
Tools
- Threads kitchen twine
Steps
Season both sides of the belly with pepper, salt, olive oil, and lime.
Then roll it up tightly with twine.
Bake in a preheated oven at 375°F for 2 hours, then remove from the oven and let it rest for about 40 minutes.
Place in the fridge for 4 hours, then remove the twine and cut into slices of 2 inches.
Fry in hot oil or lard and serve accompanied by lime.
This is the packaged crackling that can be bought in Brazilian supermarkets.
Panceta pururuca
Another similar preparation is panceta pururuca, which we tasted on the beach of Coroa Vermelha from a street vendor (see photo below), also panceta comes from the “barriga”, but contains less fat; the preparation method is the same as rolled pork crackling without being rolled.
The term “pururuca” derives from Tupi and means: “that which makes noise”, to recall the extremely crispy pork skin.
Rolled Pork Crackling also available online…
