Skin

Pork skin cleaning and cooking method

Description of method for removing fat from pork skin and cooking
Prep Time2 hours 30 minutes
Course: Preparation
Cuisine: All
Keyword: Offal Preparation, pork skin, Skin
Author: Stella Dillard

Equipment

  • sharp knife
  • Cutting board
  • Stock pot
  • clean towel

Materials

  • 1 pound pork skin

Instructions

  • Cut fat and skin into strips about 2-3" wide.
  • Starting about 3" from the narrow end of a strip of skin, with the blade facing the opposite narrow end, hold the skin with the towel and cut fat from skin, getting the knife blade as close to the skin as possible. Turn the strip around and trim the fat from it.
  • Using the towel to grasp the skin and hold it steady, scrape the remaining fat from the skin with the blade–the blade should be more or less perpendicular to the skin.
  • Repeat, wiping the blade and skin every few strokes to remove the fat. When the skin has no visible fat, feels dry to the touch, and the blade comes away clean, the skin is clean.
  • To cook skin, cover with water and simmer for 2-3 hours.

Notes

Some skin will be thin or have textural irregularities that make it less suitable for applications that require thorough cleaning. Choose your recipes based on available ingredients, or vice versa.