I admit it. Cajun cracklins are addictive, I am a recovering cracklin’ addict and am now in a 12-step program on the way to enlightenment. Okay, so I am embellishing a bit. But, just a bit. Hear my story.
I was first grabbed by the demon porcine pleasure at a later stage of life when I should have known better. What is essentially fat fried in fat should have been an obvious clue to anyone with a college education. Or the little grease-stained brown paper bags should have certainly been a tip-off.
I was hooked fast.
The fact that most every little store around Acadiana sells pork cracklin’ (also known as grattons) at the register certainly bodes well for how far this porky addiction has spread. Oh, I tried to quit, but Earl’s Cajun Market, my neighborhood pusher, drew me back in every time I opened the front door and breathed in the heady siren call of bits of pig frying in a black iron cauldron of lard. I can’t resist the bacony flavor or the contrast of crunch with the smooth ooze of pork tallow.
Cajun cracklins are described by most as the by-product of the boucherie, a Cajun celebration of the slaughter of a whole hog.
I disagree.
I believe it to be the main product, and everything else is an afterthought. The skin and tasty bits of fat surrounding it are lovingly boiled in oil, tended gently and brought to the peak of crispness. It is an art form.
Cajun cracklins are not for everyone. These little taste bombs will decimate your diet, derail your noble sensibility and send you down the path of sinful consumption. Be warned. These little bags sold on every street corner in Cajun country are just the start. Soon you’ll be smothering a sausage-stuffed pig’s stomach, roasting a boudin-stuffed pork loin, and Lord forbid, making a fried pork jowl BLT. Don’t say I didn’t caution you.
Over the years, I’ve embarked on a healthier lifestyle that no longer includes this delicacy, but, from time to time, I have been known to come home with grease-stained fingers and a look of guilt on my face. And from the acrid smell of my clothes, my wife knows immediately that I’ve fallen off the wagon once again.
Curse you cracklin’!
Curse you for being so decadent and deliriously delicious.
Cajun Cracklins
Prep time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 1 to 2 hours
Serves: A party or one addict
Cracklin’ is more an artisan craft than a Cajun recipe. There are varying methods for Cajun cracklins as with gumbo, and they are all correct, as long as they achieve a quality product. Some like to start the cubes of fat off in water, but I am going with the “fat-in-fat” method. You’ll need a very large pot – I use a deep, 20-quart black iron pot — and an outdoor burner with a paddle. After that, the only main ingredients are rendered hog lard and pork belly. But, that’s where the simplicity of cracklin’ comes to a screeching halt. It takes trial and error to get it right, and in South Louisiana there are generations of families that pass down this time-honored Cajun cooking tradition.
At least 4 to 6 pounds hog fat back or pork belly, cut into 3/4 inch by 4-inch strips
Hog lard (amount varies with the pot size)
Salt
Acadiana Table Cajun Seasoning Blend, see recipe here
Before you begin:
Find a butcher that understands pork and the art of the recipe for Cajun cracklins. There needs to be just the right amount of skin, fat and meat. Some prefer the back fat and some prefer the belly. Have the butcher cut the cracklin’ fat into strips. They will shrink to approximately thumb size during the cooking.
If you live in an apartment, forget it. This is an outdoor adventure only since both the overwhelming smell of fat frying in fat along with the risk of a pork fat inferno are prime reasons to take it outside. A big black iron pot, long-handled spoon or paddle, oven mitt, a variable heat source and a thermometer are the key equipment needed. Oh, and you might want to wear a long-sleeved shirt and protective eyewear.
The first fry:
With the pot on a low fire, add all the pieces of pork fat to the pot. Pour in enough lard to come 3/4 of the way up to the top of the fat. Be careful in this first phase of cooking as the moisture trapped in the fat cubes will burst and create little grease bombs (thus the long-sleeved shirt and glasses).
Here, the long slow process of the first rendering of fat is crucial as you begin to reduce the raw pieces of pork revealing the meat. The lard should be on a low fry around 225 to 275ºF, and the continual movement of the fat by stirring with the long-handled spoon will keep it from sticking together. Repeatedly stir the pot every 3 minutes or so.
There are some important physical principles to remember. The grease will get hotter and will increase in quantity as the fat melts off the pork. It is important to use a thermometer to check the temperature of the lard since the longer it cooks the hotter it gets. Lower the fire to lower the temperature. Ladle off some of the lard if it increases to a dangerous overflow level. Continue to cook for what might be close to 1 hour or more.
Once the cubes of pork have rendered and achieve a tan brown color remove the cracklin’ to a metal wire rack on a tray.
Think you’re done? Think again.
The second fry:
It’s just like twice-fried potatoes. The science of heating oil to varying temperatures and returning the product to a higher, flash-fry heat achieves something miraculous in taste and texture. Once-fried cracklin’ can become extremely tough and difficult to bite through the exterior skin. This second fry will crisp the skin — some say “pop” the skins — that literally defines Cajun cracklins. (Note: Some folks like to add a handful of ice to the oil at this stage, but I haven’t experienced that technique. It supposedly makes the grease boil rapidly and “blisters” the skin crisp. If you try it, be careful.)
Make sure the quantity of oil still approximates the original amount and turn the fire on high until your thermometer reads between 375 to 400ºF. Add the rendered pork back into the pot and turn the fire off.
Continue to cook until they begin to achieve a rich, golden brown color. This is a crucial stage since some of the cracklin’ will cook faster than others so remove in stages based on color. Remove the cracklin’ to a large tray with a wire rack lined with paper towels to soak up the grease. Season with salt and Acadiana Table Cajun Seasoning Blend (see recipe here).
Open an ice-cold can of beer and enjoy.
You deserve it.
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Dewone Moncrief says
Can I buy these online?
George Graham says
Dewone- The quick answer is “yes,” and with a quick Google search, you should find a few options. However, unlike a lot of quality online-ordered Cajun products, cracklins should be experienced hot and spicy, fresh out of the fry-pot. There is a world of difference between artisan-made cracklins and store-bought. When you next travel to Louisiana, be sure to seek out fresh cracklins. All the best.
G-Pop says
Just wanted to share this, to rejuvenate the mail-order cracklins or the leftovers from a weekend trip back home to Rayne, LA I pop’m in the air fryer for 5 to 10 minutes @ 350, almost as good as fresh out of the pot. The variables are the size of the Cracklins, quantity, cold from the fridge or room temp then of course the air fryer itself. So don’t be afraid to experiment with a small handful, Bon appétit!
George Graham says
Hey G-Pop- Thanks for sharing this info…good to know! All the best.
James Weaver says
TEET’S FOOD STORE, RONNIES BOUDIN AND CRACKLINS, VILLE PLATTE, LA. SMOKE MEAT FESTIVAL, PORT BARRE CRACKLIN FESTIVAL…..
vickie says
i just came across this while online and saw those cracklins. I am a cajun woman. I grew up in Texas because my dad was military and retired in central Texas, but we traveled to Louisiana to Vermillion Parish every year. i don’t remember calling these cracklins. It’s probably a French name that they were called, and i now can’t remember. It’s been a long time for this old girl. They were wonderful–very fatty and salty. I hope before I leave this world to be able to go back to that area and eat me some good food.
vickie says
Okay, I remember now, but only because my husband reminded me. They are called “GRATON” (lol). My parents didn’t teach me the language because they said it would mess up my English, so we never learned. I hated that because I couldn’t speak to my grandparents. They only spoke Cajun French and couldn’t read or write. Oh well, life happens.
George Graham says
Hey Vickie- Thanks for sharing your memories of growing up in Cajun country. No matter what you call them, these little morsels of pork-a-licious goodness are heavenly. All the best.
COS says
I was privy, growing up, to a yearly boucherie at my home and backyard (uh, a subdivision, no less) in the capital city of Louisiana (BR). I saw it all unfold before my eyes. My parents and grandparents worked tirelessly every year for a week making boudin, grattons, sausage (including blood sausage), stuffed pig stomach, and cleaning casings meticulously done by only my grandmother. They made hogs head cheese to die for that was meaty and non-gelatinous, loaded with green onions, parsley, and cayenne pepper–the list goes on and on.
My grandfather dug a hole in the backyard and smoked that sausage under burlap sacks. I used to wonder what our neighbors thought we were up to. Some of the “delicacies” I did not eat as a teen, nor as an adult. But I can still remember how delicious those grattons were, how tasty my mom’s hogs head cheese was, and the outstanding sausage and boudin. I am eternally grateful for my education of the boucherie from my family. Unfortunately, my children were never fortunate enough to have received this gift. I think they would have appreciated it as part of their heritage, as well.
George Graham says
Hey COS – Thanks for sharing your colorful food memories–the best memories of all. It’s never too late to bring your children and/or grandchildren to Cajun country and introduce them to your culture. Go to LafayetteTravel.com and plan your trip to Acadiana. At any age, they will appreciate being introduced to the culture of their heritage.
Christopher says
Located in Mansura,LA in Avoyelles Parish, Durand’s cracklings are great. They use bellys and back fat, and the cuts are long. They are salted, not seasoned, just like my grandparents use to cook them.
George Graham says
Hey Christopher- Avoyelles Parish is cochon de lait country, and the folks there know a thing or two about cracklins. Thanks for the tip on Durand’s, and I plan to make a trip there soon.
Deborah Cole says
I live in the Ozarks in Arkansas, and it is important that I have good Cajun recipes. Some you never forget and some things you just take for granted and buy at the store. Thank you for the crackling recipe.
George Graham says
Hey Deborah- I love it when folks spread the gospel of Cajun cooking to areas of the country that have never experience our spicy and delicious Louisiana cuisine. You are to be congratulated. Thanks.
Randy Trahan says
Just bought some pork belly with skin on, and I will be cooking some up this weekend. I miss the old cochun de lait we used to have back on the farm around Lake Arthur, LA.