Pork belly chicharron is not meant to be beautiful. It’s plain and simply tasty. Greasy, artery blocker and decadent.
In Venezuela, this is a small town food. It is common in the rural areas. This is the cowboy’s snack. A bite of pork belly chicharrón with a splash of lime juice and kosher salt.
The process is quite simple and straightforward —I guess you can not imagine a cowboy doing something slightly complicated in the kitchen.
You will only need a big pan that has a lid preferably —you can always use the fancy method of an aluminum foil. This is because when the pork is cooking, there will be splashes of oil everywhere if you don’t cover the pan. Not so fun cleaning the ceiling of your kitchen
I limit myself to preparing chicharron once a year. It’s incredibly greasy. The pork belly is where the pork has the most fat accumulated. These chicharrones cook in their own grease. I only add 1 tbsp of vegetable oil for an extra crispy finish.
The important thing about this recipe is that you should not fry the pork belly without boiling it first. The meat must boil until there is no water left and then you add the oil and it will fry for about 10 minutes —this is the moment when you must cover your pan.
You can serve these pork belly chicharrones by themselves or you can use them in soups or even arepas.
Pork Belly Chicharrón
Ingredients
- 200 gr pork belly cut into pieces about 2 inches
- 2 cups water
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- Kosher salt
- Oregano
- 2 tbsp lime juice
Instructions
- Heat a big pan over high heat. Pour the water and let it boil.
- Season the pork belly with salt, oregano, and the lime juice.
- Cook the pork belly in the boiling water and lower the temperature to medium heat. Cook until the water evaporated completely.
- Add the vegetable oil and let the pork belly cook for about 15 minutes. Flip the pork belly every 5 minutes. Cover the pan with a lid because there will be a lot of oil splash.
I’m Maria and I love cooking—and mostly EATING—food from all around the world. I’ve been sharing my abuela’s secret Latin-American recipes for the last 7 years with the world on this blog. I’ve been a full-time food blogger for many years and I’m always trying new delicious meals that don’t require a culinary degree or a Michelin-star chef. I also love traveling, cats, and knitting.