Pork Scratchings????

[SlimUK]

When doing a LC diet like the New High Protein Diet (Prof Charles Clark) is it ok to eat pork scratchings???

Does anyone know their carb count or even if they have one??? :daze:

Cheers

SlimUK

:wave:

[Boogie65]

Hi Slim

Professor Clark mentions in his book that snacks that consist mainly of protein and fat are best, but that there aren't many of those - but Pork Scratchings actually fit the bill nicely :D

You have to be careful though as some manufacturers feel the need to put all sorts of additives in, as well as sugar (cunningly disguised by describing it as dextrose or another form of sugar :rolleyes: ) so make sure you read the label

Pub Original Pork brand Scratchings are just pork rinds & salt with a bit of seasoning and are extremely low carb (less than 1gm per bag I believe), and the Pork Crunch they do is a puffed variety, really crispy and tasty and declared as zero carb

They're also great for crunching up and using as coating for meat, fish, chicken etc.

Hope this helps

Chrissy :wave:
www.sugarlite.co.uk

[lynnec]

I notice that Atkins seems to use a great deal of pork rinds. Are these the same as pork scratchings? Does anyone know of anything that can be used as a substitute for those of us who don't eat pork?
Thanks
Lynne

[LittleAnne]

Hi Lynne

Yes, pork rinds are the same as pork scratchings. Not something that is easily come by in the UK, although there are pockets where they are easy to be obtained.

In many low carb recipes they are used as the equivalent of breading. I have never used them for this purpose and very rarely had them at all.

Sorry, can't help on an alternative, as this is already an alternative, if you see what I mean.

[Boogie65]

Hi Lynne

There is another substitute for high carb breading and coating crumbs in the form of Keto Crumbs.

They come in Original, Cajun Style or Italian Style and are made of textured vegetable protein, soy protein isolate, wheat gluten, whole grain fibre, rice flour, salt, malt.

They're all 4gms carbs per serving, which is enough to coat 4 x 6oz pieces of chicken. They're great for coating all sorts of things, including fish, and I've used them to make a KFC style chicken in my deep fat fryer :p

Hope this helps

Chrissy
www.sugarlite.co.uk

[lynnec]

Many thanks.
Lynne

[IcicleWork]

Originally posted by Little Ann
Hi Lynne

Yes, pork rinds are the same as pork scratchings.


Pork rinds and pork scratchings are different! Pork rinds are basically fried pork fat, all bubbly and crisp.
Pork scratchings (at least the sort i've eaten... Mr B's or something like that... small white packet with black & red writing) have dextrose and rusk added... both low-carb no-no's.

Maybe you have seen a different sort of pork scratchings than these, but i just wanted to warn that these type are not the same as American pork rinds, and shouldnt be eaten on Atkins.

[IcicleWork]

Wow.. you can only edit posts up to 10 minutes later?!?! :thdown:

I went back to edit my previous post about the pork scratchings,,, I thought it might sound like i was a bit of a know-all (for someone who is only on day 2 of Atkins!)... didnt mean it to sound that way, i was just wanting to help. ;)

[LittleAnne]

Hi IcicleWork

With regard to editing posts, you should have been able to do this by clicking on the edit/delete icon at the bottom of your post. The time limit is 48 hours. See this link. http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=40640&highlight=Editing+posts

[IcicleWork]

I did try, Ann, but i got a message saying Sorry, you only have 10 minutes to edit posts. Thanks for your help, though. I'll just leave it for the moment! :roll:

[flossie]

Iciclework

many thanks have been munching on prok crackles for snacks in the afternoon. only done it for a couple of days but now will stop. big shame as they were a real treat!!!!!! you dont know where we can get the ok kinda rind do you?

[IcicleWork]

My mum sends them to me from America... plain ones with no seasoning.
However, you can get them from www.lowcarbmegastore.com
but they've got a sort of spicy seasoning on them... they're nice, but i prefer them plain and add my own seasoning.

As Boogie65 said earlier in the thread, they do Pub Original pork scratchings, and they also do the Pub Original pork crunch... the pork crunch is the same as pork rinds in America, and are lighter & crispier than pork scratchings... these are the ones that people grind up and use as breading for chicken, etc.

So chek out the website, and when ordering, make sure you are ordering pork CRUNCH, not pork SCRATCHINGS, and you'll be getting the right stuff.

[Bungle]

Regarding the pork scratching, I found theat my local butchers came up trump with this item, after searching for in other shops.

No nutrition labels unfortunately, but they seem to be just fried pork rinds (very fatty and pork rindy, no rusky stuff or puffy), but they do seem to have a flavouring on, so they need a bit of a dust off before eating.
I must admit that I don't often buy them as they are just too tastey.

:)

regards Bungle

[lallabrown]

Well it seems like there has been some debate over these pork rinds/scratchings and I need to clarify a few things for my own peace of mind!!
I have managed to find some called 'Pork Scratchings-seasoned Pork Rind' by JA Foods(website address www.gts-ltd.com) in a local what I call 'cheapo shop' near me-Home Bargains.
Having checked the nutritional information and it says only 0.1g carbohydrate and 20g fat per 40g bag.
They do contain rusks but it is obviously a negligible amount!!
They are great for snacking on if you miss crisps-I used them last time I did Atkins and it didnt hinder my progress-2stone in 4 months...
I dont know if Home Bargains is a regional thing but will find out if any one is interested-they are only 25p a bag too!!Have limited myself to a pack every couple of days as they are so moorish.....

Hope this is useful info.
Lalla :wave:

[joytotheww]

Hi! I have been on the Atkins program for over two months. I live in the US, but spend about three weeks out of every two months in the Edinburgh, Scotland area.

I am leaving the US to return to Scotland in just a couple of weeks.....I have to know.....Can I find something that is the equivalent of American Pork Rind/Pork Skins/Chicharrones - whatever you call them in the UK. They are my life's blood.

I use them for so many things, the ones I buy are plain and have no carbs or less than one carb per serving. I don't think I would have been able to eat all those tuna and salmon salads I have had for lunch for so long without a few to add crunch.

If anyone can tell me a grocery chain that carries these - like Testco, Costco.....anyplace! I will be so happy knowing that I do not have to leave my clothes behind in order to smuggle 25 huge bags of Pork Rinds with me....

Happy low carbing,
Joy :wave:

[LisaUK]

We call them pork scratchings here. Tesco sells them as do most pubs.

[hev]

Yes Tesco sells 2 kinds, one that has no info on back and the butchers pub style (which I use) that have 0 carbs. But they are very salty so remember to up your water intake when you have them. And Enjoy they are yummy! :yum:

[joytotheww]

Thanks Lisa & Hev! I was not on Atkins the last time I was in Scotland and was in a panic thinking I would have to go six weeks without my "Pork Scratchings". I didn't even know what they would be called in the UK if they did exist there! hahaaha

In the olden days, "BA" - Before Atkins.....I used to enjoy Walker's Prawn Cocktail Potato Chips". I would bring them home in my suitcase. I adored them. I know I won't be tempted to have any because I can use my Butcher's Pub Style now that I know what to look for.

I am wishing you guys well on this diet. I have been on for a little over 2 months and have only dropped 10 to 12 pounds depending on how the scales are wobbling in the morning - my weight seems to go up and down a lot - probably a female response from hormones and water weight - But I am committed and has had no problems and no cravings.

Let me know how you two are doing......Joy :daze:

[hev]

Hey Joy,
Why don't you start a journal and I can come and chat to you there.
You can come and visit me on mine if you like and it doesn't all have to be Atkins chat!
Sorry to hear you have slow weight loss I do too a bit it can be a bit disheartening can't it.
The way I see it is that it's going in the right direction, and at least I am doing something about it.
Hope to hear from you soon Hev. (Heather)

[joytotheww]

Hev,

Thanks for the reply. I just found this site over the weekend and in the strangest way. I was thinking about my upcoming trip to Edinburgh and how easy it would be to stay on Atkins while traveling. I can have all those "fry ups", as you call them! I can have steak, fish, salad and green veggies. I figured it was going to be so much easier than being on previous diets I had been on and then I thought of my "pork rinds/pork skins/chicarrones" those are the American names for pork scratchings. What would I do without them?

So, I just put "Scotland Pork Rinds" into the Google search engine and Voila! I found this site. I am so pleased because it is good to have a source of communciation with my UK friends on the Atkins Diet. I have introduced a friend in Scotland on the diet, too and he can come here and chat with his locals! So, I am glad to have found you.

I see we have approximately the same beginning weight, present weight and goal weight, so we probably have a great deal in common. I am at my office now, but will start a journal as soon as I get a chance. I will love to communicate with you. Perhaps you can help me with more products to be on the lookout for in the UK.

More later,
Joy

[LisaUK]

Hello Joy! I bet you're looking forward to your trip now that you can find your pork rinds. :D

I find it so much easier to eat out on this plan - it's great!

[ecco66]

the nearest thing to chiccarones in the UK is known as Pork Crunch, NOT pork scratchings. They are lighter and less dangerous on the teeth :-)

Morrisons supermarkets do their own brand in plain and spicy. Excellent for breading.

[kondor]

Its strange for me reading some of these threads. I have spent all my life living in the midlands, and grew up and worked in the heart of it.

Here we live on scratchings, Im not sure how many different brands are made here but it is well into double figures. I hadnt realised that it was difficult to get them elsewhere.

anyway, the Black Country Dialect dictionary list
Scratchings Black Country delicacy - pork rind deep fried

If you tell me the consistancy you want, id be glad to steer you in the right direction.

by the way, pork crunch is a type of scratching but not really a scratching, as it is mostly air.

KVE used to be the hardest, many a black country dentist has been kept in a living due to these rock like pieces of pork.

At the moment, Roberts is crown prince, with a fair size bag and a decent texture. They also sent some to Iraq recently for the soilders (not really clever as they are sending pork to a muslim country)

hope some of this helped, but i doubt it.

PS, black country = west midlands

[ecco66]

yes I have tasted some really nice scratchings on my travels, mainly in East Anglia and the Midlands. You're lucky to have regular access to such delights!!

On this site though, and many other US based sites they refer to rinds and pork crunch is the nearest thing to chiccarones (pork rinds). In the States you can buy them in bags and "pop" them in the microwave. Yes, they are quite airy, too.

You can also have them shipped over. See www.microwaveporkrinds.com. They also do a number of low carb dip mixes.

[kondor]

Ah, I see, not quite a scratching and not quite pork crunch.

I think you will find a variety call "Pork Crackling"

Crackling is a bit between both of them, a bit airy but not quite like Crunch, which contains a lot of air. Not many of the scratching factorys make it,
but i have found...

http://www.freshersfoods.co.uk/

Which is worth enquiring about as they distinguish between the three types.
Aslo take a look at this review of Scratchins!
http://web.bham.ac.uk/s.m.stocks.cen/Scratchins/ScratchinsNav.htm

[hev]

hey kondor,
Just wanted to say welldone on the giving up smoking.
:clap:

[Adrix]

Hello all!!
I too love pork rinds/scratchings but instead of trawling the country for suitable ones (i.e the kind without carbs) i tend to make my own...i just get a big piece of rind from my butcher, dry it thoroughly (otherwise the scratchings won't crisp up properly) and cut into strips half an inch wide. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt (i like maldon) and put in the oven at 200 degrees for around 30-35 minutes!
ax

[Pixie]

Ok, so i know that this topic has been going on and on, on many threads but im still confused LOL!

Can i have scratchings puffy or hard, or not?

I normally buy the ones that are supplied to Asda but buy them direct. They are made by G.Simmons and Sons, around 60p for 90g in Asda but if you go to their unit in Walsall its £1 per lb and 1lb of puffy scratchings is huge!

So can i keep on having these as a snack/treat or should i just give them up as they rusk in them (it doesnt mention sugar in the ingredients)

Thanks for all your help.

Emma

P.S. kondor - im just down the road from you in Clayhanger...small world!

[kondor]

I dont think it really matters :)
It is just some recepies require "pork rinds" so a few folks on here want to get as close to pork rinds as they can.
ALL these products have a main ingredient of Pork Rinds, and when I say main, I mean very main!!!

Some DO contain sugar, but i no longer take sugar and yet have never tasted a sweet scratching.
Simmons are great arnt they :)
It is unbelivable to me that some areas of the UK cant buy these. Recenmtly a local shop (corner shop) I went to was displaying no less than 7 different variations.

If you look around you will find Pork Crackling, which is a harder variation of pork crunch, but a lot less harder than a scratching. These are, apparently fairly close to the USA pork rinds.

I just love scratchins (can you tell?!?!) I find that I get through a load of the things.

[Ebbie.B]

I buy all types of pork scratchings. The only type i try to stay away from are what my local sainsbury's sell and this is only because there is no carb info on the back.

At the moment i am munching my way through a load i got at PoundLand, like many others they do contain rusk and according to the ingredients sugar but they contain less than 0.1g of carbs, I haven't noticed any slowing down or stalling in my weight loss so for me these scratchings are ok.

We are all different when it comes to what stalls our weight loss and what doesn't so it really is down to trial and error.

[kellyuk]

Mmmmmm, heaven, I started out eating the little hard pork scratchings but now my favourites are the big, puffy pork crunch, they last longer and even though it's mainly air it feels like you're eating a huge snack :)