I can not find any pork rinds in my town -period. Apparently, the do not exist on the sunshine coast. However ..... someone did say that I could make my own, using chicken skin or pork rinds. I called the butcher and he was more than happy to give me what I needed as far as the 'raw material' for free. Problem is... i have no idea how to prepare them. Any suggestions ?

Not Karen here. How I like to state the obvious.

The ingredients on the Old Dutch bag are Pork, Lard, and Salt. I'm guessing you just deep fry them in lard and salt them. I could check with my Mom to see if she remembers. She used to make them when I was a kid, but that was about 250 years ago.

My Mom never got the nice consistency that the store bought ones have. A lot of hers were very tough, but I kinda like the chewy ones.

I'm surprised that you can't find them on the Sunshine Coast. I was on Bowen Island a couple weeks ago and bought a bag there. I even find them at Mohawk gas stations now, little corner stores, and 7-11's. I think they are getting more popular.

Arnie

I looked at Safeway and Overwaitea today and neither carried them. I am going to contact their Frito-Lay supplier and see if I can get some in.

Did you look in the snack aisle with the potato chips? Old Dutch brand is carried in Safeway.

Making pork cracklings is a bit complicated but crisping chicken skin is easy. You can do it in a crockpot too.

Cut chicken skin into small pieces. sprinkle liberally with salt, mix well and refrigerate overnight. Place in a pot with a few Tbsp. water. Bring to a sizzle on top of the stove then transfer to a 250 F oven and cook until the skin is floating in oil and is crisp. This can take anywhere from 1-3 hours depending on how much skin you are using. Drain well. You can save the fat for cooking.

These have to be refrigerated and they will get soggy but can be recrisped in the oven.

Karen

TY from the bottom of my carb-free heart ! I am going to try the chicken skin thing tomorrow. If I think about it too much (the fact that I am willfully eating CHICKEN SKIN), I feel a tad ill - but I'll get over it .

Definitely save the rendered fat, as Karen suggested. Chicken fat has a wonderful mild taste and silky texture ... great for sautéing vegetables, or for cooking scrambled eggs

Chicken fat is high in monounsaturates .. 45%


Doreen

Have you tried WalMart or any of the discount stores such as Family Dollar or Dollar Tree??

Clayton's in Sechelt has pork rinds!

They are available via mail order from the Web - do a search on Pork Rinds - many sites. Would recommend over making them yourself.

j

I have heard there are microwave pork rinds - would love to find those here! Apparently they are fresher tasting, too.

Ok, looking on my bag they are actually called "Bacon Puffs" here (Victoria BC) not pork rinds. They were down on the shelf with The (cover your eyes) Hickory Sticks and the (*gasp*) Caramel Corn.

The microwave pork rinds are sold at walmart here in Minnesota...they are not bad at all...sometimes you might gat a few that are burnt tasting just like with popcorn.

Well, after thinking there was no way I'd be able to eat them I decided to try them. I ordered via the web at http://www.microwaveporkrinds.com/ and they are awesome! They came really quickly too!

Kel

I dont think I have ever encountered a Wal Mart that doesnt sell Pork Rinds...not making any suggestions about the redneck'iness of the store or anything...

Yes, I would think that any store that carries Frito Lay products would have them, and if they don't carry them, would be willing to get them for you. I know Frito Lay makes plain and Hot and Spicy ones (and they MEAN Hot and Spicy)! Also, I have found vinegar flavored ones in an Asian Grocery here in Everett (WA), so perhaps you could try an Asian Grocery in your area.

I have found so many uses for them--my daughter swears I'm gonna try to make spaghetti out of them next!

hmmmmmm