12287 Confit of Pork Rinds Makes 6 Rolls Wed Aug 06 00:59:56 -0700 2008 Mon Feb 02 02:25:05 -0800 2009 Licensed http://www.chow.com/recipes/12287 Mon, 02 Feb 2009 10:25:05 GMT If you are looking for the balance, luminous taste, and satiny texture of Southwest French cooking, you should have some confit of pork rind on hand. You can make it up in batches, then freeze small rolls of it. This will provide you with a rich, addictive, and smooth addition for lentil and bean dishes; meat, poultry, and fish stews; soups and salads with a strong vinegar dressing and bitter greens; or whenever a recipe calls for pork rind or salt pork. Pork rind confit is also one of the secrets to a great cassoulet.

You can purchase a whole pork belly with the rind on, remove it, and cut it into 4-inch by 8-inch strips. Use the pork belly to make the Salt-Cured Pork Belly, pages 301–303—one of my favorite new recipes.

You will need a scale to prepare this dish properly.

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  • Lay the rind out on a work surface. Use a long, thin-bladed knife to cut away most of the fat. Cube the fat; place it in a heavy saucepan. Add ½ cup water and up to 2 cups rendered pork or duck fat to cover the cubes. Slowly cook over very low heat until the pork fat cubes are rendered and the liquid fat has turned a golden color; remove from the heat. Strain the fat, let cool, and reserve for cooking the rinds two days later.
  • Meanwhile, divide the pork rind into 4-inch-wide strips and lay cut side up on a flat pan lined with paper towels. Sprinkle coarse salt over the rinds. Cover the strips with paper towels, refrigerate, and let cure for 3 to 4 days.
  • Wipe the salt from the pork rind strips. Roll each strip, as if you were rolling a carpet, and fasten tightly with string. Heat the reserved pork fat in a wide, heavy saucepan. Add the rolls and cook slowly, covered, until the rinds are tender enough for a toothpick to penetrate easily, about 3 hours. Cool the packets of pork rind in the fat. Remove and discard the string. Pack each roll individually in a small self-seal plastic bag with a little of the strained fat. Vacuum-pack and refrigerate or freeze. The confit of pork rinds will keep for up to 6 months.
    • ]]>     http://www.chow.com Paula Wolfert 50 Main 3 pounds pork belly rind with fat

    ]]>     2 cups rendered pork or duck fat

    ]]>     4 to 5 tablespoons coarse kosher salt

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