Lugaru
Sous Chef
One of my favorite uses for pork shoulder is to make chicharrones. There's really not much science to it but you can do some crazy stuff if desired. Any way's take some nicely thawed cubes of pork (half inch to an inch) and put enough oil in a sauce pan to cover them halfway. The fat that leaks out should just about finish the job.
The secret is controlling the temperature... you should keep the fire low so that the oil never scorches, that way the pork can sit boiling in oil for about half an hour without any real damage done to the pork or flavor. In the end you have crunchy yet tender pieces of pork.
Serving: Drain from the oil and sautee in green tomatillo salsa or red salsa (la costenya is best) or without sauce and serve with tortillas and plenty of fresh chopped tomato and onion (raw) and a wedge of lime.
And the pro's secret? You can marinade the pork in cocacola for a good 15 minutes to make sure they end up crispier, more tender and have an interesting sweet and slightly tart flavor. Many chicharron stands consider this a standard practice.
The secret is controlling the temperature... you should keep the fire low so that the oil never scorches, that way the pork can sit boiling in oil for about half an hour without any real damage done to the pork or flavor. In the end you have crunchy yet tender pieces of pork.
Serving: Drain from the oil and sautee in green tomatillo salsa or red salsa (la costenya is best) or without sauce and serve with tortillas and plenty of fresh chopped tomato and onion (raw) and a wedge of lime.
And the pro's secret? You can marinade the pork in cocacola for a good 15 minutes to make sure they end up crispier, more tender and have an interesting sweet and slightly tart flavor. Many chicharron stands consider this a standard practice.
