Birmingham Pork Scratchings
Crunchy, salted twice-cooked pork rind puffed to golden perfection. A quintessential West Midlands pub snack with deep savoury flavour.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Total
- 75 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 480 kcal
Equipment
- •Large saucepan
- •Sharp chef's knife
- •Wire cooling rack
- •Baking tray
- •Mixing bowl
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- fat
- 38 g
- carbs
- 1 g
- fibre
- 0 g
- protein
- 34 g
- calories
- 480 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Place the pork rind in a large saucepan with water, cider vinegar, bay leaf, and black peppercorns.
- 2
Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat on the hob.
- 3
Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes until the skin is soft and pliable.
- 4
Drain the pork rind thoroughly and leave it on a wire cooling rack until completely cold.
- 5
Use a sharp knife to scrape away excess soft fat from the underside, leaving a thin 2 mm layer.
- 6
Cut the rind into bite-sized strips roughly 2 cm wide and 4 cm long.
- 7
Arrange the pieces on a baking tray, rub with 1 tsp of salt, and chill uncovered for 2 hours.
- 8
Preheat your fan oven to 220°C and toss the dried rind strips in melted lard.
- 9
Roast for 25 to 30 minutes until bubbly, puffed, crisp, and deep golden brown.
- 10
Transfer the hot scratchings to a bowl and toss immediately with remaining salt, white pepper, onion powder, and smoked paprika.
- 11
Leave the scratchings to cool completely on kitchen paper before serving so they crisp up fully.
Chef's tips
Drying the simmered rind uncovered in the fridge is crucial for achieving maximum crunch rather than a chewy texture. Do not remove all the fat from the skin; leaving a thin layer gives traditional Birmingham scratchings their signature bite and rich flavour.
Ingredient substitutions
- lard → vegetable oil
- cider vinegar → malt vinegar
Storage
Store completely cooled scratchings in an airtight tin lined with greaseproof paper at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Reheating
Re-crisp on a baking tray in a fan oven at 180°C for 5 minutes, then cool slightly before eating.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Skipping the fridge-drying step, which leaves moisture in the skin and makes the scratchings rubbery.
- •Scraping away all the fat, which results in dry pork crackling rather than rich, traditional pub scratchings.
- •Seasoning after the scratchings have cooled, preventing the salt and spice blend from sticking.
Serving suggestions
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