Pork scratching makes the perfect bar snack but better still if you have a drink up or game night at home. I have always loved scratchings but when I moved to Kenya I got pretty upset when I had to pay top dollar for a basic snack. It was nearly 300ksh for a 25 gram pack. That really annoyed me.
So I went onto google and began looking and how to make them. The basic ingredient is pork skin and salt. Simple enough considering you can easily get pork skin from City Market in town. The one thing I did notice is that the Americans prefer to fry their pork skin (obviously) while the Brits prefer to slow roast and render. I went the British way. The result of whatever method you choose is a crispy, salty moorish snack that you cant help but have...
Now, the other great thing about pork scratching is that you can add loads of flavour to it, a bit like pop corn.
1 kg pork skin ( Make sure the butcher removes any meat or fat that may have remained on the underside of the skin.)
Salt
Chili flakes (Or whatever spice e.g celery salt )
Wash the skin and use paper towels to thoroughly dry it. With a sharp knife, make deep diagonal cuts on the top side of the skin, one inch apart, (make sure you don't cut right through the skin) from right to left and vice versa to get a diagonal pattern on the skin. Sprinkle some salt all over the skin and rub it in. Place the skin into a bowl and let it chill for a couple of hours then take it out of the fridge.
NB: The top side of the skin is the outer skin, NOT the underside where you took off the fat and meat.
Pre-heat your oven to 120°C.
Use a paper towel to pat down any excess water from the skin. Place it on a rack in the oven over a roasting tray (to catch the excess oil) and let it cook for about an hour as the excess fat renders off. Make sure to keep draining the fat or else it will begin to smoke and burn.
After 1 hour, turn up the heat to 200°C and closely monitor the skin. As soon as it turns golden brown, take it out of the oven and let it cool slightly. Break it into pieces and toss it with your preferred flavoring or spice.
I toss mine with chili flakes and celery salt ..... enjoy with a cold frost.