Give Cornbread A Salty, Crunchy Twist With This Store-Bought Snack

How to add pork cracklings to cornbread

It's essential to grasp what pork cracklings are and what they aren't. Various snacks are made from pork skin, such as pork rinds, cracklings, chicharrones, and fatback or lardons. While they are all interconnected, there can be confusion due to inconsistent labeling. However, there is a distinction between pork rinds and cracklings, as well as most chicharrones. Pork rinds are light, airy, and melt-in-your-mouth deep-fried pig skin, whereas cracklings consist of fried skins with bits of pork fat and meat still attached. They are denser and less delicate than rinds, boasting a much bolder flavor. Think of cracklings as a blend of bacon, jerky, and chips. Although finding cracklings in grocery stores can be challenging (especially outside the South), you can inquire with your butcher about their availability or order something like Lanna Table Pork Cracklings to elevate your cornbread.

Once you have your cracklings, the rest is simple. Prepare your favorite cornbread recipe up to the baking stage and mix in half of the cracklings (chopping them into smaller pieces may be a good idea), reserving the other half to sprinkle on top after pouring the batter into a skillet or muffin tin. You can also incorporate additional ingredients and seasonings, such as whole corn kernels or peppers. Alternatively, you can purchase seasoned versions of the cracklings, like Golden Flake's with red pepper flakes, to cover all your flavor bases. If you're feeling adventurous, you can make your own cracklings and tailor the flavors to your liking. Any leftovers can be refrigerated or frozen, or you can crumble the cornbread to use as a delicious stuffing ingredient.