Ingredients
Chitterlings
- 5 kgraw chitterlings
- 250 mlwhite vinegar, for cleaning
Pot
- 2onions
- 1 headgarlic
- 2bay leaves
- 1 tbspblack peppercorns
- 2 tbspsalt
- 1lemon
- 2potatoes, halved
To serve
- hot sauce
- apple cider vinegar
- cornbread
- collard greens
Directions
- Read this step before starting anything, because it is the one that matters. Raw chitterlings are a documented source of Yersinia enterocolitica, and infections in infants have been traced not to eating them but to the cleaning water and to hands and surfaces contaminated while they were being prepared.
- Keep children out of the kitchen entirely while you clean them, prepare nothing else on the same surfaces, and wash hands, sink, worktops and utensils with hot soapy water afterwards.
- Boil the chitterlings for 5 minutes before you begin hand-cleaning them. This is the current public health advice and it substantially reduces the risk while you handle them.
- Drain, cool them enough to work with, and then clean each one individually: pull off the fat and membrane, turn them inside out, and rinse away everything that is not the wall of the intestine itself.
- Rinse them through at least five changes of cold water, with a splash of vinegar in each, and keep going until the water runs completely clear.
- This takes hours and there is no shortcut. Undercleaned chitterlings are both unsafe and inedible, and everyone who cooks them will tell you the same thing.
- Put them in a large pot with the onions, garlic, bay, peppercorns, salt, lemon and potatoes, cover generously with water, and bring to the boil.
- Simmer for 3 to 4 hours, until completely tender and yielding.
- The potatoes are an old trick for the smell and they help a little. Opening a window helps considerably more.
- Drain, chop into short lengths, and serve very hot with hot sauce and cider vinegar, alongside cornbread and greens.
- They are a Christmas and New Year dish, from the era when enslaved cooks in the South were left the offal after a hog killing and turned it into something worth putting on a table.
Technique
- The cleaning is the recipe. The cooking is straightforward and the rest is patience.
- Buy them from a butcher who sells them fresh and turns over stock quickly. Age shows in both smell and safety.
- Pre-cleaned frozen chitterlings still need rinsing and still need exactly the same kitchen hygiene.
Substitutions
- Pre-cleaned frozen chitterlings, which cut the work substantially without removing the need for care.
- Hog maws cooked alongside, which is traditional and adds body.
Variations
- With hog maws in the pot.
- Battered and deep-fried after boiling.
- Stewed down with tomato and onion into a thicker dish.
History
Enslaved cooks in the South made meals from the offal left after hog killing; chitlins remain a Christmas and New Year soul food dish.
Frequently asked questions
What is Chitterlings?
Chitterlings is a main from United States: pig intestines cleaned, simmered long and served with hot sauce and vinegar. Enslaved cooks in the South made meals from the offal left after hog killing; chitlins remain a Christmas and New Year soul food dish.
How long does Chitterlings take to make?
Chitterlings takes 3 hr of preparation and 4 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 8 servings. It is rated hard to make.
What can I substitute in Chitterlings?
Yes, within limits. Pre-cleaned frozen chitterlings, which cut the work substantially without removing the need for care. Hog maws cooked alongside, which is traditional and adds body.
