Ingredients
Cracklings
- 3 kgpork back fat with some meat attached, skin removed
- 250 mlwater
- 2 tbspcoarse salt
- 250 mlwhole milk
To serve
- bread
- a glass of red wine or rakija
Directions
- Cut the fat into 3 cm cubes, keeping them even so they render at the same rate. Cold fat cuts far more cleanly than warm, so chill it first.
- Put the cubes in a heavy pan with the water and set over low heat. The water stops the fat catching before it has begun to render its own, and it boils away within the first half hour.
- Render very slowly for about two hours, stirring every 15 minutes. The heat must stay low: fat rendered fast browns on the outside while the inside is still raw, and those pieces are tough rather than crisp.
- When the cubes have shrunk by half and turned pale gold, pour in the milk. This is the Slavonian step and it is what makes čvarci rather than plain scratchings — the milk sugars caramelise onto the pieces and give the characteristic colour and crunch.
- Raise the heat slightly and cook another 20 to 30 minutes, stirring constantly now, until the cracklings are deep gold and float. Watch closely at this stage; they go from perfect to burnt in about a minute.
- Lift them out with a slotted spoon, salt them at once while hot, and press them in a colander or a cloth-lined mould under a weight for an hour to squeeze out the last of the fat.
- Cool completely and store in a sealed tin. Strain the rendered lard and keep it separately — it is half the reason for making them.
Technique
- Low and slow for the first two hours, then close attention for the last twenty minutes. Every batch that fails, fails at the end.
- Salt them while they are hot, straight out of the fat. Salted cold, it simply falls off.
- Pressing is not optional. Unpressed čvarci stay greasy and go rancid within days; pressed, they keep for weeks.
Substitutions
- Duck or goose fat trimmings, which render the same way.
- A splash of cream in place of the milk, which some Samobor makers use for a richer colour.
Variations
- The Samobor style is pressed harder into flat blocks; the Slavonian one is left looser and crisper.
- Ground and mixed into bread dough as čvarci pogača.
History
A by-product of rendering lard at the winter pig slaughter in Slavonia and central Croatia; Samobor and Slavonian types differ in crispness.
Frequently asked questions
What is Čvarci?
Čvarci is a charcuterie & cured from Croatia: crisp pork cracklings pressed into blocks, eaten with bread and wine. A by-product of rendering lard at the winter pig slaughter in Slavonia and central Croatia; Samobor and Slavonian types differ in crispness.
How long does Čvarci take to make?
Čvarci takes 30 min of preparation and 3 hours of cooking. The recipe makes makes about 700 g. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Čvarci?
Yes, within limits. Duck or goose fat trimmings, which render the same way. A splash of cream in place of the milk, which some Samobor makers use for a richer colour.
What is the most important thing to get right in Čvarci?
Render very slowly for about two hours, stirring every 15 minutes. The heat must stay low: fat rendered fast browns on the outside while the inside is still raw, and those pieces are tough rather than crisp.
