Ingredients
Pork
- 500 gsalt pork jowl, or fatty salt pork belly, thinly sliced
To soak
- cold water, or milk
To cook
- a heavy pan, or a deep fryer
To serve
- maple syrup
- baked beans
- pea soup
- an omelette
Directions
- Use salt pork jowl if you can find it, which is fattier and curls better than belly. Slice it thinly, about 3 to 5 mm.
- Cut them thin and evenly. Thick slices stay chewy in the middle rather than crisping through, and uneven ones burn at the edges.
- Salt pork varies enormously in how salty it is, and this two-minute test decides whether you need to soak it. If it is very salty, soak the slices in cold water or milk for an hour, changing the water once, then dry them thoroughly.
- Lay the slices in a cold heavy pan and bring the heat up slowly to medium. Start them in a cold pan. Add no oil at all, because there is a great deal of fat in the pork.
- Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, turning them, as they shrink and curl. Pour off the rendered fat as it accumulates, and keep it for cooking.
- Let them go deep golden brown and genuinely crisp, and take them a shade further than seems necessary.
- Drain them on a rack rather than paper, which keeps the underside crisp. Serve them hot with maple syrup poured over or offered for dipping.
Technique
- They are extremely rich and a small portion goes a long way.
- The rendered fat is excellent for frying potatoes or eggs.
- They can be deep fried instead, which is faster and gives a more uniform curl.
Substitutions
- Thick-cut streaky bacon, which is close and much easier to buy.
- Pork belly, cured briefly in salt at home.
Variations
- Deep fried rather than pan fried.
- Tossed in maple syrup to glaze them.
- Served with a maple and mustard dip.
History
A Quebec sugar-shack dish whose blunt name describes the curled shape the pork takes in the pan.
Frequently asked questions
What is Oreilles de crisse?
Oreilles de crisse is a snack from Canada: salt pork jowl fried until curled and crisp, eaten with maple syrup. A Quebec sugar-shack dish whose blunt name describes the curled shape the pork takes in the pan.
How long does Oreilles de crisse take to make?
Oreilles de crisse takes 10 min of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Oreilles de crisse?
Yes, within limits. Thick-cut streaky bacon, which is close and much easier to buy. Pork belly, cured briefly in salt at home.
What is the most important thing to get right in Oreilles de crisse?
Cut them thin and evenly. Thick slices stay chewy in the middle rather than crisping through, and uneven ones burn at the edges.
