Jumări (Romanian pork cracklings)

Name: Jumări (Romanian pork cracklings)
Ingredients: 3 kg pork fatback with a little meat; for rendering; 15 g salt

Diverse - Jumări (Romanian pork cracklings) by Roberta O. - Recipia

Jumări (Romanian pork cracklings) are made by slowly rendering pork fat with a little meat, then setting aside the browned pieces and pouring the lard into separate jars. They develop golden edges and a tender center, with salt sprinkled in as they render. I like them well browned, with the pieces of meat still visible. Preparation: 20 minutes. Cooking: 75 minutes. Resting: 15 minutes. Total time: 110 minutes. Servings: 12. Approximately 520 kcal and 14 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

3 kg pork fatback with a little meat
for rendering
15 g salt

Preparation

1. Remove the rind from the pork fatback and cut it into 2-3 cm pieces. This takes about 20 minutes. 2. Put the pieces in a heavy-based saucepan and cook over low heat for 75 minutes, stirring continuously with a spoon. Gradually sprinkle in 15 g of salt; the fatback is ready when the fat has rendered and the cracklings are browned. 3. Lift out the cracklings with a slotted spoon and leave the lard in the saucepan. 4. Let the lard cool for 15 minutes, then pour it into jars.

Notes

Pork fatback with thin layers of meat makes meatier cracklings; if the piece has a lot of meat, it will brown before all the fat has rendered. Cut the pieces as close to the same size as possible, since small ones brown quickly while large ones stay soft for longer. If the fatback is already salted, start with 1 teaspoon of salt and taste a crackling near the end before adding more. The lard should stay light in color; if it starts to darken before the cracklings are ready, lower the heat. Pour the lard into clean, dry jars, then let it cool on the counter before putting the jars in the fridge. Keep the cracklings separately in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Cooled lard can be used for fried potatoes or savory doughs. I put them on a slice of bread with raw onion.