Lurín-Style Chicharrón

Prep 8 hr 0 min
Total 10 hr 0 min
Ingredients 13
Servings 6

Lurín is a beautiful valley just south of Lima, the capital of Peru. The landscape is stunning, with small farms, horse stables, small towns, gorgeous beaches, an island in the shape of a whale that you can see from the coast, and a major archeological site at Pachacamac, one of the main attractions in the area. Equally famous is the fried pork, called chicharrón, that is made here. Many an entrepreneurial chef has taken advantage of the valley's beauty and its proximity to Lima to open country restaurants that are really popular on weekends. They offer a wide range of first-class food, which I highly recommend. But people from Lima have been visiting Lurín for decades just to eat the chicharrón, which is second to none. In the old days, you had to drive on an old stretch of the southern Pan-American highway, but nowadays, an expressway can get you there in a matter of minutes. The trip is worthwhile for many reasons. Peruvian chicharrón is different from that of other countries because it's meaty rather than crunchy. It's made by marinating pork meat in salt water. Then, the meat is washed and boiled until the water evaporates, and fried in the fat rendered while boiling. The end product is succulent, with the amount of fat determining how soft and flavorful the meat is. It's always served with bread, fried sweet potato slices - cut fairly thick and not crunchy - plenty of creole sauce, and various other sauces. As a delicious braised pork sandwich - "pan con chicharrón" - this chicharrón becomes a hearty weekend breakfast staple. And to make the experience even more authentic, make sure your meal is served with freshly made fruit juice and a good cup of coffee with milk. If you go to Lurín, stop at any of the small "huariques," simple, family-run restaurants that you'll see everywhere, where you can enjoy delicious chicharrón with all its condiments. MORE + LESS -

Ingredients

pounds pork belly

cup salt

bay leaves

1/2

cup oil

sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced

Creole sauce:

1/2

onion, cut lengthwise into paper-thin half moons

yellow chili pepper (ají amarillo), sliced

1/2

cup cilantro leaves

Lime juice (2 limes)

Salt and pepper

To serve:

Mayonnaise

Yellow chili pepper sauce

Rocoto pepper sauce

Directions

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1

Chop the pork into large pieces. Place them in water with a cup of salt, covered, for eight hours. You can do this the day before; however, some recommend only taking one to two hours for this process, to prevent the meat from drying out.
2

Once soaking is done, drain the meat and rinse it with water. Place the meat in a pot and cover with water. Add the bay leaves and bring to a boil over medium heat until the water has completely evaporated.
3

When there is no water left in the pot, you'll see that the meat will begin to fry in the fat it has rendered. When this happens, you should start turning the pork pieces around so that they are evenly browned and don't burn.
4

When they're ready, turn off the heat and set aside until ready to serve.
5

In the meantime, heat the oil in a pan and fry the sweet potato slices on both sides, until they change color slightly. Do not allow them to brown or get crunchy.
6

Creole sauce: Combine all ingredients.
7

To serve: Cut the meat into chunks and serve it with the fried sweet potato, creole sauce, other sauces, bread, etc.

Expert Tips

Use other cuts of pork that have fat in them so that the meat does not dry out. If you're not sure, talk to your butcher.
Add spearmint instead of cilantro to the creole sauce.
Use red bell pepper instead of yellow bell pepper in the creole sauce.

Nutrition Information

No nutrition information available for this recipe

More About This Recipe

Lurín is a beautiful valley just south of Lima, the capital of Peru. The landscape is stunning, with small farms, horse stables, small towns, gorgeous beaches, an island in the shape of a whale that you can see from the coast, and a major archeological site at Pachacamac, one of the main attractions in the area. Equally famous is the fried pork, called chicharrón, that is made here. Many an entrepreneurial chef has taken advantage of the valley's beauty and its proximity to Lima to open country restaurants that are really popular on weekends. They offer a wide range of first-class food, which I highly recommend. But people from Lima have been visiting Lurín for decades just to eat the chicharrón, which is second to none. In the old days, you had to drive on an old stretch of the southern Pan-American highway, but nowadays, an expressway can get you there in a matter of minutes. The trip is worthwhile for many reasons. Peruvian chicharrón is different from that of other countries because it's meaty rather than crunchy. It's made by marinating pork meat in salt water. Then, the meat is washed and boiled until the water evaporates, and fried in the fat rendered while boiling. The end product is succulent, with the amount of fat determining how soft and flavorful the meat is. It's always served with bread, fried sweet potato slices - cut fairly thick and not crunchy - plenty of creole sauce, and various other sauces. As a delicious braised pork sandwich - "pan con chicharrón" - this chicharrón becomes a hearty weekend breakfast staple. And to make the experience even more authentic, make sure your meal is served with freshly made fruit juice and a good cup of coffee with milk. If you go to Lurín, stop at any of the small "huariques," simple, family-run restaurants that you'll see everywhere, where you can enjoy delicious chicharrón with all its condiments.