benc23•9d ago

Stopped scoring fat caps on my pork bellies and the crackling is crisper.

After a batch where I forgot to score, the crackling was perfect, so now I skip it entirely.

3 comments

3 Comments

My local butcher in Austin mentioned this trick to me a while back. I was skeptical at first, but then I tried it on a batch of bellies last fall. The crackling came out so much crispier and more even. It makes sense because scoring can sometimes let the fat bubble up in weird ways. Now I always skip the scoring step and the results are consistently perfect. Glad to see someone else having the same success!

theaallen9d ago

So @gray_adams, your butcher in Austin is sharing trade secrets now? I tried skipping scoring once, and my crackling was so crisp it scared the neighbors. Those fat bubbles from scoring can look like weird little hills popping up. Now I just rub salt on the skin and let it cook slow. It turns out flat and crunchy every time. Much less hassle than playing surgeon with a knife.

dakotaw8412h ago

But what if scoring helps the salt get deeper for better flavor?