How to Make Casing Chitlins
Make delicious casing chitlins at home with a three-part cooking process that imparts complex flavors and textures. Chitlins, also called chitterlings, made from pork casings are a popular soul food dish in the American South. As with all organ meats, chitlins require special care and attention from raw preparation to the service table. Thoroughly cleaning the intestinal casings is essential to food safety and the flavor of the final dish. Respect this traditional ingredient enough to avoid taking any shortcuts and you will get the best possible results. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 2 lbs. pork casing, thawed
- 6-qt. stockpot
- 6 qts. water
- Toothbrush
- Large bowl
- 2 tbsps. liquid dish soap
- 2 tbsps. bleach
- Running water
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
- Medium onion, peeled and quartered
- Strainer
- 4 tbsps. flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- Shallow dish
- 4 tbsps. salted butter
- Cast iron skillet
- Wooden spoon
- Paper towels
Instructions
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1
Bring three quarts of water to a rapid boil in a 6-qt. stock pot and lower in the thawed pork casings.
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2
Remove the stockpot from the heat after five minutes and pour the casings into a strainer.
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3
Clean each casing carefully inside and out under cool running water using a plastic bristled toothbrush. Give all the casings one final rinse before moving them to a large, clean bowl.
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4
Wash your hands, the stockpot and strainer with a mixture of liquid dish soap and bleach to fully clean and disinfect all surfaces that came in contact with the raw animal product.
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5
Refill the sanitized stockpot with 3 qts. water and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat.
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6
Add the clean casings, salt, red pepper flakes and quartered onion into the boiling water and lower the heat to achieve a slow boil.
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7
Cover the pot and allow it to boil for three hours. Pour the boiled casings back into the strainer. Let the casings rest in the strainer until they are cool to the touch.
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8
Place the clean, boiled casings on a cutting board and cut them into approximately 1-inch-long pieces with a sharp knife.
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9
Sprinkle flour and salt into a shallow dish and mix the two together with dry fingers. Place 2 tbsps. butter in a medium cast iron skillet on the stove over medium heat.
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10
Dredge individual sections of casing in the shallow dish of seasoned flour before moving them into the cast iron skillet. Continue until half the casings are in the skillet.
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11
Move the flour-dusted pieces around in the hot butter with a wooden spoon until they are golden brown. Move them out of the skillet and onto a stack of paper towels to cool and drain excess oil. Serve them right away and finish the second half of your batch.
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12
Wipe the skillet clean with a paper towel. Add the remaining salted butter and return the skillet to medium heat. Coat your casings in seasoned flour and keep them moving with the wooded spoon until they are brown.
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13
Make an announcement to your guests when the second round of chitlins are done so that they are eaten right away.
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