a whole lotta cracklin'

*note, Rudy's does not sell cracklin. They do have FREE hotdogs though. And yes, having a ceramic pig greet customers who may ingest hot dogs is twisted. Someday I will have to confront the contradiction between my love of pork products & my affinity for pigs. After all, you don't eat your friends.

On to cracklin'

The discovery:

"I bet if we drop this pig skin in boiling oil, it'll fry up real nice."

A debt is owed. Thank you to the first.

The recipe (Food TV):

~ 1 pound pork skin, frozen and sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
Salt

~ Deep-fry the pork skin until golden brown, about 5 to 6 minutes.
Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels. Season with salt.
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I'm not sure how I'm going to feel walking up to the butcher and asking for a pound of pig skin. Seems like the kind of thing you need to order with confidence, like a teenager trying to bluff the bartender at a Chinese restaurant. If you don't look or sound like you can handle a pound of pig skin the butcher isn't going to sell it to you.
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The summit:

Louisiana Cracklin' Festival, Port Barre, LA

". . . listen to the live music while munching on my bag of cracklins . . ."

". . . look at all the people walking around with their little cracklin'-filled brown paper bags, tinged with grease on the bottom."

"Live music is continuous all weekend with a lineup that features great local bands - emphasizing Cajun, Swamp Pop . . ."

I'm not quite sure what swamp pop is but I'd like to drink a Dixie lager or a Turbodog and find out.

Carrie Gagliano, Porte Barre Lion's Club Cracklin Festival Queen 2005

Yes, this is Miss Cracklin'. Minor league beauty pageants crack me up. Here are a few titles from Louisiana pageants; LA Cattle Festival Queen, Miss Etouffee, Miss Westwego Cypress Swamp Fest, Washington Catfish Festival Queen, Cajun Hot Sauce Festival Queen, Miss Andouille, LA Gumbo Festival Queen and the penultimate Miss Louisiana Swine Festival.

Should reading a list of royal titles make you hungry?
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Excellent swine tattoo


via A Full Belly
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Pig Skin - twisted