Cracklins Recipes

Ingredients

• 1 – 1.75 oz bag of Grandpa John’s Original Tender Cracklins, roughly crushed
• 1 cup frozen whole kernel corn
• ¼ cup frozen diced onions
• 1 cup crumbled queso fresco
• 1 – 4 oz can of diced green or red chilies (depending on your heat preference)
• 1 – 8 oz package corn muffin mix
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup of milk
• 2/3 cup of sour cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 400° F, grease 10″ cast iron skillet and preheat in oven.
Combine all ingredients and mix gently. Pour into heated skillet, spread evenly.

Bake 25–30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes. Cut into squares and serve with chilorio de res or other meat entree.

Recipe by Angelique Page of Chicago, IL
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Ingredients

• 1 Can (15 Ounce) Re-fried Beans
• 4 10–inch Flour Tortillas
• 2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
• ½ Pound shredded Mexican Cheese Blend
• 2 Cups coarsely chopped Chicharonnes or Pork Cracklins
• 4 Large Eggs
• ½ Cup Chopped Green Onions (with some tops)
• 1 ½ Cups prepared thick and Chunky Mexican Salsa, warmed

Directions

Place refried beans in a 1–quart pan and cook over low heat until hot, stirring occasionally (can be heated in the microwave too).

Immerse tortillas one at a time in warm water, and briefly drain. Oil two baking pans each 10×15–inches. lay tortillas flat in the pans and bake at 500° F until pale gold (about 4 minutes) Remove from oven and lower oven temperature to 350° F.

Sprinkle ¼ of the cheese and ¼ of the cracklins or chicharrones evenly around the outer edge of each tortilla. Be sure to cover tortilla edges completely to prevent too much browning.

Break an egg on the top center of each tortilla and return pans to the oven and bake until eggs are cooked the way you like them (4–5 minutes for soft yolks).

Carefully loosen tostatdas from the pan with a wide spatula. Transfer 1 tostada to each warm serving plate. Spoon the warm salsa on top of each and garnish with green onions.

Makes 4 Texas Servings

Recipe by Peter Halferty of Corpus Christi, TX
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cook time: 3 hours

prep time: 1 hour

servings: 30

Ingredients

• 2 — 6oz bags of cracklins (break into small pieces)
• 1 ½ lbs. broccoli (separated into small pieces)
• 1 ½ lbs. cauliflower (separated into small pieces)
• 1 ½ lbs. Velveeta Cheese
• ½ cup chili sauce (optional)
• 1 cup water

Directions

Place cracklins and water in a 7 quart crock pot and simmer on high for 1 hour. Add up to ½ cup more water if needed. Add broccoli, cauliflower, cheese, and chili. Cook for 2–3 hours until vegetables are tender on medium to low heat.

Serves 30–40 people (could reduce amounts for smaller groups).

Comments from Our Recipe Testers

Not difficult, but time consuming.

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cook time: 15 minutes

prep time: 1.25 hours

servings: 12 to 16

Ingredients

• ½ lb. cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 avocado
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped white onion
• 1 serrano chile, finely chopped
• ¼ teaspoon fresh lime juice
• sea salt to taste
• 2 cups (2oz.) crushed chicharrones (cracklins)
• Crackers of your choice

Directions

Place the cream cheese between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, roll to form a rectangle about 6 inches by 8 inches and ½ inch thick. Remove the top sheet.

Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit, and scoop the flexh into a bowl. Mash until it is rather smooth, leaving some small chunks to add texture. Stir in cilantro, onion, chile, lime juice, and salt. Spread the avocado mixture evenly over the cream cheese. Using the bottom sheet of paper, roll up the cream cheese to form a log.

Coat the roll completely with the crushed chicharrones. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before serving with crackers.

The roll can be made in advance and refrigerated for 6–8 hours, then set out at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.

Comments from Our Recipe Testers

Easy to mix; challenging to roll together.

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cook time: 15 minutes

prep time: 20 minutes

servings: 8 dozen

Ingredients

• 4 cups cracklins
• 4 cups flour, more if needed
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk, more if needed

Optional Ingredients

• Walnuts
• Minced Meat

Directions

Sprinkle with lots of sugar on top before baking. Bake at 350° F

Comments from Our Recipe Testers

Used #7 scoop or 2 1/2 tsp. drops for cookies.

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cook time: 30 minutes

prep time: 25 minutes

servings: 8 to 10

Ingredients

• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1½ cup yellow or white cornmeal
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1 cup sour milk or buttermilk
• 1 cup cracklins (crumbled)
• 1 beaten egg, room temperature

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a bowl combine flour, cornmeal, baking soda, salt, sour milk or buttermilk. Stir in the cracklins and the egg. Blend thoroughly.

Pour batter into a medium–size baking pan (8½ by 4½ inches), greased if not using a nonstick pan. With a rubber spatula, smooth the surface.

Bake 30 minutes, until it is well–browned. (Reduce oven by 25 degrees if using a glass pan.)

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

NOTE: Cracklin’ Cornbread is best eaten warm. It can be frozen successfully but should be reheated in a 300° oven for 15 minutes before serving.

Comments from Our Recipe Testers

Serve with butter or jam. Closer to traditional southern cornbread.

Adapted from “The Complete Book of Breads”, Bernard Clayton, Jr., Simon & Schuster, 1973
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