Making pork scratchings in advance

[ChrisTaylor]

I am making the pork scratchings from Heston Blumenthal at Home. The method is as follows: scrape the fat off the skin, salt the skin, park the skin in a very slow oven for about five hours (rub the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again) and then crank the heat up for a final five to ten minutes.

Now, I know scratchings are traditionally a snack food. What I want to know is whether I can make them one day in advance of serving without any noticeable loss of crispiness or added rubberiness. If so, any tips on storage? Would it be worth vac sealing them to prevent any moisture creeping in or would a plastic tub in the fridge do the job?

[dcarch]

I don't think you need to worry about moisture.

There is still a lot of fat remaining to prevent absorption. However I do find that they can go rancid if you store them for too long.

dcarch

[Shalmanese]

Don't vac seal them, You want to keep them loosely stored so moisture doesn't condense onto the surface. Also, don't store in the fridge as that can also cause condensation.

If it's only for a day or two, just storing them loosely in a bag or jar at room temperature should be fine. If it's especially humid or you're trying to store for a bit longer, you can either add some silica gel packs to your storage container or, gently re-heat in an oven until crisp and then allow to cool down to room temperature again before eating.

[ChrisTaylor]

I'm in Australia. It's summer. Room temperature is, er, warm.

[Mjx]

Just make them in advance, wrap them in paper towel and refrigerate, the microwave them a few minutes (sitll in the paper towel) before serving, which will make them crisp again (and a pleasant temperature; I find these kind of nasty when they're cold).

[ChrisTaylor]

I parked them in a cool, dark cupboard. In a container. With some paper towel wadded up at the base to collect any moisture or grease that might still run from them. Luckily the temperature dropped significantly as the evening kicked in.

Edited December 24, 2013 by ChrisTaylor (log)

[Keith_W]

Did you manage to find pork nipples for Heston's pork scratchings?

[ChrisTaylor]

One of the pieces has a bit of nip on it, actually.