How to Make Pork Cracklings (Romanian Jumări)

Romanian pork cracklings (jumări) are made by slowly rendering cubes of fatty pork belly until they turn crisp and golden. Making cracklings also produces lard, which is a great cooking fat.

These cracklings are seasoned with a sprinkle of salt. The meatiness and fat do the heavy lifting in flavor development. They're a salty, crunchy snack you won't be able to stop eating.

Eaten warm or at room temperature, jumări are a classic Romanian snack, enjoyed on their own, with bread and onion, or alongside mămăligă.

Their appeal lies in the contrast between crisp edges and tender interior, and in the concentrated pork flavor that comes from careful, low-and-slow rendering.

Plus, you get a good deal of lard for your efforts - see all the ways you can use lard for cooking or baking.

Ingredients

Pork belly fat: To make cracklings you'll need pure pork belly fat, ideally skinless and with small parts of meat ribboning through it. If you need to produce a specific amount of cracklings (or lard) then pay attention to the quantities and yield, otherwise the size of fat is not so important.

Salt: Use high quality sea salt and be sure to sprinkle it in at the start of cooking otherwise it won't stick to the cracklings and they will be bland (and possibly inedible).

Instructions

Cut up the pork belly fat

Start by cutting the pork belly fat into small cubes about 2-3 cm / ¾-1 in.

A slightly rectangular but thin shape helps expose more surface area and renders the fat more evenly.

That way you end up with crunchier cracklings (and more lard, if you're also after that).

Put the cubed pork fat in a heavy bottom pan like a cast iron dutch oven.

Salt the cracklings

It's important to add the salt at the beginning

Put the pot over medium heat and sprinkle in the salt.

You need to add the salt in the beginning because as the water evaporates out, it melts the salt into the fat and distributes it evenly.

If you add it at the end when the fat is already rendered, then it will just stick to the bottom of the pan.

Use 1 teaspoon per kg / 2lbs

For the 800 grams of belly fat indicated in this recipe, you'll need about 1 scant teaspoon of salt.

If you're scaling the recipe then a good rule of thumb is one generous teaspoon of salt per kilo (2lbs) of pork belly fat.

Stir frequently

Note the color of the pork belly starts very pink.

Stir frequently as the fat can stick in the beginning. They will change from pink to beige opaque.

Once all the pink is gone you can stir less frequently and reduce heat to low. Keep it low and slow to slowly render the fat.

When the fat starts rendering it sounds like popping corn. If it foams, stir and reduce the heat.

The whole process should take maybe 40 minutes but can take up to an hour.

The fat will go from beige to golden brown.

Once the fat is evenly rendered and golden then turn off the heat and immediately scoop out the cracklings using a slotted spoon.

Set aside in a plate to cool before eating.

The cracklings will keep for several months in the fridge and up to a year when frozen.

How jumări are eaten in Romania

In Romania, jumări are mostly enjoyed in the winter following the annual pig slaughter. They are enjoyed in the following ways:

• Mostly commonly as a snack to go with beer, usually over cards or chats;
• As part of a charcuterie spread with other cold cuts, meats, cheeses or homemade sausages;
• With crusty bread and raw onion;
• As a spread - chop finely and mix with a little lard, salt, finely diced onion and paprika to make crackling spread (pastă de jumări) to spread on bread.
• As a topping for mămăligă (Romanian polenta) with raw onion, pickles (murături), or a spoon of sour cream (smântână).
• Sometimes chopped and mixed directly into hot mămăligă so the remaining fat melts through it.

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