A wildly popular Latin snack food throughout the Americas, chicharrones are made from pork belly that has been cooked for a long time with the skin on, and contains a little meat (what we think of as pork rinds in the United States). Though usually eaten as a crispy snack, they also make a tasty taco filling when heated in a sauce until softened and chewy. The most unusual chicharrones are those made from the whole pork skin fried in one piece—they’re about four feet long by two feet wide and resemble some dried prehistoric animal. You’ll see them for sale on weekends along the highways in areas of Mexico where there are a lot of pigs, sometimes next to a huge pot of pork fat boiling over an open fire. They’re almost always made to order; you stop and buy a piece or buy the whole thing. I’m guessing you only see them by the highways because they are so enormous you need a car or pickup truck to get one home.

　　

Ingredients

makes 10 tacos

　　2 pounds pork belly fat, cut into 1 by 1 by 2-inch pieces

　　1 tablespoon kosher salt

　　1 1/2 cups Tomatillo–Blackened Serrano Chile Salsa (page 135)

　　10 (5 1/2-inch) soft white corn tortillas (page 13), for serving

　　Garnish: Pickled jalapeño rings, chopped fresh cilantro leaves

　　

Step 1

In a large, heavy skillet, add the pork fat and salt and cook over low heat until the pork has fully rendered its fat and the pieces are puffed and airy, about 40 minutes. Transfer the chicharrones to a large saucepan, add the tomatillo salsa, and cook on medium-high heat until the sauce is almost dried up and coats the chicharrones, about 9 minutes.

　　

Step 2

Remove from the heat and serve immediately, or keep warm in the pan until ready to serve.

　　

Step 3

To serve, lay the tortillas side by side, open face and overlapping on a platter. Divide the filling equally between the tortillas and top with garnish and salsa. Grab, fold, and eat right away. Or build your own taco: lay a tortilla, open face, in one hand. Spoon on some filling, top with garnish and salsa, fold, and eat right away.

　　Tacos by Mark Miller with Benjamin Hargett and Jane Horn. Copyright © 2009 by Mark Miller with Benjamin Hargett and Jane Horn. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.Mark Miller is the acclaimed chef-founder of Coyote Cafe in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He has started and owned thirteen different restaurants on three continents from 1979 to 2008. He is the author of ten books with nearly 1 million copies in print, including Tacos, The Great Chile Book, The Great Salsa Book, and Coyote Cafe. Mark currently works in International Culinary Consulting and lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.Benjamin Hargett is a travel-loving chef who has cooked in Europe, the Carribean, Mexico, and the United States, where he worked with Mark Miller at the Coyote Café for many years.