OH my gosh!! You have got to try these homemade pork rind pellets!! They make pork rinds that are even better than the store bought ones. Wow your friends and loved ones with a healthier version of a low carb snack food
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Last week I was scrolling through the THM Air Fryer Mama’s (unofficial) group on Facebook and someone asked about making pork rinds in your Air Fryer. That peaked my interest and I went searching for a way to make them.
What I Found Out About Pork Rind Pellets
- Commercially made pork rind pellets
are a “thing” and they sell for a little over $50 for 10 pounds
- You can’t buy them in less than 10 pound packages
- Most varieties have ingredients that do not fit within the THM lifestyle
All of those things made me start researching how pork rind pellets are made. I did find a video that went through a labor intensive process that spans about 1 to 2 days time.
Round 1 of How To Make Homemade Pork Rind Pellets
This is the process I followed using my Air Fryer Oven to dehydrate them, which did cut about 3 hours off the time. As a first attempt it wasn’t horrible, but I also nicked my fingers a few times trying to scrape the fat from raw pork skin.
Homemade Pork Rind Pellets
Author: Judy
Nutrition Information
- Serves: 24
- Serving size: 1 oz
- Calories: 309
- Fat: 18g
- Carbohydrates: 0g
- Sodium: 1048mg
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 35g
- Cholesterol: 54mg
Recipe type: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Light and crispy pellets to make Homemade pork rinds in your air fryer or microwave.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds pork skins
- 1 gallon water
Instructions
Step 1:
- Wash and trim pork skins into manageable pieces for step 3.
- Place skins into a dutch oven and cover with water. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer pork skins for 2 hours
Step 2:
- Turn off the heat. Using tongs remove pork skins from cooking liquid and place skin side down on a cooling rack which has been placed over a baking tray to catch drippings.
- Refrigerate cooling rack with pork skins for 2 hours, until cool. Remove from refrigerator.
Step 3:
- Using a spoon scrape all visible fat from pork skins. (this is lard and can be used in cooking without fear of nitrates and other additives)
- Cut pork skins into ½ to 1 inch squares or strips.
Step 4:
- Place pork strips onto racks in a dehydrator, your air fryer or on a rack placed over a baking tray in the oven and process for 4-6 hours (see notes for times and temperatures)
- * place pork strips onto dehydrator racks and process for 6-8 hours, remove from rack and allow to cool.
- ** Set air fryer to 170 degrees and dehydrate for 4 hours or until crispy and firm. Remove from racks and allow to cool.
- *** place strips onto a rack placed over a baking tray and bake at 200 degrees for 6 to 8 hours. remove from rack and allow to cool.
Storage:
- Because these do not contain any type of preservatives you should store them in the fridge or freezer until ready to fry them..
The Instant Pot And Air Fryer I Use
I use a 6 qt Power Air Fryer Oven
most of the time. Rick and I started with a 3qt Nuwave Brio drawer style and it makes amazing stuff however the oven allows me to dehydrate also which is one reason that I used it.
My 6qt Instant Pot Duo
is my workhorse electric pressure cooker. She has been a fixture in my kitchen for over 3 years.
Round 2 Of How To Make Pork Rind Pellets
My second attempt at making pork rind pellets felt like it was a bit easier. I used both my air fryer oven and my instant pot which helped a bit to cut down the prep time and honestly you may be able to cut it even further if you do not process your skins as long as I did in my instant pot.
Homemade Pork Rind Pellets - Instant Pot
Author: Judy Witherby
Nutrition Information
- Serving size: 1 oz
Recipe type: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
A streamlined way to make homemade pork rind pellets at home.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds pork skins
- water
Instructions
Step 1
- Wash and trim pork skins into manageable size pieces (you need them large enough to handle while scraping)
- Place skins into your instant pot liner on a trivet and cover with water.
- Process on High Pressure for 40 minutes. Allow to naturally pressure release for 10 min and then release the rest of the pressure until the pin drops.
- Remove skins from the liner, discarding the cooking liquid.
- Place skins onto a cooling rack placed over a baking tray to catch drippings, IMPORTANT: They need to be skin side down while cooling. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
Step 3
- Using a spoon scrape all visible fat from the pork skins and cut into pieces (pieces will shrink when drying, but puff when prepared for consumption)
Step 4
- Place pieces onto racks for your Air Fryer. Set temperature to 170 degrees and process for 2½ hours until dry and crispy.
- If using a dehydrator place pieces on racks and dehydrate for 6-8 hours.
- When using an oven, set temp to 200 degrees and place pieces on a rack over a baking try and slow roast for 6-8 hours until dry.
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Tia says
After you make the pellets, how do you make the pork rinds?
Judy says
10 minutes at 400 degrees in your air fryer or use the popcorn setting on the microwave 🙂
Karla says
Did you season the pork rinds after you popped them or before?
Judy says
I seasoned them after I popped them, because I also grind these for baking and other cooking purposes 🙂