Chicharra Preparada
(chee-CHAR-rah preh-pah-RAH-dah)
Tardeando: The Cantina Botana Spread
Late afternoon in a Mérida cantina, sour orange juice drips, chopped cabbage scatters, and the pork rind crackles. Forget the bag of stale pork rinds from a gas station; chicharra is a glorious, unpretentious collision of rich, rendered belly and bright citrus. Sourcing the meat from your neighborhood carnicería bypasses the grueling work of butchery, letting you focus on a razor-thin, intensely sharp cabbage salpicón that cuts straight through the fat. Pull up a plastic chair, grab a sweating bottle of Victoria beer, drag the pork through the citrus, and eat with your hands.
Before you start
Make friends with your local carnicero.
A proper Yucatecan chicharra relies on a mix of textures. Ask the butcher at your local Mexican grocery store for 'castacán' (pork belly with skin) and 'puyul' (the crunchy, rendered fat bits from the bottom of the tray).
Ingredients
- pork belly cracklings1 1/2 lb
- green cabbage1/2 med
- Roma tomato1 large
- red onion1/2 med
- radishes5 med
- fresh cilantro1/2 cup
- habanero pepper1 med
- avocado1 large
- sour orange juice1/2 cup
- coarse sea salt1 tsp
- corn tortillas12 med
Method
- 01
Revive the pork cracklings in a hot oven.
Preheat your oven or air fryer to 400°F and heat the chopped pork pieces for 4 to 5 minutes until the fat glistens and the skin crackles loudly, then let them cool slightly so the skin stays shatteringly crisp.
- 02
Construct the vegetable base for the salpicón.
In a large, non-reactive mixing bowl, combine the finely shredded cabbage, diced tomato, red onion, radishes, and cilantro.
- 03
Dress and macerate the salad.
Pour the sour orange juice over the vegetable mixture, add the minced habanero and sea salt, and toss vigorously. Let this sit for at least 10 minutes so the acid can temper the raw onion and draw out the tomato's umami juices.
- 04
Toss the pork into the salad just before serving.
Right before you are ready to eat, gently fold the warm chicharrón into the cabbage mixture. Toss just enough to coat the meat in the acidic juices without losing the crunch, then fold the avocado in last.
- 05
Build your tacos.
Transfer the entire mixture to a large communal platter and serve it immediately alongside steaming hot corn tortillas.
Notes
Mimic the native sour orange if you can't find it fresh.
Naranja Agria is the chemical linchpin of Yucatecan cooking. If unavailable, combine 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, 1/4 cup fresh sweet orange juice, and 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar to perfectly approximate the pH and floral notes.
Serve it like they do in Mérida.
For the true cantina experience, serve this beautiful onslaught of flavor alongside a bowl of soupy black beans cooked in pork lard and a round of ice-cold beers.