Name: Chicharrón de cerdo
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 75 min
Total time: 103 min
Cuisine: Peruvian cuisine
Ingredients: 1000 g skin-on pork belly, cut into 6–7 cm pieces; 350 ml water, for covered pork cook; 7 g fine salt, 5 g on pork, 2 g onion; 2 g ground cumin; 2 g ground black pepper; 12 g garlic, crushed; 500 g peeled camote (sweet potato), sliced into 1.5 cm rounds; 180 g red onion, thinly sliced; 50 ml fresh lime juice; 12 g ají amarillo, deseeded and very thinly sliced; 10 g fresh coriander leaves, chopped

Peruvian chicharrón de cerdo with camote and salsa

Yield 4 hearty servings

Prep time 25 minutes

Cook time 75 minutes

Passive time 3 minutes

Total time 103 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Peruvian chicharrón de cerdo with camote and salsa

Peruvian chicharrón de cerdo is pork cooked until tender and then browned in fat. Skin-on belly is especially suited to the method because the meat, fat and skin behave differently: water softens and cooks the meat before rendered fat creates the crisp outer surface.

This plate keeps the pork in focus and adds camote, the orange-fleshed sweet potato, plus red onion dressed with lime and ají amarillo. These accompaniments are also familiar in pan con chicharrón, the breakfast sandwich, but no bread is included in this measured meal.

The key moment comes as the water evaporates. Until then the pot behaves like a gentle braise; afterwards, the rendered pork fat becomes the frying medium. Watch the switch carefully: high heat at that moment risks burning garlic or skin before the meat is evenly crisp.

Ingredients

Pork

1000 g skin-on pork belly, cut into 6–7 cm pieces
350 ml water, for covered pork cook
7 g fine salt, 5 g on pork, 2 g onion
2 g ground cumin
2 g ground black pepper
12 g garlic, crushed

Camote and salsa

500 g peeled camote (sweet potato), sliced into 1.5 cm rounds
180 g red onion, thinly sliced
50 ml fresh lime juice
12 g ají amarillo, deseeded and very thinly sliced
10 g fresh coriander leaves, chopped

Method

Season the pork thoroughly.Rub the 1000 g pork belly with 5 g salt, 2 g cumin, 2 g pepper and 12 g crushed garlic. Use a heavy pot with a broad base so the pieces fit in one layer. Each piece carries seasoning along its exposed meat and skin. Use a separate board for raw pork and wash hands and equipment afterwards.
Cook pork with measured water.Put the pork into the pot with 350 ml water. Cover, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 48 minutes, turning occasionally as the liquid reduces. The meat becomes fork-tender and the water is nearly gone, with rendered fat collecting in the base. Check the thickest pork pieces reach at least 63 °C and rest at least 3 minutes before consuming; this longer cook is for tenderness.
Brown pork in rendered fat.Remove the lid once the water has evaporated. Turn the pork slowly through its rendered fat over medium heat for 15 minutes until crisp and golden outside, protecting yourself from splatters. The skin and edges are crisp and the centre remains tender when tested with a fork. Hot fat spatters: keep the pan dry and use tongs rather than bare hands.
Cook camote in the pork fat.Lift the pork to a rack. Fry the 500 g camote rounds in the hot rendered fat in two loads for around 6 minutes per load, turning once until tender throughout; remove onto a rack. The camote slices are soft at the centre with browned edges. Avoid adding wet slices to hot fat; keep the heat under control.
Dress the red onion.In a clean bowl toss 180 g thinly sliced red onion, 50 ml lime juice, 12 g ají amarillo, 10 g coriander and remaining 2 g salt; let the salsa stand just during plating. Onion strands loosen and are evenly covered in tart citrus dressing.
Rest the browned pork briefly.After browning, leave the pork on its rack for 3 minutes before portioning; its centre should remain piping hot. The meat juices settle without softening the crisp skin.
Portion for the table.Arrange pork and camote on four plates, with onion salsa served alongside so the crispy skin does not soften under liquid. The pork has a crisp surface and the camote remains visibly golden beneath the fresh salsa.

Practical

Success points

Select pork belly with both skin and a reasonable layer of meat. Allow water to evaporate before the browning stage begins. Use tongs to turn pieces through rendered fat, with a splash guard if needed.

Practical guidance

Serve while the skin is still crisp, with the sweet potato and onion salad separated on the plate. A soft pork centre and dry crackly surface are the desired contrasts, not simply a uniformly brown piece of meat. The pork may be precooked in water a little ahead and chilled promptly, but its final browning is best carried out near service. Do not leave partially cooked pork warm while preparing the salsa or other sides. Refrigerate leftover pork and camote within two hours in shallow covered containers. Eat within three days and reheat pork thoroughly to steaming hot before serving; its skin may not regain all the initial crispness. Lean pork cannot reproduce the same self-frying step because it renders much less fat. Adding bread would produce a chicharrón sandwich with different nutrition and allergens rather than this plated pork dish.

Control points

Skin stays softThe pot retained too much water or the surface was crowded. Let all water evaporate before carefully browning in fat.
Pork seems dryPieces were cut too small or browned too long. Use thick belly cuts and stop when the exterior crisps.

Nutrition per serving

Serving sizeone plate (about 350 g)
Calories790 kcal
Carbohydrates45 g
Protein31 g
Fat54 g
Fibre6 g
Sodium720 mg

Allergens and food safety

No major allergen deliberately added; check processed pork seasoning and cross-contact. Contains pork. Use raw-pork-only tools and wash them immediately after use. Measure at least 63 °C in whole-cut pork and allow 3 minutes rest; this long braise reaches a higher tenderness endpoint. Refrigerate cooked meat promptly.

Closing

Result: Pork belly cooked with water then crisped in its own rendered fat.
Key control: Select pork belly with both skin and a reasonable layer of meat.