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Epicurious

Meme’s Fried Fatback

A simple meal of fried fatback, braised cabbage, and a wedge of cornmeal was one of Meme’s stand-by suppers and is seriously old-fashioned country food. Fatback is the layer of fat that extends the length of a hog’s back. It is available fresh, meaning unsalted, uncured, and unsmoked. Fatback with the rind is used for making cracklings, which are fried pork skins with a bit of tooth to them, commonly eaten as a snack (yes, still), or baked into cornbread.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

1/2 pound fatback, sliced 1/4 inch thick

Preparation

  1. Line a plate with paper towels. Place the fatback in a cold heavy-duty skillet, preferably cast iron. Heat over medium-low heat. Cook, turning occasionally, until crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Using tongs, remove the fatback to the prepared plate to drain. Serve immediately.

Cover of Bon Appetit, Yall by Virginia Willis featuring a serving of corn souffle.
From Bon Appétit, Y’all: Recipes and Stories From Three Generations of Southern Cooking, © 2008 by Virginia Willis. Reprinted by permission of Ten Speed Press. Buy the full book from Amazon or Abe Books.
TagsPorkMeatSnackDairy FreeGluten FreeNut FreeKetoQuickEasy5 Ingredients or FewerFryCast Iron SkilletCookbooks
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