Chitterlings

…to Some. Chitlins to Others (You know who you are).

 

The things we do for the people we love.

 

Several years ago, my husband showed me an article about chitlins. Turns out, no matter how clean I cleaned those bad boys, they still weren’t clean. Now, I know what you’re thinking. They’re hog guts, for crying out loud. And you would be right. After reading that article, not only did I stop eating chitlins, I stopped cooking them, too. Until today.

Today is your lucky day. I’ll show you the cooking process from beginning to end. We’ll start with a package of Ready to Cook chitterlings. This means that somebody smart struck it rich with the idea of cleaning, packaging, and selling chitterlings. But, I’m going to put them through my cleaning process. Just for my peace of mind.

Ingredients:

Chitterlings 5lbs. or greater
Bell pepper
Onion
Garlic or garlic powder
Salt
Pepper

Instructions:

1) This is a 5lb. pack of what they call Ready to Cook chitterlings. My habit is to look for a product’s origin. I had to laugh when I saw where this product originated. It wasn’t from the usual list of countries.

Chitterlings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2) To thaw, put the pack in cold water. Thawing takes a few hours.

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3) Once thawed, it’s time to clean the chitlins. Empty package into the sink.
The chitlins look like this.

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Rinse them really well, like you’re hand washing your delicates. You’ll have to slit the chitlin open if they’re not already. Now, here’s where you remove the white fatty-looking substance from the chitlin. I have to admit my surprise. There was very little to remove. Nothing to show you.

4) Next, cut the chitlins into medium bite-sized pieces. (They’ll shrink during cooking.)

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5) Place them in a pot large enough to have stirring room. My pot was a 3QT. Place pot on medium heat, enough to start a boil.

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6) Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir to the bottom. Water draining from the chitlins should be enough to start cooking. You can see the water as the pot heats up. They’ll start to curl. Lower heat to medium.

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Let them cook for a while, then taste the water. (Uh-huh. Not me. It’s his chitlins. He was the taster.)

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7) Now, boil those rascals until they’re done. This will take hours. Stir frequently and to the bottom to prevent sticking. Add water and season to taste, as needed. If they chew like rubber, then they’re not ready.

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8) Still cooking two and a half hours later.

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9) Tender at last 4-1/2 hours later. The water has cooked down to a broth-like consistency.

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10) Ta-Da!

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Other dishes you may like to see: https://mickiesherwood.com/blog/category/mickies-good-eats-2/

Have you eaten chitlins before? If not, are you brave enough to try them?

 

 

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