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Grilled chicharrón pinwheels with crispy skin on a white platter served with fresh guacamole in a wooden bowl

Chicharrón Pinwheels with Fresh Guacamole

Inch thick strips of skin on pork belly scored deep on the meat side, seasoned with ancho chili, rolled into wheels and pinned with toothpicks. Grilled over direct charcoal at 350°F until the fat renders and the skin goes golden and crispy, served with fresh guacamole.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 8 pinwheels
Course: Appetizer, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: BBQ, Mexican, Mexican-American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicharrón Pinwheels
  • 2 lbs pork belly with skin on Cut into approximately 1 inch thick long strips.
  • Kosher salt To taste, on the meat side and again on the skin.
  • Carne asada or your favorite meat seasoning To taste. Miguel used ancho chili seasoning.
  • 2 long wooden toothpicks per pinwheel
Fresh Guacamole
  • 3 medium avocados
  • 1 large tomato diced
  • 0.25 yellow onion diced
  • 1 Serrano pepper finely diced
  • 1 tbsp fresh cilantro finely chopped
  • Fresh lime juice to taste
  • Salt to taste

Equipment

  • Charcoal barrel grill Cooked over direct heat the whole time.
  • Sharp knife For scoring the meat side.
  • Long wooden toothpicks Two per pinwheel.
  • Tongs You will be flipping constantly.
  • Mixing bowl or molcajete For the guacamole.

Method
 

Score and Season
  1. Place each pork belly strip skin side down. Using a sharp knife, score the meat across the strip with deep cuts close together. Cut deep into the meat but do not cut through the skin. This is what lets the strip curl while the skin stays in one piece.
  2. Season the meat side with salt and your favorite carne asada or meat seasoning.
Roll and Pin
  1. Lay the seasoned strip flat and curl it into a tight little wheel, keeping the skin on the outside.
  2. Secure each pinwheel with two long wooden toothpicks. Do not force them through the skin. Start them through the meat side where the meat is exposed between the rolls, and there will be enough exposed meat to catch and hold the wheel together.
  3. Season the outside skin generously with salt.
Grill
  1. Preheat a charcoal barrel grill to approximately 350°F. Place the pinwheels directly over the charcoal and cook over direct heat.
  2. Flip them frequently so they cook evenly on all sides and the skin crisps all the way around. Pork belly renders a lot of fat onto hot charcoal, so expect flare ups. Stay at the grill, keep flipping, and move the pinwheels away from any flames rather than fighting them.
  3. Continue until the pork belly is cooked through, the fat has rendered and the skin is golden and crispy.
Guacamole and Serve
  1. While the pork belly cooks, add the avocados, diced tomato, yellow onion, Serrano and cilantro to a bowl. Add lime juice and salt to taste and mix gently, leaving some texture in the avocado. Cover and refrigerate until the pork is ready.
  2. Pull the pinwheels off the grill and let them rest before cutting into them. Remove the toothpicks and slice if you like. Serve with the fresh guacamole and your favorite salsa.

Notes

Score across the strip, not along it: Cutting across is what gives the belly enough flex to curl. Deep cuts close together, stopping before the skin.
Keep the skin whole: That unbroken sheet on the outside is what turns crispy. Cut through it and you lose both the crackle and the structure of the wheel.
Toothpicks through the meat: Pork belly skin is too thick to pin through cleanly. Start them where the meat is exposed between the rolls.
Flare ups: This is the part of the cook that needs you standing at the grill. All that rendering fat lands on hot charcoal. Keep flipping and keep moving them.
Timing: Prep and cook times are estimates. Neither the memo nor the source recipe specified a duration or an internal temperature. Go by rendered fat and golden crispy skin.

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