The Partisan serves a dish of “pig frites” with carpaccio and a creamy garlic aioli. (Photo courtesy of The Partisan)
Dish of the Week: Chicharrón
Where to Get It: El Tamarindo, Cuba Libre, The Partisan, The Pig
Super Bowl weekend is here. For many Americans, it’s much less about the football game than it is about the other great American pastime: eating. The National Chicken Council, for example, is projecting that we as a nation will consume 1.33 million wings as the Falcons and the Patriots try to tar and feather each other on the field.
During the game, fans will surely go through plenty of guacamole, salsa, chips, dips, and other goodies. Perhaps even a plate of D.C.’s best nachos.
This year, though, we recommend getting creative with those fried foods. Instead of corn chips, go for something even more symbolic as players hoof it around throwing a pigskin: chicharrón. The nose-to-tail dish is quite the process. The skin is first boiled, then dehydrated, rendered fried, and seasoned. The result is salty, crunchy, meaty, and fried. It’s the perfect Super Bowl snack.
Chicharrónes (also known as pork rinds) are really much more than what you may find sold by convenience stores in plastic bags, masquerading as animal byproduct chips. In the American South, for example, it’s known as a common side dish called cracklings that’s both crunchy and meaty at the same time. In Mexico and Central America, chicharrónes are a popular street food, eaten on the go with hot sauce and fresh-squeezed lime juice. They’re also eaten as an appetizer or tossed in tortillas as tacos. And they’re a popular to-go snack in Southeast Asia too, tossed with vinegar, soy sauce, chili, or other seasonings.
For a fix of the most classic of Latin chicharrón in D.C., head to El Tamarindo (1785 Florida Ave. NW). Here, the rinds are served right alongside yuca (cassava root). This pairing is a traditional dish across Central American and the Caribbean, as the hearty yuca pairs well with the airy, crunch, and spicy rinds.
Cuba Libre (801 9th St. NW) offers chicharrón in a bunch of ways. It serves not only Berkshire pork belly and chorizo, but also chicken and steak versions.
Chef Guillermo Pernot notes that while “the dish is usually made with different cuts of pork, it can be made with other meats, like with beef in Argentina. At Cuba Libre, in addition to pork, we use beef and chicken thighs and we toss all the fried meats in a Mojo Picante sauce, which is our contemporary take on the traditional Cuban mojo.”
The fried meats also come with fried plantains—a great vehicle to get down into that spicy sauce.
Diners can find even more at another majorly meat-centric restaurant: The Partisan (709 D St. NW). Here, pork rinds are elevated from gas-station fare. They’ve been re-branded as pig frites and sit snugly alongside a vibrant steak carpaccio and a creamy garlic aioli to cool it all down. The dinner menu also features crispy pig ears, paired with trendy roasted beets and mustard greens.
Finally, and most naturally, Logan Circle’s The Pig (1320 14th St. NW) serves up some serious meat rinds. It’ll have to be during happy hour, though. These bad boys come as one jumbo piece of fried pork along with a trio of sauces to tamp down the grease (pesto, chipotle aioli, and lemon mayo). They’re perfect for sharing with your friends on Sunday, whether you are actually watching the game or just swooning to Lady Gaga’s halftime show.
