Bourque's Supermarket - Port Barre, LA

-- It was a pleasant drive to Port Barre for our most recent venture onto the Cracklin Trail and low-and-behold we were not disappointed: Just the opposite really.  These cracklin are touted as being "world famous."  Truth is, a lot of homemade items at Bourque's are given that title.  I'll leave the veracity of such claims to another thread.  Suffice it to say that these cracklin were fresh, super meaty, crunchy with a perfect complement of fatty moisture adding texture and tons of flavor.  There was the hint of sweetness in the seasoning which we wish had been a touch hotter, but that is really just quibbling.  We'll be back for these and we suggest that you give'em a try.

Da Bo's, Tom's Mega, and Lee's Country Style - Commercial Brands

Our best advice is . . . . .don't.

-- On a recent trip through Mississippi we stopped and picked up these three bags of "cracklin" at a convenience store.  I've lumped the review together here because they are all, essentially, the same level of bad. 

• Da Bo's bills itself as both "traditional" and "tender."  While "traditional" is a more subjective term, "tender" is fairly straightforward and I can assure you that these are NOT tender. 
• Lee's Pig Skins is touted as being "country style" and "seasoned dipper." Here I'm scratching my head.  I'll leave "country style" alone and focus on "seasoned dipper."  What does that mean?  Who dips cracklin?  Anyway, they are in strips, so, I suppose, if there was something to dip them in they'd be better for it than a nugget.
• Tom's Mega Cracklin - Let's see, how can I put this. . . . . well, Mega is defined as "large or great" and these cracklin are neither large nor great.

Hebert's Slaughter House - Abbeville, LA

Hebert's Slaughter House - Cracklin

 -- Hebert's Slaughter House is located on the outskirts of Abbeville, Louisiana and it has served the community for over two generations as a full scale butcher shop and slaughter house.  Here is where you can get all the custom cuts that other places just can't accommodate.  There are plenty of bands saws around for meat and bone cutting and one result of all the meat cutting they're doing here is an abundance of fresh pork skins for making

Cormier's Specialty Meats - Jennings, LA

A snack size bag of fresh hog cracklin from Cormier's in Jennings.

 -- If only they were warm!  First rate cracklin with first rate seasoning.  They only suffer from not being presented warm; either fresh from molten hog lard or, at the very least, from being kept warm under a heating lamp.  Ahhh, such is life in South Louisiana.

Brim's Pork Cracklin Strips - "Old Fashioned" and "Seasoned"

Two types of cracklins from Brim's.

--- Brim's . . . . . what is there to say?  For some poor souls this is the closest they may ever come to what folks in Louisiana know and love as pork cracklins.  Perhaps ignorance is bliss.  Okay, okay, okay, they're not as bad as the Wash Pot Style we sampled earlier.  Their crunch is actually rather appealing and the seasoning is substantial.  Still, there is no meat (which may be a good thing) and what used to be the fat has taken on a texture that makes sense only when you consider these cracklin "strips" have been sitting in a bag for . . . . .who knows how long.  Both the "old fashioned" and the "seasoned" have slightly perceptible pork flavor [Well, calling it a pork flavor might be going too far; perhaps it is a pork "essence."].

Plauche's Homemade Cracklin

 

 --- Out in the country, around Cottonport, Louisiana, Raymond Plauche is known to make some of the finest cracklin in the state; highly regarded for their tremendous size, unique meat bands, and exquisite "thin and crispy" skins.  You can't buy these in any store, they are a "Private Reserve" graton made only for friends and family.  These are a 5 Graton winner!

THE LOW-DOWN 

Price = Graciously offered to friends and family

Crunch = 5 Gratons

Meat/Fat/Skin Ratio = 5 Gratons

Seasoning = 4 Gratons

Presentation = 5 Gratons

OVERALL SCORE = 5 Gratons 

LOCATION 

Around Cottonport, Louisiana

Ray's Grocery PLUS - Opelousas, LA

Cracklin from Ray's Grocery Plus

 --- Is it just me, or do these folks always have a little chip on their shoulder?  The cracklin are, uh, uninspired; moslty skin and fat and very light seasoning.  Salt, and salt alone, seems like the primary seasoning.  They are exceptionally crunchy, but this is due to their having been over cooked.  Lastly, they exuded a subtle lack of freshness.

THE LOW-DOWN 
Price = $10.49 per lb.
Crunch = 4 Gratons
Meat/Fat/Skin Ratio = 2.5 Gratons
Seasoning = 2 Gratons
Presentation = 3 Gratons

OVERALL SCORE = 2.5 Gratons 

LOCATION 

6028 Louisiana 182

Opelousas, LA 70570-8930

Get Directions

(337) 942-9077

For a review of Ray's Grocery Plus's boudin click HERE.