Rewind all the way back to the Black Country in the 1800’s. At the time many families kept a few pigs for their meat. And keen to use every piece of their prized porkers, these they fried up the skin as a treat and Pork Scratchings were born.
When we’re making our tasty Mr Porky Scratchings, Crackles and Prime Cut products we use the best quality rinds from the shank (the back part of the leg to you and I). But when it comes to Pork Crunch, we use the rind from the back of the animal.
Because every animal is unique, so are the rinds we make our Scratchings from. The natural variations from one rind to the next mean that they all cook slightly differently, giving us Scratchings that while different shapes and textures are all just as tasty and we make sure only the best make it into the bag.
Wherever possible we use Danish pork rinds in our Pork Scratchings and other products. But if these are not available we will source top quality rinds from other EU countries.
British rinds have been used in the past but we found they didn’t give us the same quality results as those from our current suppliers. WE continue to test the quality of British rind against our current supplies & may use them in the future if quality is consistent with the existing product.
It’s about where the rind comes from as some parts of the pig are fattier than others. Scratchings are made using rind from the shank, which has a thicker outer layer with a soft fatty one underneath. Slow cooking this gives us the unmistakable crunch and succulent texture many of us love.
Like lots of manufacturers, Mr Porky adds Monosodium Glutamate or MSG to the seasonings we use to really bring out the flavour. After many studies into the use of MSG, there’s no evidence to suggest it’s harmful and we only use a very low amount in our recipes. For more on MSG click here
Simple fact: pigs are hairy and while we go to great lengths to make sure every single strand is removed from the rind before cooking, the odd one may occasionally be missed by our thorough checking process. But we want every single pack of our snacks to be perfect, so if you’re less than 100% satisfied with what’s in the bag, then please let us know.
As the saying goes, everything in moderation. Like lots of the tastiest foods and snacks out there, you should enjoy Mr Porky products as part of an active and healthy lifestyle, which includes a properly balanced diet. Find out more go to – www.nhs.uk/changeforlife