82. Crispy Pig Ears at Crudo
Once upon a time, chef Cullen Campbell ordered a box of pig ears to turn them into a fun bar snack that he thought would appeal to industry folks — his chef and restaurant friends who would belly up to the bar at his Central Phoenix restaurant, Crudo, and not be afraid to order a bowl of crispy strips of ears. Fast-forward a couple of years and Crispy Pig Ears have become Campbell's signature dish. The restaurant goes through about 60 pounds of pig ears a week.
When you have your first bowl, it's easy to understand why. Campbell takes the rarely used part of the animal and turns it into a hard-to-resist snack. He starts by slowly boiling the ears and then double-frying them to get the perfect golden-brown exterior while maintaining a nice chewy inside. He tops the tangle of crisp strips with a sticky vinaigrette of Fresno chiles (and a few of the chile slices), and finishes the creation with sea salt and chives.
The salty, sweet, porky little snacks are tasty enough to stand on their own, but you can certainly enjoy them as a side plate or a starter or, hell, if you want, you can have them for dessert. No ones going to judge you over here.
Want to see how Crudo's Crispy Pig Ears are made? Check out the video below:
The Trail Cullen Campbell from Voice Media Group on Vimeo.
The 100 Favorite Dishes so far...100. Waffle at Matt's Big Breakfast
99. Pacific White Fish Taco at La Santisima
98. Beef Roll at Taiwan Food Express
97. Zinc Burger at Zinc Bistro
96. Goat Biryani at Khyber Halal
95. Key Lime Doughnut at Welcome Chicken + Donuts
94. Chicharrón Prensado Quesadilla at La Merced
93. Moist Succulent Pork Chop at Mrs. White's Golden Rule Cafe
92. Deep Fried Squid with Salt and Pepper from Nee House Chinese Cuisine
91. Coconut Raspberry Brownie at Karl's Quality Bakery
90. Fried Chicken at Phoenix Public Market Cafe
89. The Tyler at Cheese 'N Stuff
88. Hurricane Popcorn at Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour
87. Ceviche at El Chullo
86. Date Shake at Couscous Express
85. Red Bean and Rice Burger at Liberty Market
84. Banh Thit Nguoi at Da Vang
83. Breakfast Sandwich at Ollie Vaughn's
Follow Chow Bella on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
