For lip-smacking dog treats, you can dry pork skin in the oven. For humans, this dried skin is then typically deep fried into tasty snacks called chicharrones, cracklins, pork rinds or scratchings. Your dog won't require the extra grease, however; he'll be just as pleased with the healthier dried version.
Boil water in a large pan and add the pork skin. Boil the skin for an hour.
Remove the skins from the pan and place them in a metal or plastic colander to drain. Allow the skins to cool completely.
Preheat your oven to 170 degrees; this temperature will dry the skins slowly, like a dehydrator.
Trim any fat from the underside of the pork skins, as it not healthy for your dog; cut or scrape this off with a sharp knife. Discard the fat.
Place the skins on a cookie sheet and position the sheet on the center rack in your oven. Bake the skins for 10 to 12 hours, turning them once or twice to aid in a faster drying time.
Remove the skins from the oven when they no longer bend -- the chewy stage -- but snap in half. These are thoroughly dried.
Cool the skins on the cookie sheet completely before giving them to your dog. Break them into bite-size treat pieces. Store the leftovers in an airtight container.
Tips
For flavor, apply a light coating of baking spray to the boiled and cooled pig skins, then sprinkle with flavoring that is non-toxic to dogs -- such as rosemary, basil or parsley -- before placing in the oven.
Warnings
Boiling the pig skin is important not only to prepare it for dehydrating properly, but to kill any bacteria in or on the pork skin.
Warnings
Boiling the pig skin is important not only to prepare it for dehydrating properly, but to kill any bacteria in or on the pork skin.
Tips
For flavor, apply a light coating of baking spray to the boiled and cooled pig skins, then sprinkle with flavoring that is non-toxic to dogs -- such as rosemary, basil or parsley -- before placing in the oven.
Items You Will Need
- Large pan
- Water
- Colander
- Knife
- Cookie sheet
- Storage container
References
Resources
Tips
- For flavor, apply a light coating of baking spray to the boiled and cooled pig skins, then sprinkle with flavoring that is non-toxic to dogs -- such as rosemary, basil or parsley -- before placing in the oven.
Warnings
- Boiling the pig skin is important not only to prepare it for dehydrating properly, but to kill any bacteria in or on the pork skin.
Writer Bio
Lori Lapierre holds a Bachelor of Arts and Science in public relations/communications. For 17 years, she worked for a Fortune 500 company before purchasing a business and starting a family. She is a regular freelancer for "Living Light News," an award-winning national publication. Her past writing experience includes school news reporting, church drama, in-house business articles and a self-published mystery, "Duty Free Murder."