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Chittlin's
This is a favorite dish of southern Negroes that's growing increasingly popular with us white trash, ever since Irvin Cobb gave it a leg up.
Chittlin' is the Southerner's name for the large intestine of a pig, formally chitterlings. It is served at hog-killing season only, because chittlin's must be fresh. The large intestine is cut, turned inside out, and thoroughly cleaned. Rolled in corn meal bread or cracker crumbs, after being cut in 5- or 6-inch lengths, it is either fried or broiled. Cook slowly and thoroughly and eat just before becoming overly crisp. Raw onions diced are often sprinkled over before eating.
And besides this juicy pig tripe there's always honeycomb tripe from beef and the best way to prepare it quickly outdoors is:
TO BROIL HONEYCOMB TRIPE Use honeycomb tripe only, as no other will work in this fashion. The secret is to broil it fast, first on the smooth side, about 5 minutes, then on comb side, same length of time. Season well. Sluice honeycomb side with melted butter and crunch away.
Two organ-meat preparations for a fire outdoors: chitterlings breaded and fried, and honeycomb tripe broiled fast. Both depend on preparation the text takes for granted.
- Cleaning is the whole jobChitterlings must be stripped of fat and washed repeatedly in several changes of cold water until the rinse runs clear. Current food-safety practice is to bring them to a boil for about five minutes before the final cleaning, which loosens debris and cuts the bacterial load before they ever touch a work surface.
- Yersinia and cross-contaminationRaw pork intestine is the classic vehicle for Yersinia enterocolitica. Confine the cleaning to one sink, keep children and other food well away, and scrub sink, board, hands and utensils with hot soapy water afterward. The cooked chitterlings are safe; the splashed water is what causes illness.
- Not really a quick fryChitterlings are collagen-heavy and stay rubbery unless simmered until tender first — an hour and a half to three hours — and only then cut, breaded and fried. "Cook slowly and thoroughly" is doing a great deal of quiet work in this recipe.
- Corn meal breadHere this means crumbled leftover cornbread, used as a coating in the same way as cracker crumbs. Plain cornmeal also works.
- Fresh, or frozenThe insistence on hog-killing season is about spoilage, not flavor. Chitterlings are sold frozen year-round in five- and ten-pound buckets; thaw in the refrigerator, never on the counter.
- Honeycomb tripe needs a head startBeef tripe sold today is scalded and bleached but still raw and tough. Five minutes a side over hot coals will only work on tripe that has already been simmered until a knife goes in easily — typically one to two hours. Cool it, pat it dry, then broil for browning and char.
- Broiling orderSmooth side first, comb side second, with the melted butter going onto the honeycomb side at the end, as the recipe directs. Season heavily; tripe is bland and takes salt, pepper and vinegar or hot sauce readily.
- YieldChitterlings lose a great deal of weight in cleaning and cooking — reckon a pound of raw weight per person. One pound of tripe serves two as a main portion.