Barley Porridge with Pork Cracklings

Name: Barley Grits Porridge with Pork Cracklings and Onion
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: Barley grits 1 cup (180 g); Water 2 cups (400 ml); Salt a pinch; Pork fatback 100 g; Onions 3–4; Salt, black pepper to taste

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When I was a child, my grandmother in the village cooked the simplest dishes. Mostly this came down to being busy and having no time for long, complicated cooking. Porridges were a regular thing – millet, barley grits, buckwheat. Still, these porridges were usually hearty, thanks to pork cracklings, bits of meat, vegetables or just plain butter. Or milk and honey went into the porridge – I especially love dishes like that.

Barley grits, known colloquially as “yachka”, are a very common ingredient for porridge. In “harsh” army catering, porridge made from finely crushed pearl barley is known as “kirza”. Oh gods! Thank goodness that’s over! A sticky, gluey porridge with practically no taste. You could only eat it if at least some butter went in. That porridge never came out smooth and was full of lumps resembling the bumps on army boots – hence the nickname.

Barley grits are simply crushed pearl barley. To my taste, as long as the grits are not ground down to flour, they make an excellent ingredient. Besides, good grits cook just like regular pearl barley, there’s nothing tricky about it. You can easily make either a fluffy or a creamy porridge from them without risking a jelly-like mass.

Barley grits porridge cooked in water is usually made separately and then mixed with add-ins – meat, vegetables, dried fruit – which gives you an incredibly tasty dish. The cooked grits serve as a base that is easy to take in whatever direction and flavor you want. Notably, you can cook barley grits exactly the same way as buckwheat or rice. What matters is keeping the right ratio of grits to water.

You can find high-quality grits made from crushed pearl barley in stores. The pieces are 1-1.5 mm in size, and there is no visible “flour” in them. These grits suit our purposes best.

How to cook barley grits porridge in water: it’s easy. Whole pearl barley grains are quite hard and are usually soaked in cold water before boiling. Crushed grits cook perfectly well without soaking. And if you like, you can make them fluffy or creamy. For cooking dishes, it’s best to boil them al dente, then mix with the add-ins and briefly steam everything together under a lid.

Ingredients

2 servings

Barley grits 1 cup (180 g)
Water 2 cups (400 ml)
Salt a pinch

Pork fatback 100 g
Onions 3–4
Salt, black pepper to taste

Step-by-step recipe

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Cooking the grits

Fluffy barley grits porridge comes from coarsely crushed pearl barley without much fine flour in it. There’s no need to soak the grits – they will cook perfectly well as they are. If you like, you can lightly toast the dry grits in a hot dry skillet until they smell pleasant. But don’t overdo it.
Pour two cups of water (400 ml) into a pot and add a small pinch of salt. Once the water comes to a boil, add the grits and stir.
The ratio is one cup of grits to two cups of water (400 ml). More water will make the porridge sticky and a bit “slimy”, while less won’t let it cook until soft.
Turn the heat down to the minimum and cover the pot with a lid – the water should barely simmer. Cook until the liquid is completely absorbed and the porridge is soft. Usually you need to stir it 2–3 times while it cooks so it doesn’t stick to the pot.
By the way, grits are often just put into a thermos and covered with boiling water – they cook until soft perfectly well this way.
Once it’s done, wrap the pot in a blanket and leave it for 20–30 mins.

Cracklings with onion

Meanwhile, you can prepare the add-ins for the porridge. My grandmother in the village often fried pork cracklings with lots of onion.

Cut a piece of good pork fatback into cubes – larger than for salads. It’s better to remove the rind, even if it’s very tasty and pretty.
Heat a skillet and fry the cracklings – they should turn golden and slightly crispy. Pour off almost all of the rendered fat: no more than 2 tbsp should remain.
Peel the onions and cut them lengthwise into very thick strips, 10–15 mm wide. It’s better to remove the onion cores and save them for soup.
Add the onion to the cracklings and, stirring constantly, fry in the pork fat until the pieces are soft and lightly golden. The onion turns sweet and very tasty. I remember that as kids we loved eating it with fresh bread.

Bringing it together

By now the porridge is ready – the grains are almost dry, soft and with no trace of stickiness. I especially like them cooked al dente.

Add the cooked grits to the skillet and mix thoroughly. Salt to taste and season generously with pepper.
Stir again and let the porridge stand over low heat under a lid for 10 mins. After that it’s completely done.
Spoon onto plates and serve hot – that’s when it tastes best. Barley grits porridge with cracklings and onion is good both as a dish on its own and as a side for meat or pork patties.

Calories and macros

600 kcal

Serving ≈ 380 g

Protein11 g8% of kcal
Fat28 g46% of kcal
Carbs63 g46% of kcal

100 g160 kcalProtein 2.9 gFat 7.4 gCarbs 16.9 g

Calculated from the recipe ingredients, excluding salt and spices. Data: USDA and Matvaretabellen.

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To Get It Right

Which grits to buy

Choose coarse barley grits – No. 1 or No. 2, with pieces of 1–1.5 mm and no fine floury dust: fine grits make a sticky porridge. If the pack has a lot of small bits, sift them out before cooking.

How long to cook

Over minimum heat under a lid – about 15–20 minutes after boiling, until the water is fully absorbed. Then wrap the pot and leave it for 20–30 minutes: the grits will soften on their own.

Creamy porridge

If you want a soft, creamy porridge rather than a fluffy one, use 3 cups of water (600 ml) per cup of grits and cook 5–10 minutes longer, stirring more often.

Barley grits porridge with milk

Cook the grits in water as in the recipe, but with 1.5 cups of water (300 ml). When the water is absorbed, pour in 1–1.5 cups of hot milk (200–300 ml) and simmer under a lid for another 10 minutes, stirring. Serve with butter and honey.

Instead of fatback

The best result comes from using bacon or fatback with streaks of meat – the cooking sequence is exactly the same.

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Questions and answers

How much water per cup of barley grits?

For a fluffy porridge – 2 cups of water (400 ml) per 1 cup of grits. More water makes it sticky, less won’t let the grits cook until soft. For a creamy porridge, use 3 cups of water (600 ml).

Do barley grits need soaking?

No. Whole pearl barley is soaked, but crushed grits cook perfectly well without soaking.

Should barley grits be rinsed?

Usually not: the fine particles turn into mush with water, and the porridge comes out sticky. If the pack has a lot of floury dust, it’s better to sift the grits.

Are barley grits the same as pearl barley?

Both are made from barley. Pearl barley is the whole polished grain, barley grits are the same pearl barley, only crushed. That’s why grits cook faster and need no soaking.

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