Crispy Pata (Deep Fried Pork Leg)

Ok, this is such a big risk for me, I would be letting you in on a mind-blowing secret of mine ----- I've got a freezer filled with pork, from head to foot! LOL! For those of you who had just stumbled upon this blog and might be wondering why having pork in the ref is such a big deal for me, well that's just because this Expat Mommy lives in that part of the Middle East where pork is still banned (well that's Qatar :)). However, fortunately for us, the airport officers checking the luggage are not that strict for families bringing in pork. Although there is still a chance that it could be confiscated, well... we're still not passing up the opportunity every time we travel out of the country to bring back some pork. We are such meat-lovers that it's really worth taking our chances :)

So with I think 3 family members who had gone on vacation, we have accumulated a little stock which we take out only during 2 occasions, 1 if there's a special occasion, and 2 when we weren't able to do some grocery shopping and we don't have anything else to cook :). Now is the time for the latter. Since my mom is currently in the Philippines, nobody is doing some wet market shopping for us. We did not find any good fish in the supermarket and we're a bit tired of chicken, so it's time to take out the pork! Well, it's like a box of chocolates, you'll never know what you're gonna get! Hahaha! This time the pack we took out contains 1 whole pork leg, so no question about it! Crispy Pata it is!
See till now I still can't believe I can make a Crispy Pata, I mean how hard is it really to deep-fry?! But see Crispy Pata is tricky, you really want that restaurant quality crispy rind you can buy in the Philippines, while the meat remains tender and juicy. I have had a few trials and errors before I was able to really make the rind crispy. I found out the secret is really to deep fry the pork leg after it had been boiled, then wait until it has totally cooled then pat dry fully before frying. Yes, it really has to be so dry before you lower it to the fryer to minimize the splattering and achieve that blistered look. Also make sure that when you cover, you still let out steam and it doesn't go back to the oil. I think it's the excess water which makes the rind chewy and tough (or i may be wrong ---- but that's really what made the difference in all my trials!).

Ingredients:

1 whole Pork Leg (about 1.5kg)
8 cups water
3 onions, peeled
1 head garlic, crushed
salt and pepper
whole peppercorns
4 bay leaves
carrot, spring onions, celery  (optional, if only you'd like to keep the broth for other dishes)
Method:
Wash the Pata (pork leg) and scrape off any hairs. Pat dry and rub with salt and pepper.
In a large pot, combine the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.
When the stock is boiling, put in the Pata. Cover and let simmer for 1.5 hours. Checking every few minutes at the early stage to remove scum as it rises. 
The average cooking time is about 1-1.5 hours, check by pricking with a fork if the meat (specially the rind) is tender. 
Turn off heat and remove Pata from the pot. Let it cool on a rack to remove excess water for about an hour  (Other recipes call for freezing or chilling overnight, this one works without doing that --- when you're living in a pork-less society, you just couldn't wait another day! Hahaha!).
When fully cooled, pat dry with paper towel. (Again, make sure you dry it fully, all nooks and corners!)
In a deep fryer or large casserole that could fit the Pata, pour in oil (about as much as the Pata is fully submerged). 
When smoking hot, gently lower in the Pata using a tong in one hand (This part is tricky and dangerous so you might want to ask for assistance) while supporting the weight with a spatula on your other hand to avoid the oil from splashing out of the pan. 
Cover immediately! The oil will splatter and you don't want to get caught in all that splattering! But make sure that you don't fully cover so that you can let the steam escape while frying.
Turn over once half-way through the frying to get a balanced color and crisp. The Pata is cooked when the skin is crisp and have achieved that blistered look 
Best served with  the soy-sauces vinegar dipping sauce and hot rice or as beer-food/ pulutan. Enjoy!