• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
That Recipe
  • Recipes
  • Members
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Members
  • Subscribe
  • follow the fun

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Members
    • Subscribe
  • follow the fun

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Our latest posts » Quick Bread

    Bacon and Cracklin' Bread Southern Comfort Food

    February 10, 2015 Filed Under: Breads, Quick Bread

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Bacon and Cracklin' Bread is a Southern classic, cornbread studded with pork cracklings and a little bacon too. 

    Make some Cracklin Bread the next time a loved one is having a bad day, just like Calpurnia did on Scout's first day of school in To Kill a Mockingbird.

    cracklin bread in a cast iron skillet

    Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my favorite books and movies. I have enjoyed both multiple times.

    In the story, the protagonist, a girl nicknamed Scout, comes home after a horrible first day of school. The maid/cook/nanny Calpurnia makes one of her favorites to cheer her up, Cracklin' Bread.

    Cracklin Bread is a quick bread made without flour, just cornmeal, making it a bit dense. If you'd rather just add some cracklings to a lighter cornbread, here's Grandma Ruth's cornbread recipe.

    I did not have enough Cracklings on hand when I made this so I threw in some bacon for extra smoky deliciousness. Pork fat rules!

    What are Cracklings?

    No Spell Checker, there is no "g" at the end. At least you do not pronounce it in the South.

    Cracklings are the leftover bits after you render the fat from pork. Technically it can also be the leftover solids from beef or chicken fat as well. But, in the American South it is almost always pork.

    The Difference Between Cracklings and Pork Rinds and Chicharrons?

    Chicharrons and pork rinds are fried pork skin, made without the fat attached.

    Cracklings can have some skin but they have more fat and even a little meat.

    Where to get Cracklings?

    You might be able to buy some at your local grocery store, but they are quite easy to make at home, and as a bonus you get some lard to add wonderful flavor to other dishes.

    I will often remove excess fat from a piece of pork and save it in a zip to lock bag in the freezer until I have a cup or more to render.

    • Cut the fat off a piece of pork and chop into small pieces.
    • Place in a saucepan or skillet and cook over medium heat.
    • Keep cooking, stirring occasionally until the fat has melted and you have brown bits left.
    • Strain the liquid fat (lard) and save for other recipes. I freeze mine in a zip to lock bag.
    • Use the solids in this recipe.

    More Southern Food Recipes from #OurFamilyTable

    Our family table logo

    Do you want more recipes from the heart of Dixie? Here are some delicious Southern Food recipes to try:

    Southern Food

    • Bacon & Pimento Cheese Burgers from The Spiffy Cookie
    • Bacon and Cracklin Bread from That Recipe
    • Blackened Mahi Mahi from Art of Natural Living
    • Pimento Cheese Macaroni Salad from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
    • Skillet Shrimp Boil from Cindy's Recipes and Writings
    • Slow Cooker Baby Back Ribs from Karen's Kitchen Stories
    • South Carolina Bird Dogs from Palatable Pastime
    • Southern Fried Potatoes from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
    • Southern Style Hush Puppies from Jen Around the World


    We share Recipes From Our Dinner Table! Join our group and share your recipes, too! While you're at it, join our Pinterest board, too!

    Bacon and Cracklin’ Bread

    top down view of cracklin bread in a cast iron skillet
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe

    Ingredients
     

    • 2 tablespoons bacon grease
    • 2 cups cornmeal
    • 2 tablespoons baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup buttermilk
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 cup cracklings or bacon or combination of both (see note)

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 450°F
    • In a cast iron skilled, melt bacon grease over medium heat. Remove from heat.
    • In a medium bowl add 2 cups cornmeal.
    • Add baking powder and salt. Stir to combine.
    • Make a well in the dry ingredients. Pour in buttermilk.
    • Add eggs. Quickly whip eggs in the center of the well to break eggs then mix to combine all ingredients. Mixture should be about the consistency of pancake batter. Add extra buttermilk if needed.
    • Stir in melted bacon grease, cracklings and/or bacon
    • Pour mixture into cast iron skillet. Bake at 450° F until starting to turn brown, 20-25 minutes.

    Notes

    Make your own cracklings by rendering pork fat: chop into small pieces, melt in a skillet or saucepan over medium heat until fat is liquid and all you have left are brown crunchy bits (those are the cracklins). Use the rendered pork fat (aka lard) in other recipes.

    Sound fabulous? Share it!

    Until next time, happy eating!
    ~Audrey

    More Quick Bread

    • pecan bread with butter on table and text overlay " pecan butter bread with apple cider butter"
      Pecan Butter Bread with Apple Cider Butter
    • loaf of fruit bread on a cooling rack with text overlay "Tea Brack, easy fruit tea bread"
      Tea Brack Fruit Laden Sweet Quick Bread
    • plate of cheese puffs with text overlay "Gougeres cheese puffs"
      Gougeres: French Cheese Puffs a la Julia Child
    • sliced loaf of pepperoni cheese bread made in a slow cooker with bag of Rhodes Bake nServ bread
      Pepperoni Cheese Bread in the Slow Cooker #NationalSlowCookerMonth

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Carole

      February 11, 2015 at 9:44 am

      This looks delicious! I'm always saving my scraps of "this" and "that", too! In fact, I just made a turkey casserole and used turkey skin for the topping. So, we are on the same "thought train" at the moment! As you said, "waste not, want not"! Love your idea and pinning to Pinterest!

      Reply
    2. Simple Hacks Living

      February 12, 2015 at 10:27 am

      Yes! Yes! Yes! Sounds amazing!

      Reply
    3. Lou Lou Girls

      February 12, 2015 at 12:13 pm

      Hello Gorgeous! I love stopping by your amazing party each week. Thank you for hosting. Please take a moment to stop by our party. We would love to have the chance to party with you twice! Happy Thursday Lou Lou Girls

      Reply
    4. Amanda @ The Anti Mom Blog

      February 12, 2015 at 2:00 pm

      i am so excited about the sequel too!!! this looks so good and just gives me more reason to go buy a cast iron skillet!!! 🙂

      Reply
    5. Nicole Neverman

      February 12, 2015 at 4:31 pm

      Oh wow!! This bread looks amazing! If you had a spare moment, I would be delighted if you'd drop this (and anything else you'd like to share) by at the #PureBlogLove anything goes link party! You can find me here: http://picnicnz.blogspot.co.nz/

      Reply
    6. Kelly @ Mum-bo-Jumbo

      February 15, 2015 at 7:27 am

      Wow! Coming from Australia I haven't heard of this bread very often before but you had me at bacon. Then at crackle! Hahaha! Sounds so good and rather simple, I'll give this a try. I wasn't aware of the sequel for To Kill a Mockingbird, I'll keep my eye out for it. It has been years since I have read this book but it had such a profound impact on me that it still ranks as one of my favourite novels. Thanks for linking up at Mum-bo Monday and thanks for hosting such a tasty link up party!

      Reply
    7. Kristen from The Road to Domestication

      February 15, 2015 at 6:53 pm

      That looks YUMMY! Thanks so much for joining us at the #HomeMattersParty - we hope to see you again next week!

      Reply
    8. Raewyn

      February 17, 2015 at 6:49 am

      Yum!! This sounds delicious! I'm not sure I'm brave enough to try to make it, but I will definitely eat it!!

      Reply
    9. chellie

      May 19, 2016 at 5:50 pm

      Another fabulous recipe! Thanks for joining us at FTAF! Hope to see you back.

      Reply
      • Audrey

        May 27, 2016 at 4:29 pm

        Thanks, Chellie.

    10. Christie

      January 27, 2023 at 9:08 am

      I've never made cracklins but I've definitely eaten them in recipes. This bread sounds so good. Perfect for a bowl of bean soup.

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    audrey humaciu in kitchen

    Welcome

    I'm your hostess, Audrey, an avid "maker" that believes home made is better.

    Whether it's cooking, crafting, gardening, home décor, even blog design, I love getting my hands dirty and trying new things... even if I make a mess in the process.

    Discover more about me →

    Fresh Spring Tastes

    • strawberry muffins in a muffin tin with text overlay "sourdough strawberry muffins"
      Sourdough Strawberry Muffins Tangy Sweet Muffins
    • carrot muffins topped with granola on a cooling rack
      Carrot Granola Muffins with No Refined Sugar
    • lemon blueberry jelly roll on a plate
      Lemon Blueberry Jelly Roll Cake Sweet Taste of Spring
    • spinach and strawberry salad with text overlay "strawberry spinach salad with hot bacon dressing"
      Strawberry Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing is a Delightful Spring Salad

    See more Spring Produce Recipes→

    tablet with ebook on display and text overlay "Seasoned with Love: 60 seasoning mix recipes from around the world"

    Tried and True Recipes

    • piece of bread dipped in cheese fondue with text overlay "alcohol free cheese fondue"
      Alcohol Free Cheese Fondue: Easy Family Dinner in 20 Minutes!
    • close up of popover in a pan with text overlay "Julia Child's Popovers"
      Julia Child's Popovers A Classic Recipe Made Easy
    • fork holidng a piece of lasagna with text overlay "no boil meat lasagna"
      The Original Barilla 4 Layer No Boil Lasagna Recipe
    • jar filled with granola
      Homemade Granola is as Easy as 1-2-3

    See our Top 10 Recipes →

    follow the fun

    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy/Disclosures
    • Cookie Notice

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Work with me

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 ThatRecipe

    Manage Cookie Consent
    We use cookies to optimize our website and our service.
    Functional Always active
    The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
    Preferences
    The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
    Statistics
    The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
    Marketing
    The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
    Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
    Preferences
    {title} {title} {title}