Chocolate Covered Chicharrones

chocolate covered bacon?...no

old news...

CHOCOLATE COVERED CHICHARONES !

dare i say...BETTER THAN BACON ?!

this is another one of those...

"it cant be true"
"no you didn't !"
"i don't think so..."

GIVE ME ANOTHER !...GIVE ME MORE !

these are a must for your Cinqo de Mayo festivities.

SPICY CHOCOLATE COVERED CHICHARONES
with roasted salted almonds

what you'll need...
chichaorones...the real ones are best.  i didn't weigh mine, but buy extra because you'll be surprised how far the dipping chocolate will go.  you'll find them at a Mexican market like NORTHGATE in Santa Ana, El Matate in Costa Mesa and sometimes at your local convenience store.  they are a little more hard and dense than the ones you see at the supermarkets.  i haven't tried the puffy store brand like Mission Pork Rinds because i don't think they would hold up as well.  they seem to de-crisp with any little moisture.
1 lb. "coverture" dark chocolate.
i find Guittard Chocolate Wafers to work best for a clean dip.
roasted salted almonds, chopped
red pepper flakes

get everything out that you might need.  like tray for drying/setting lined with parchment.   chop the almonds and put some pepper flakes in a little bowl.
TEMPER YOUR CHOCOLATE... i wont go into the EASY MICROWAVE METHOD because you can find it HERE in my post about Chocolate Cover Bacon and HERE from Alton Brown.   tempering is a must for a good clean crispy snappy finish.

dip only a few at a time and sprinkle with almonds and pepper flakes before the chocolate sets.
work in a cool room or at night.  if chocolate isn't setting quickly, put the tray in the fridge for just a few minutes to set, then remove from fridge.
these stayed crunchy and fresh for a few days in an airtight container in a cool room.