Chuletas Can-Can (Crispy Puerto Rican Pork Chops)
Extra-thick pork chops with the belly and skin still attached, marinated in garlic and oregano and fried until the skin puffs into crackling ruffles. A showstopper of Puerto Rican mountain restaurants.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Make the adobo
In a (mortar), pound the garlic, salt, oregano and peppercorns into a thick paste. Stir in the olive oil and vinegar until combined.
- 8 garlic cloves
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
✅ Done when: a thick, wet paste forms
Score and marinate
Score the skin every 2 cm with a sharp knife, cutting through the skin but not into the meat; this helps it ruffle later. Rub the over the meat only (not the skin), then refrigerate uncovered for at least 4 hours, or overnight, so the skin dries out.
- 4 pork chops
- all the from step 1
✅ Done when: skin looks dry and the meat is coated in paste
Heat the oil
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Fry low
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Crisp the skin
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Serve
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Make the adobo
In a (mortar), pound the garlic, salt, oregano and peppercorns into a thick paste. Stir in the olive oil and vinegar until combined.
- 8 garlic cloves
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
✅ Done when: a thick, wet paste forms
Score and marinate
Score the skin every 2 cm with a sharp knife, cutting through the skin but not into the meat; this helps it ruffle later. Rub the over the meat only (not the skin), then refrigerate uncovered for at least 4 hours, or overnight, so the skin dries out.
- 4 pork chops
- all the from step 1
✅ Done when: skin looks dry and the meat is coated in paste
Heat the oil
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Fry low
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Crisp the skin
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Serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
The chuleta can-can was popularised by roadside restaurants in the mountains of Puerto Rico, where cooks fried thick pork chops with the belly and skin attached. As the skin crackled and curled, it reminded people of the ruffled skirts of can-can dancers.
Today it's a celebration dish across the island, ordered as much for the spectacle as the flavour.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Juicy meat, crispy belly and crackling skin all on one bone: it's the most dramatic pork chop in the Caribbean.
💡 Fun Fact
The name comes from the can-can dance: the frilled, crispy skin looks like the dancers' swirling skirts.
Puerto Rico's mountain restaurants
18.22°N, -66.59°W
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