Okay, so, I’ve been wanting to make some homemade treats for my furry buddy for a while now. You know, something different from the usual store-bought stuff. I heard about these pork skin rolls and thought, “Why not give it a shot?” Plus, my dog seems to really enjoy chewing on stuff, so this seemed like a perfect project.
First things first, I went to the local butcher and grabbed some pig skin. It’s pretty cheap, which is a bonus. Make sure to get the skin, not the meat, though. I made that mistake once, and it was a whole different story.
Next, I got home and cleaned the skin thoroughly under cold water. You want to get rid of any excess fat or anything else that might be stuck on there. I used a sharp knife to scrape off any stubborn bits.
After cleaning, I cut the skin into strips, I tried different sizes to see which one my dog would prefer. Some were long and thin, others were shorter and wider. Variety is the spice of life, right?
Then came the fun part – rolling them up! I tried to make them as tight as possible so they would last longer. It’s kind of like making little pig skin cigars. Some were easier to roll than others, depending on the thickness of the skin. I also discovered that using some twine to tie them helps keep them rolled up.
Once I had a decent batch of rolls, I laid them out on a baking sheet. I preheated my oven to the lowest setting possible, around 175°F (80°C). The idea is to dry them out slowly, not really cook them.
I put the baking sheet in the oven and let the rolls dry for what felt like forever. It actually took around 8-12 hours. I checked on them every few hours, rotating them to make sure they dried evenly. Patience is key here, trust me.
Finally Done!
Once they were completely dry and hard, I took them out and let them cool down. They looked pretty good if I do say so myself! The real test, of course, was my dog’s reaction.
- He went nuts!
- He loved them!
- He chewed on one for a good hour, and it kept him busy the whole time.
So, there you have it. My little adventure making pork skin rolls for my dog. It was a bit of work, but seeing how much he enjoyed them made it all worth it. Plus, I know exactly what’s in them, which is a big plus compared to some of those commercial dog treats. They are very similar to beef hide products, but pork hide is much more digestible, so I’m not too worried about him swallowing big pieces. I will definitely be making these again!
Oh, and one last thing, make sure you do some research about pig skin safety, there are many different opinions out there, so you can make the best decision for your dog.
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