Difference Between Pork Scratchings and Pork Crackling
If you’ve ever picked up a packet of pork crackling at the servo or your local store, you probably think you know what to expect — salty, crispy, and a bit addictive. But if you’ve come across pork scratchings and thought, “isn’t that the same thing?”, you’re in for a surprise.
Here in Australia, most of us grew up with pork crackling as that bubbly layer of roasted skin that crunches just right. But pork scratchings? They’re something else entirely and once you’ve had a taste, you’ll understand why they’re winning over more and more Aussies every week who are swapping their usual food for these golden, crunchy little wonders.
The Straight-Up Truth
Let’s keep it simple. Pork crackling is the crisp layer of skin that's thin, light, and crunchy, made to shatter between your teeth. It’s all about that airy snap.
Pork scratchings, on the other hand, are cut with a bit of fat still attached. That fat is magic. It gives each piece its rich, flavourful depth and deep crunch that makes it seem like food. When you cook it slowly, the fat turns golden, the rind gets crunchy, and the flavour becomes full-bodied, natural, and gratifying in a way that's impossible to explain unless you've had it.
Yes, they both start with pig rinds but the taste is different.
Crisp is the sound of crackling. Scratchings are crunchy.
Crackling pops. Scratchings snap.
Both are good but only one will make you close your eyes for a second and go, “Oh wow!”
Crafted, Not Manufactured
At Pascal’s Pork Scratchings, we take our time. Each batch is hand-cut and slow-cooked in small quantities to make sure every piece gets that perfect balance of crunch and flavour. There are no preservatives, no additives, and no seed oils, just three simple ingredients - pork, rind, lard, and a touch of sea salt. That’s it! Nothing fancy, nothing weird. No shortcuts, no funny seasonings and definitely no lab-made flavour enhancers….just pork, salt and the kind of care that comes from doing things properly.
We prepare it the old-fashioned way, slowly. The way you'd do it if you cared about what was on the plate. It's real food, not just salt and crunch. It tastes like something. It feels warm. You can almost see that someone has been watching over the pan to make sure that every piece reaches the right golden spot before it comes out.
What is our story? It's not about fancy packaging or big factories. It's a family recipe that has been passed down, shared, and made with love. There is the same heart and care in every batch, just like there was in the first one.
A Better Kind of Pork Crackling
We’ll say it — Pascal’s Pork Scratchings are more than just a nibble between meals. They’re proper food.
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High in protein
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Low in carbs
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Gluten-free
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Perfect for keto or carnivore lifestyles
So, even if you just want a savory treat to go with your drink or movie night, you'll soon see that they fit into a cleaner, smarter way of eating.
And here's a tip: put a few scratchings in the oven for a few minutes before you serve them. What does it smell like? It will halt you in the middle of a sentence. You'll only wait for them to be ready. They're great on their own, but we've had people put them on salads, serve them with cheese or even crumble them over roasted vegetables for an added crunch.
We prefer it that way because it's food you can play with, enjoy, and share.
Made With Care and Pride in Australia - It's Your Chance to Try
This is your indication to try pork scratchings if you haven't already. Open a pack and listen to that first crunch. You’ll know straight away that it’s not just another bag of crackling. It’s better - richer, crunchier and impossible to stop eating.
And because we want you to taste the difference yourself, we offer free shipping on all orders over $50. Order a few packs, share them with friends or keep them all for yourself (we won’t judge).
Real Food. Real Flavour. Real Crunch.
That’s Pascal’s Pork Scratchings.
The food that makes every bite worth it.