After the carcass has been hung, Toño begins preparing the skin which has been removed in one single piece with the feet still attached.

He cuts it in two and hangs the pieces  in the sun for a little while.

Then the skins are soaked in very hot, but not boiling, water to prepare them for the removal of the hair.

With a very sharp knife, Toño begins scraping the skin to remove the hair and any large pieces of fat that may still be attached.

After scraping, the skins are returned to the cauldron, which is now boiling, to render any remaining fat.  

The cleaned, de-fatted skins are hung to dry.  They are stretched with sticks to insure even and rapid drying.

When dry, Jesús cuts the skin into long thin strips which are fried in a steel cauldron.

The strips are removed and drained.  They will be refrigerated overnight and then fried again tomorrow to produce the final crispy chicharrones that are so popular in México.
 

Any meat that drops among the hair is quickly removed by the assistant housekeeper

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