A look at Chitterlings aka Chitlins
Chitlins are the small intestines of a pig that have been prepared as food. Chitlins are eaten most frequently in the Deep South of the United States, and are usually part of a larger meal that includes collard greens, fried chicken, and other traditional Southern soul foods. 
Also, chitterlings are used for sausage casings.
In Salley, South Carolina they hold an annual gathering called the Chitlin’ Strut. The festivals is said to bring in about 70,000 people.
Chitlins are also prepared in many other cultrues. For example, in Mexican cuisine, small intestines are known as tripas. Cleaned, boiled, and grilled, tripas are a popular filling for tacos.
Food Safety:
Care must be taken when preparing chitterlings, due to the high possibility of disease being spread with chitterlings which have not been cleaned or cooked properly. These diseases/bacteria include Yersinia enterocolitica [Factoid: Yersinia enterocolitica is a cause of gastroenteritis, and is closely related to the causative agent of plague, Y. pestis; ] as well as Salmonella. Chitterlings must be soaked and rinsed thoroughly in several different cycles of cool water, and repeatedly picked clean by hand, removing extra fat and specks of faecal matter. The chitterlings are then boiled and simmered until tender.
If you have any experiences with chitlins, please share as a comment.
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I have tried this dish one time at a neighbors bbq. They smell so disgusting. I wanted to vomit. I did say that I would try a piece, so I did. It was kind of like the consistency of calamari (a little chewy) but it was freakin’ disgusting. Would never even consider eating again. Ever.
Comment by Amanda — September 6, 2006 @ 6:51 pm
Chitlins are the nastiest thing on this earth!!!! My family grew up eating them and they sucked as a child and they suck as an adult. take my advice DO NOT EAT FUNKY FOOD. Chitlins smell just like the funky farm they came from. so dont even think about it. You are better off eating a dirty diaper.
Comment by Deborah — September 6, 2006 @ 11:24 pm
Please do not try chitlins. Don’t subject your children to that mess. My family only ate them at Thanksgiving and Christmas like it was some kind of delicacy. No. I do not like dookie. I will not try them on a plate, I will not try them on a date. They Suuuuuuck. I have not ever eaten them but the smell alone is enough to make your eyes water.
Comment by Brittany — September 6, 2006 @ 11:29 pm
I have to agree with the other comments: Chitling are disgusting. They just stink.
Comment by Emily — September 16, 2006 @ 9:26 pm
I will have to say that Chitlins are definitely an “acquired” taste… As an african-american raised in NC this was a normal part of our dietary fare (along with pig’s tongue, pig’s feet, birds, deer, etc), so I’m used to them. And though they do smell horrible especially during the cooking process they do taste great if you can just get past the smell. My husband who is also african-american and is from up north detests them and wild horses could not make him eat them… All I can say is don’t knock it until you try it…, who knows it may become your favorite dish…:)
Comment by CHITLIN LOVER!!! — October 17, 2006 @ 6:01 am
Awww, ease up, everybody.Chitlins are GREAT.It ain’t no different than Spam. Nobody admits they eat Spam, but every grocery store you go into has a shelf full.Only bad thing about chitlins is that it takes ALOT of work to clean them.My wife refuses to cook tham for that reason.But, come December, when my Mother-in-law boils up a great big pot of them, Im on them like a fruit-fly on a pear!
Comment by konkrete_kahuna — October 21, 2006 @ 6:34 am
Please help
I need to know how to season chitterlings or chitlins?
How long should i cook them for?
What goes best with chitterlings: ?
What ingredients should i cook with them to make them taste good?
Comment by lynn williams — November 12, 2006 @ 12:53 pm
I usually cook my chitterlings at a low temperature for about 6 to 8 hours. To add a spicy flavor, I boil them with bacon, seasoning salt, pepper, and jalapenos. Your chitterlings will show an extreme sign of tenderness to let you know that they are ready for consumption. Great eating.
Comment by Calvin D. — November 21, 2006 @ 12:25 pm
Come on people Chitlins are so good if there cooked right, I’m cleaning some as we speak preparing for Thanksgiving and I can’t wait don’t knock it until you try it……..
Comment by Sunshine — November 21, 2006 @ 2:11 pm
I am making Chitlins for my Thanksgiving Dinner as well. I am also cooking Hog Maw (Pig stomach) to mix in with the Chitlins. My mom is from Alabama and she has the greatest recipe for Chitlins and Hog Maw. YUMMY!!!!!
Comment by Tammy W. — November 22, 2006 @ 11:43 am
Chitlins are very good !!!!!
Comment by chris — November 25, 2006 @ 12:43 pm
does anyone know how to fry chitlins?? you know if you put a half of potato while boiling them it soaks up some of that smell.. I just tore down on some this thanksgiving. I usually get Uncle Lou’s precleaned (you still have to go over them) they are the bomb!!
Comment by mschacha — November 27, 2006 @ 2:11 pm
Why eat the left overs of any animal when you can have prime cut. Are we not past being cave people yet?
DISGUSTING. Lets act like Human Beings and not wild dogs.
Comment by GROSS — November 28, 2006 @ 2:10 pm
If you like oysters, you could learn to enjoy eating chitlins. They have a main ingredient;
except chitlins (aka chitterlings) are usually cleaned of feces whereas oysters are not.
The dark briny solid in an oyster is the feces. Chitlins don’t have to smell bad. If you
want to try and cook some good chitlins with the smell under control, I recommend you cook
them in a crock pot on the patio. Following is my own recipe.
10 lbs chitlins
2 large potatoes diced into cubes
1/2 green bell pepper finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper finely chopped
4 stocks of celery with the leaves finely chopped
2 large onions finely chopped
5 bay leaves
1 cup of apple cider vinegar
2 apples diced into cubes
5 slices of bacon finely chopped
1 Tablespoon of Season All
2 teaspoons of Cayenne (red) pepper
4 cloves of garlic
Clean the chitlins. I clean my chitlins by separating the skin from the meat. My best analogy
would be similar to separating two-ply toilet paper. After you clean 10lbs of chitlins, you
should have approximately 5 lbs of fat and 5 lbs of meat to cook. Rinse the chitlins in water
until the water is pretty clear. Have two large bowls so you can wash in one bowl, transfer to
the second bowl, and visa-versa. Remember to keep pouring out the old water and refilling the
bowls with clean water.
Put the chitlins in a pot, but do not add additional water after cleaning because they will
retain a lot of water from washing in addition to making their own water.
Now you can throw everything into the pot and let it cook until tender. This could take 4-6
hours. Start off bringing your chitlins to a heavy boil, then cook them on low heat until
they are done. After bring them to a high boil to rid it of bacteria, you can place them in
a crock pot too.
If after they are done, you still have a lot of fluid, take of the top and let it simmer down
a bit. You can eat chitlins with hot sauce for flavor. Also, you can enjoy it over rice with
sides of greens, fried chicken and yams. Or just try chitlins with your favorite dish.
Comment by Irene — December 3, 2006 @ 3:46 am
CHITTLINS ARE GREAT! MY GRANDMOTHER’S SIDE OF THE FAMILY WAS RAISED ON THEM IN FLORENCE, FLORENCE, ALABAMA. MY MOM ALSO USE TO COOK THEM. AS FAR AS THE SMELL, IT
DOESN’T BOTHER ME AT ALL. THAT TELLS ME THAT THEY ARE ON THEIR WAY TO MY PLATE.
GOOD EATING!
Comment by CHITTLIN LOVER — December 6, 2006 @ 3:53 pm
My father raised hogs when i was a child.Chitlins are a very fine Southern delicacy.We prepare them rice an a side of coldslaw and a splash of hot sauce.Just make sure whoever does the cleaning knows what they are doing. Bon apite!
Comment by Chitlin Child in SC — December 13, 2006 @ 4:28 pm
Chitlins is the best part of the pig. How can anyone think they’re disgusting? Nothing against race ot anything, nut i bet the majority of the people that think they’re disgusting are white. One day while at work, me and a couple of co-workers, both black and white, were discussing chitlins, and every one that said they were disgusting were white and the ones that loved them were black. We were all comfortable with the conversation until one of the white co-workers said that black people only eat chitlins because in the slavery days, the masters would leave them the remainder of the hog, which consists of intestines, so they had no choice but to learn how to cook them and eat them. Some of the blacks got offended, but everything was soon under control. I object to that theory because blacks only eat chitlins once or twice a year. And not “all” blacks eat them.
Comment by Anonymous — December 13, 2006 @ 5:58 pm
chitlins are good!!if theyre cleaned good……but as for the cooking smell cook them with vinegar and spash hot sauce sauce on them theyre done
Comment by me — December 17, 2006 @ 7:41 pm
I will be cooking chitlins for the first time. I’m very excited because I havent had them in a while. Right now I’m looking around at some recipies, to see which one I like best. Anyone have any suggestions?
Comment by SB — December 31, 2006 @ 5:53 pm
When I was young I lived on a farm and my mother would make sausage using the small intestines of hogs as casings. She would run water through them to turn them inside out and then scrape them clean and wash them in cold water. IS this the same way chtlins are prepped?
Comment by Billy — March 19, 2007 @ 11:34 am
I cooked them on the gas grill burner side..My family doesn’t like the smell so out on the patio is where the are cooked..My nieghbors have to suffer the smell..Oh well they can always go inside..Good eating right there..My uncle Joe called them wrinkled steaks.
Comment by Midgie — November 5, 2007 @ 2:55 am
A friend of mine after she clean the chitlins,She would washed her chitlins with some Dawn. Then she would rinse them several times. Then she cooked them in vinegar and a onion. Her chitlins was the best I ever have eaten. The only problem, she didn’t cook enough. I love them.
Comment by Marlene — November 5, 2007 @ 8:05 am
I am white & I love chitlins. I was raised on a farm and we enjoyed them with our holiday meals. I plan to make a big batch of them this year for T-day. After several hours of cleaning chitlins, I cook them for hours, then I test their doneness much like one tests spaghetti, if you can pinch them in half with your fingers, they are ready to eat. Serve them up with some hot sauce, uuummm, delicious!! May I add, my family also enjoyed caviour, snails & oysters with their fine dinning. I hate caviour, snails and oysters, a well cooked pot of chitlins just taste better! Try a Tabelspoon of Old Bay Seasing per 5 pounds of chitlins along with pre-boiled cut up hog maws, cut up onions, cut up potatoe & bell peppers & lots of garlic, a little bit of vinegar, cook till very tender and boy is it good!
Comment by maggie — November 16, 2007 @ 1:16 am
Boy! Chitlins were taking quite a bash there for minute. Initially out of the bucket they do smell awful. The key is to proper washing. I wash mine a few times outdoors in a bucket before bringing them inside for cleaning and a few more washings with cold water. Doing this eliminates the smell that offends most people. I then put 1 whole onion, a cup of vinegar and a generous salting in a slow cooker for about 4.5 hours and they turn out delicious. I eat them 2 or 3 times a year.
Comment by Anthony Diamond — November 16, 2007 @ 9:07 am
Thanks Anthony as I was wondering if I could cook chitlings in the slow cooker and for how long cause im a traditional cooker yes they stink and we have to look past the fact where their from but look at some of the other things that we eat fellows and that whole situation.
lol:.)
Comment by Tracy — November 23, 2007 @ 11:21 am
I’m black and I think chitlins are repulsive. They smell like butt and taste like it too. I don’t understand how anyone can eat them.
Comment by Autumn — November 24, 2007 @ 6:48 pm
Chitterlings are very good. My grandmother normally cooks them for Thanksgiving. I am from North Carolina and I live in New Jersey and I never get to have them while living in New Jersey. I be searching for a chitterling cooker. I decided to make some for the first time this Thanksgiving. My husband hates the smell. I ain’t even going to lie, they do stink like hell. But taste good.
Comment by Linda — November 25, 2007 @ 10:21 am
CHITLINS TASTE GOOD. YOU JUST HAVE TO CLEAN THEM PROPERLY. AND AS WITH ANY FOOD EAT IN MODERATION. 1 OR 2 TIMES A YEAR IS FINE
Comment by SGT MEDIC — November 29, 2007 @ 11:38 am
Chitlins over rice are off the chain.
Comment by Anonymous — December 2, 2007 @ 3:40 pm
My mother used to make chitlins around the holidays and the smell drove my poor sister behind closed doors. I did not appreciate them until I reached adulthood. Now I find them yummy.
Comment by Glenda — December 2, 2007 @ 7:28 pm
I adore chitlins, but being the lazy person I am, I order them off the internet, from chitlins by shauna. They are shipped frozen and clean..I do mean clean. Not cheap, but to me the price is worth the time and effort it takes to clean them. Just ordered some for Christmas…yummmy
Comment by Diana — December 14, 2007 @ 9:11 am
Just got off the phone with my uncle and asked him about his chitlin recipe. I remeber as a kid that his chitlins were the best I have ever had. He grew up on a farm in Ky. and knows how to cook chitlins from the pig to the pot. I am making my first batch this new year. I’ll let you all know how it turns out, and if great, wich I expect i’ll share the recipe.
Comment by Derrick — December 28, 2007 @ 4:39 pm
Chittlins are the BOMB!!!! as long as they are cleaned and cooked right. To kill the smell while cooking, SOY SAUCE, vinegar and an onion. Guaranteed not to evacuate the house. Happy Eating and a prosperous new year
Comment by Sulan415 — December 30, 2007 @ 1:14 pm
Chitlins are great! Many people are undercover chitlin eaters! They say they don’t like them until they are at the dinner table……and then it’s on!
Comment by Brenda — December 30, 2007 @ 8:50 pm
I am white and Jewish and i love making chitlins. I also love eating them. Try it You’ll like it!!!!!
Comment by bakedmama — February 24, 2008 @ 12:19 pm
I was brought up on a small farm during the war in England and as we killed our own pigs for eating we narturally ate chiterlings.
My mother used to thoroughly clean them then boil them. We would have them cut into small pieces and these would then be fried.
I can think of nothing else to equal the delicate flavour and would advise the disenters who have not tried these to do so then comment.
Comment by Tony — April 3, 2008 @ 7:24 pm
Look I’m 40, well will be in 17 days, and I have been preparing chitterlings since the age of 3. No I am not from down south. I was born and raised here in Philly. I was just wondering because I had bought 20lbs of chitterlings (chitlins as they say) . But being the way I was raised to clean them it took me almost 13 hours to clean about 12 of them. That’s because out of all meats, I was raised to be very careful with pork.
I only wanted to know if I can put the rest of them in the freezer because they were still ice cold with bits of ice.
Ohh and I agree entirely with Irene 12/03/06. I takes a long time cleaning them because I don’t want myself or anyone to get sick. They taste great only if they are cooked properly. It takes your heart and soul. That’s why it’s soul food. I throw down when it comes to me making them.
I guarantee if you don’t know what it was it was it would be your delicacy. Amen.
Comment by MYSTYCAL — April 7, 2008 @ 11:52 pm
I am going to cook chitlins for the first time. I am from Philly and had never had or even heard of them until I moved to Va. I have had the best in a small town in Ga., where I use to live. I really want some but I don’t know or trust anyone here in the city so I plan to try it myself!!! Wish me luck.
Comment by Dana — April 12, 2008 @ 9:35 am
Chitlins are delicious if you know how to cook them. They are used in a lot of Filipino dishes. They are very delicious and chewy. However, if you think of them as pig intestines then you might not like them. Think of them as squid rings but thicker
Comment by miia — July 19, 2008 @ 7:32 pm
chitlins i say are very good, however i dont like to clean them, but i do be ready wit a bottle of texas pete when they are done, if you are gon try them for the first time make sure that a real southern mama (like mine) is cooking them, because if they are not clean they do deter you from eatin them, good luck!
Comment by candy girl — July 31, 2008 @ 12:09 pm
hey im cooking chitlins right now im cooking them in a crockpot with a lil spab of beer, hot sauce, vinegar, and onions, oh and 3 bay leaves and salt and pepper. franks hot sauce is the key for me. Im letting them cook for about 6-8 hours or until they are tender enough to gobble down! enjoy people- chittlins are good especiallly deep fried, deep fry i put them in and egg wash and then flour that has salt pepper and cayenne pepper in it and then deep fry until golden, i love them fried and you know their cooked when its fried…lol isnt everything fried good!!!???!
Comment by ebo — July 31, 2008 @ 5:01 pm
I love chitterlings ( chitlins ) learned how to really cook them last year in ‘07. I usually buy the precleaned ones , then go back and re-clean them. Put them in a crockpot and let them cook overnight. Along with some diced onion , salt , pepper and a piece of jalapeno . Some of my friends refuse to try them , but i’m adventurous , and I believe in trying everything. I love to explore delicacies.
Comment by India — August 28, 2008 @ 8:38 am
Stop cryin’ people,Chitilins are good..
Comment by steve thompson — September 6, 2008 @ 12:01 am
HEY GUYS IM BLACK AND I THINK THAT CHITLINS TASTE LIKE STRAIGHT UP BUTT. JUST SMELL OF THEM AND LOOK WHERE THEY COME FROM A HOGS GUTS GROSS!
Comment by jonny bynum — September 16, 2008 @ 1:04 pm
They don’t smell as bad as possum and they taste a whole lot better. I especially like if cooked with a little soy sauce, star anise, and raw peanuts.
Comment by elmo katzenjammer — September 17, 2008 @ 4:45 pm
i need a crockpot recipe for chitlins, PLEASE! i am white, my parents were both of immigrant stock, and i can attest to the fact that most ethnic groups have foods that some people think are “gross”. In hard times, you have to use as much of the animal as possible. Now, these things are considered “gourmet” lol! i LOVE tongue, liver, and wild game, although i don’t eat meat all that often.
Comment by Kajira — September 30, 2008 @ 2:29 pm
I bought 5 lbs frozen chitlins from Meijer supermarket last night. This morning I cleaned them with wine, ginger, and vinegar. I am sorry. They just smelled like pig feces even though after I have soaked them in the wine and vinegar for 15 minutes. I could not go on because they ended up in the dumpster. I will have to try my chitlins somewhere else…
Comment by Anonymous — October 4, 2008 @ 5:34 pm
I am looking forward to the chitlin thing and with that being said thanksgiving and Christmas they are the only 2 times a year my family enjoys them. and I look forward to my mama cooking them even though she doesn’t eat them lol.
Comment by latonya — October 12, 2008 @ 10:45 pm
This comment has to be the funniest thing I’ve read all year, thank you, you made my husband and I laugh our arses off
“Please do not try chitlins. Don’t subject your children to that mess. My family only ate them at Thanksgiving and Christmas like it was some kind of delicacy. No. I do not like dookie. I will not try them on a plate, I will not try them on a date. They Suuuuuuck. I have not ever eaten them but the smell alone is enough to make your eyes water.”
Comment by Brittany — September 6, 2006 @ 11:29 pm
Comment by ara133photography — October 13, 2008 @ 6:24 pm
That was pretty funny, but i am still wondering if ANYONE PLEASE has a crockpot recipe for chitlins!!!
Comment by Kajira — October 15, 2008 @ 10:28 am
I love Chitlins any time a year I am a New Yorker as well as my children. When I mention that I’m making chitlins people at work beg me to bring them some. Neighbors come with their begging bowls literally. I buy uncle Lous and clean them again. But before I heaard about them It was just too much work for more than twice a year. The person that needs a crockpot recipe same ingredients you use on the stove celery onions vinegar is a must and whatever seasonings you use
Comment by Juicey — November 11, 2008 @ 10:52 am
Chitlins is the shizznitte….literally. And I say this in a good way. I know where it comes from. and love them to the extreme. I am cooking some as we speak. They should be done in about 2 more hours. Recipes may vary but they basically are prepared the same way. 1. CLEAN. Remove all debris, fat, etc. while soaking. 2. RINSE repeatedly changing water until it becomes clear. 3. BOIL bring them to a boil then add seasoning of your choosing, onion, or other vegetables you choose(potatoes, celery, etc.), vinegar 4. REDUCE heat to a simmer for 4-6 hours until soft enough that you can break between 2 fingers when smushing. You can do this in a slow cooker/crock pot if you choose. 5. EAT. that simple… ENJOY. I DO…
Comment by mask1 — November 18, 2008 @ 9:36 am
They are TRIPAS in Spanish and we fry them in a frying pan but even better if done on a disc outside. People in California fry them crispy like and chop up put them on a warmed corn tortilla, garnish with diced cabbage and squeeze a lemon on the cabbage and some hot sauce to top off your taco and it is the bomb food!
Comment by Esperanza — November 18, 2008 @ 3:33 pm