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Roast Pork and Crackling

Introduction & method

Roast pork and crackling is probably one of the hardest Sunday roasts to get right. Pork is quite a lean meat and it's very easy to overcook it and dry it out. Pork crackling can also be difficult to get just the right amount of crunch without breaking your teeth.

 Roast Pork and Crackling Recipe

Prep the Meat


Remove your pork from the fridge about an hour before you plan to start cooking it. Remove any packaging (except string if it's a rolled joint - the string will help it keep its shape) and pat the meat and skin dry. When you are ready to start, dry the skin again, as thoroughly as you can. Some people recommend the use of a hairdrier, others hang it in the fridge overnight. The skin may be already slashed by your butcher. If it isn't, you'll need to do it yourself. Cut parallel lines in the skin about a centimetre apart. You want to cut right through the skin and slightly into the fat, but don't penetrate the flesh. Rub plenty of sea salt into the cuts - don't do this until you are ready to cook it because the salt will draw moisture out of the joint.

Cook It!


Your oven needs to be very hot: 210°C (410°F) for a fan/convection oven, 230°C (446°F), gas mark 9 for a conventional one. Place the meat on a wire rack over a roasting tin and cook it for 25 minutes at the high heat, then reduce the temperature to 140°C (410°F) for a fan oven, 230°C (446°F), gas mark 9 conventional. and cook for 25 minutes per pound (454 grams). BUT - recommended cooking times are often overstated and can result in the meat drying out. I suggest that you use a temperature probe towards the end of cooking. When the temperature at the centre of the meat is 62°C (144°F), it's done.

Take the joint out of the oven, place it on a warmed plate and loosely tent it in foil. Leave it to rest for 20 minutes. Add any juices from the roasting tin and from resting to your gravy. Serve with roast potatoes, gravy, vegetables and, of course, apple sauce.


The video above is from the Keef Cooks YouTube channel. Click here to see the video recipe of Roast Pork and Crackling on YouTube.

 
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Ingredients & Info



  A joint of pork about 2 kg (4 pounds) - leg, loin and belly are all good as long as they have plenty of fat on the outside and the skin is still attached 1 tsp sea salt

UNITS:
Metric
US Customary/Imperial

Serves 6 -8
Prep time: 10 minutes.
resting time: 20 minutes.
Cooking time: 2 hours.
Total time: 2 hours 30 minutes.