How to make the perfect crispy pork crackling

Pork crackling for me is a pure heavenly delight! I cannot get enough of it and it is one of my favourite parts of roast pork. However, there’s no point in making roast pork if you don’t serve crispy, golden crackling with it! It’s like serving roast beef without horseradish sauce or Yorkshire puddings! It’s wrong andI know that the Masterchef boys would be disappointed too if I left the much anticipated pork crackling off the plate!

However cooking the perfect pork crackling is easier said than done. Cook the crackling on too high a heat or cook it for too long and you will get dry and burnt crackling, whilst too low will produce a chewy rubbery mess that no one wants to dig into.

So how do you create deliciously moist pork along with the perfect crispy pork crackling? Here’s my recipe to success:

  1. Take the pork out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before
  2. Pre-heat the oven to 230°C
  3. Score your pork in a criss-cross fashion and place in a roasting pan rind side up. Ensure you don’t score too deep as you will cut into the meat.
  4. Dry the skin with paper towels to soak up any excess moisture
  5. Rub the pork with plenty of salt and pepper and ensure the seasoning gets into all the scored rind. Also add a little bit of olive oil.
  6. Place the pork in the oven on a high heat of 230°C for 30 minutes or until the skin starts to crackle and bubble up nicely.
  7. Remove the roast pork from the oven and cover in foil, to keep the pork perfectly moist. Reduce the temperature to 170°C and roast slowly for 2-3 hours depending on the size of the pork.
  8. Remove the roast pork from the oven and place on a platter to rest before serving. You can keep the foil on to keep it warm.
  9. If the skin hasn’t turned all crispy and golden, slice off the crackling and place it skin side up under your grill. Keep an eye on the pork crackling though to ensure it doesn’t burn!

Pork CracklingPork, stuffing and apple sauce rolls

 

And now it’s time to serve your pork.

I like to serve my pork in pork and stuffing rolls with a dollop of apple sauce with my crackling on the side.

Roast pork is also delicious accompanied by roast potatoes or creamy mashed potatoes, red cabbage and gravy, as well as roast vegetables such as parsnips and carrots.

However you like to eat your pork, there’s one thing for sure…the pork crackling is definitely the hero of the dish!