Succulent pork with crackling that’s so crisp it snaps with almost no effort. Is it a dream for you or do you nail it every time? For those in the former category, here’s what foodie Jill Dupleix says you must do.
1. Buy your pork from a butcher who cares about where the meat comes from.
2. Take the pork out of its packaging as soon as you get home and wipe the skin dry with paper towel. Dry skin equals great crackling.
3. Score it with a Stanley knife if the butcher hasn’t done it for you. Cut through the rind without cutting into the meat.
4. Refrigerate the pork, uncovered, preferably for 24 hours, but even a few hours will help.
5. Remove from the fridge and let the pork come to room temperature.
6. Heat the oven to 220ºC fan-forced (240ºC conventional).
7. Rub the pork all over with olive oil and then sea salt (up to 1 tablespoon) working into the cuts.
8. Roast for 30 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 170ºC fan-forced (190ºC conventional). Roast for 40 minutes per kilogram.
9. Lift the temperature to 220ºC fan-forced (240ºC conventional) for 10 minutes. The crackling should be … perfectly crisp and blistered.
10. Rest for 10 minutes under a sheet of foil.
Do you have any other tips or disagree with these?
.
