Perfect Crackling
If there is one thing every pork eater loves, whether you’re a full time foodie, a busy mom trying to put together a meal or a pro chef that just wants a tasty treat… It’s got to be Pork Crackling!
Something our customers ask us all the time, is HOW do you get golden, crispy crackling that makes your mouth water just looking at it! Well fear not, we’ve put together 5 pointers below to help you become the master chef you were born to be…
First things first:
- Dry the fat – The top layer of Pork belly is made of skin and fat, you need to dry this as much as you can so that when the joint goes into the oven, it can become crispy and golden brown.
- Scoring – Before we even begin talking about rubs, temperatures and cooking time, lets prep the cut correctly. When scoring your joint, make sure to use a sharp knife that can easily slice the fat with little pressure. Evenly score the belly pork, with finger space in between each score line. Make sure not to go too deep into the meat or it will dry out too quickly!
- The rub – Use 2 -3 tablespoons of oil, and drizzle over the joint. Rub this into the skin, making sure to get into the scored lines. Then, sprinkle a few generous pinches of coarse salt & ground black pepper onto the joint, and again rub all over the skin. Make sure to get an even spread. This step will help to infuse the delicious Porky flavour!
- Temperature – A combination of high intense heat and slow roasting is the magic you’re looking for. Before placing your joint in the oven, make sure the temperature is wacked up high, around 220 degrees and cook for around 20-25 minutes for a 1kg joint. The short blast of heat will really help to get the skin crackling up nicely. Now, bring the temperature down to around 190 degrees and calculate the cooking time allowing 35 minutes per 500g.
- Let it rest! – So by now, you can see the golden bubbles really starting to form on your awaited Pork belly roast, and you’re probably dribbling everywhere because you’re so hungry! But hold on a minute… to get show stopping flavoursome pork, means holding off just a little bit longer. Take the joint out of the oven, wrap in foil, and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes! This helps to keep the flavour packed in, and trust us, it’s worth it!
Ready to go? Why not head over to our Roasting Joints and see which takes your fancy...