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(^) KITCHEN
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THE TECHNIQUE
5 STEPS TO GOLDEN CRUNCHY CRACKLING
Start with good quality pork
A lot of pork is bred to be lean, which might appeal to the
health conscious but doesn’t help when it comes to crackling
(or succulence). Seek out pork with a good fat layer, such as
that from rare-breed pigs (ask your butcher).
Remove packaging
...as soon as possible to help dry out the skin.
Score the skin
...in strips about 1cm wide or in a diamond pattern. The
scoring should go through the skin into the fat but not the
meat. If you’re doing it yourself, a Stanley knife works well,
with the blade extended by only 5mm – or ask your butcher.
Pat the skin dry
...using kitchen roll (or use a hairdryer set on cool), then leave
the pork uncovered to dry out further in the fridge overnight,
a th bottom, away from food that will be eaten raw. Wet
skin doesn’t crackle well, so the drier the better.
If the skin hasn’t fully crackled...
At the end of the cooking time, remove the joint from the
o en n turn up the heat up to 240°C (or as high as your
o en ill go). Return the meat to the oven for 10-15 minutes
until the crackling pops. If it’s a rolled roast, you may need to
mo e it onto its sides for the skin to crackle all over.
Turn to p30 for a wonderful slow-roast pork recipe.OGratea greenapple
and fresh horseradish
together in a bowl
(or use a jar of hot
horseradish sauce),
then mix with soured
cream, a pinch of
sugar and a squeeze
of lemon. Serve
alongside cold roast
beef or smoked fish.
O Add a grating of
fresh horseradish to
ready-made or
homemade
apple sauce
to serve with
our roast
pork belly
on p30.FLAVOUR NOTES
APPLE AND
HORSERADISH