Roast Pork with Crackling

[Badgers]

Have a pork crackling loin joint (no bone) for Sunday tea. Not my usual choice of roast dinner and has been a long time since I cooked pork that was not sausage shaped.

It is 0.935kg to feed 4 people which is a bit tight I think. Just over 2 pounds of pork so according to Delia it should be cooked as follows:

Place the pork on a high shelf in the oven and roast it for 25 minutes. Turn the heat down to 190C/375F/Gas 5, and calculate the total cooking time allowing 35 minutes to the pound.

25 minutes on gas mark 9
70 minutes on gas mark 5
30 minutes resting time before carving

I was planning to score it well, rub rock salt all over and roast on a bed of root vegetable. Is there anything I am missing? Any tips for getting the crackling right?

 

[tombowler]

the chef where i worked many moons ago used to add lemon juce before or after the salt he always had great crackling on the loins but it never worked for me in a fan oven. as you are on gas i think your plan will work well

 

[Badgers]

Cheers. Pork creates a lot of fat but it feels wrong not basting or coating with something.

 

[wayward bob]

i cheat on my crackling

oil&salt rubbed in. after about an hour carefully cut it off, keeping as much fat as possible on the meat. salt the underside of the crackling and top of meat, balance crackling precariously at an angle on the joint = higher in oven, so gets crispier, salt on fat helps it cook, can remove as soon as it's done/turn it over to get the underneath really crispy. you get gorgeous brown crispy fat on the meat too

we don't have pork any more - i like to get a bone in joint from the dude at the market and i just can't afford it any more shame cos it's my favourite roast bar none.

 

[sim667]

I just had some awesome pork crackling. My Belgian freind was at the pub with us and didn't know what the crackling was, or ever seen ten people go so mental over a small bit of food being shared out

 

[weltweit]

hmm crackling ... yum ...

 

[Perroquet]

never been into the idea of crackling, but then i usually cut all the fat off any meat.

fat is for sissies. and it just slows you down getting to the good stuff.

 

[Orang Utan]

fat is the best bit, you total wrong un

 

[Addy]

crunchy, salty crackling and sweet sweet fat underneath is so much better than the pork .... unless it has been slow roasted in cider and apples... then its a draw.

 

[wayward bob]

pork makes the best gravy

 

[killer b]

we had some of this for tea tonight. it was lovely, but perhaps i shouldn't have been eating crackling with a temporary filling...

 

[wayward bob]

i find crispy duck fills in nicely when i have a roast pork craving

 

[killer b]

too late now! fortunately i'm seeing the dentist in the morning anyway.

 

[Badgers]

It was not bad. The crackling looked great but was slightly more chewy than crispy. The meat cooked perfectly though, just could have done with being 300-400g (uncooked weight) per person than the 234g each we had. We were full after the meal but I have no delicious leftover pork sandwiches today

 

[tarannau]

Love crackling, but sometimes those smaller loin joints can get a little more dry and mingier on the crackling and melting layer of fat underneath than you'd like.

Love the excess of a big lump of of (bone in) pork belly more if anything - scored, scalded, dried and cooked slow it makes the best crackling and fantastically tender pork. Fair bit cheaper than loin too, even if it has increased in price and popularity lately. Dombeys in the market has usually got some prime chunks behind the counter Badgers, enough to sate the leftover need at good price - you have to ask the butcher guy to fetch some from the back though

 

[TopCat]

How was the meat badgers?

 

[Badgers]

How was the meat badgers?

Meat was fine. What I failed to include was stuffing

 

[TopCat]

Oh well. I bet it was delicious and Kitty et al were happy to be cooked for.