Cook the perfect Pork Crackling this Christmas

I bloody love Crackling.  It’s a texture and crunch you don’t normally get with a roast meal, it’s an indulgence, it’s just lovely.  So when the folks at Tender Gourmet Butchery sent some tips on cooking the perfect Pork Crackling I thought to myself, I’m going to put that up on the site – for my own records let alone for you to share:)

Reading through these tips from Adam Stratton – master butcher at Tender Gourmet Butchery – there’s something ridiculously surprising about this, grab the hair dryer and find out.

He reckons “After years of trying this and trying that, I have finally nailed it – I’ve come up with an unbeatable technique for cooking the most perfect and mouth-watering crackling.”

And a big part of that – the humble hair-dryer.  Adam reckons “The hair dryer helps to dry the pork skin and draw out all the moisture. The drier the skin, the better the crackling. And you need a super hot oven or BBQ too.”

So, hook up your printer – get this one up on the wall and impress your family this Christmas:

• Step 1: Place your roast skin side up in the sink, boil the kettle and pour the boiling hot water all over the rind. You will see where the butcher has scored the rind – it will open right up. Balance the pork on something in the sink, like four glasses or four mugs.
• Step 2: Towel dry the rind or use the hair dryer to get it dry. Super dry. Place uncovered in the fridge for a couple of hours before roasting. Refrigeration will continue to dry out the rind.
• Step 3: Pre-heat oven to 240 degrees, half an hour before the rind is ready for the oven. Baste the rind in olive oil and a course rock salt, and then place in to a baking dish.
• Step 4: Cook in pre-heated oven at the high temperature for approximately 20-30 minutes or until the crackling blisters and goes hard. After that, reduce oven to 180 degrees and continue to cook the roast for 45 minutes per kilo. For a boneless pork roast we recommend 250 grams per person.
• Step 5: Remember to rest your pork roast for at least 10-20 minutes after cooking.
• Step 6: Rip in.

Adam also recommends the use of a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the pork roast periodically.  Oh, and his best tip: If you sneak a taste of some of the pork crackling in the kitchen when no one is watching, then you officially don’t have to include that in your serving and nor do you have to count those calories.  Spoken with perfection I say:)

Merry Christmas.