How to get crispy pork crackling this Christmas
The perfect pork belly is a treat on any dinner table. Follow these 8 tips and you’ll be on your way to creating pork crackling that’ll be a hit this Christmas.
Choosing a pork cut
Crackling is all about skin and fat. The meat underneath is a question of taste. Pork belly is the safest choice (you can ask the butcher for the boneless part for easy carving), as the meat is marbled with fat and is harder to overcook. Neck or shoulder (with or without bone) are also good choices as they have a good ratio of fat. Pork loin is very tender and sweet but is leaner, so must not be overcooked.
How to score pork belly
Scoring the fat helps it bubble up to the surface while roasting to baste the skin. Make sure the pork is cold when you score as it’s easier to cut through firm fat. Use a Stanley or craft knife or a very sharp kitchen knife to score horizontal or diagonal lines about 0.5cm to 1cm apart. Cut all the way through the skin and fat but not into the meat or the juices will run when roasting, steaming and softening the crackling and drying out the meat.
How to dry pork belly
You want the skin and fat to be as dry as possible. If time allows, chill the piece of pork uncovered for 4 hours or overnight (the air in the refrigerator is very dry). If there’s no time, pat the meat dry with paper towel and finish off with a hair dryer (but make sure it’s on the cold setting!)
Marinating
If your recipe calls for a marinade, make sure it doesn’t touch the fat and skin. With a round piece of pork, you need to cut away the fat and skin and set aside while you marinate the meat, then reassemble and tie with kitchen string when ready to roast. If using a flat piece of pork belly, make sure the level of marinade stays below the level of fat.
Seasoning pork
Salt gives flavour and helps absorb any remaining moisture. 5 minutes before roasting, rub the piece of pork very generously with salt, ensuring it goes right into the scoring. You can use a mix of regular table salt (which will penetrate the skin) and salt flakes (for a crisp crust). You can use oil to help the salt stick to the meat but if you really rub the salt in, you don’t need the extra fat.
How to cook pork belly
Starting off the cooking process with a blast of heat is the second most importing thing after drying the meat. Preheat your oven to 250C (230C fan-forced) and roast the pork for about 20 minutes. You want to achieve about 75% of the crackling at this stage (keep an eye out to check that it doesn’t start burning). Then reduce oven to 180C (160C fan-forced) to finish cooking the meat.
How to get crispy pork crackling
Don’t over-focus on the crackling and forget the meat – if your meat is cooked but you’re not happy with the skin, cut it away and perfect it in a hotter oven while you rest the meat.If you’ve missed a step along the way and the skin hasn’t crackled, don’t give up. Cut it away from the meat and place it on a baking tray lined with foil, then brush with oil and sprinkle with salt. Cook under a preheated grill until the magic happens. Keep a close eye on it as it can easily burn.
Experimenting with crackling
If there happens to be any leftover crackling (as if), cover the precious item in foil and chill. Bring to room temperature and place under a preheated grill to heat up and crisp. Serve as a special treat with a fried egg breakfast or sprinkle over a salad or soup.
Top recipes using pork crackling
Crispy roasted pork leg with crackling
Curtis Stone’s slow roasted pork leg with crackling and smoky salsa
Crispy pork crackling
Spook pork with crackling, parsnip puree and green lentils
Mustard pork with crackling and butter-bean smash
See also
19 succulent pork belly recipes that are impossible to resist
The secret to perfect pork crackling
Masterclass with Curtis Stone: pork crackling recipe
Understanding pork cuts
Spiced roast pork – BEST RECIPES
FAQs
Preheat oven to 230°C, 210°C fan or Gas Mark 8. Put the joint in a roasting tin on the top shelf for 20 minutes. This sudden blast of heat is the key to crispy crackling. Reduce the temperature to 180-190°C, 160-170°C fan or Gas Mark 4-5 and follow the cooking times below to ensure the joint is cooked through.
Does pouring boiling water on pork make better crackling? ›
boiling water trick
This helps to prep the skin to crackle as its now "pre-cooked" so to speak. Make sure to pat dry with paper towel to further dry afterwards.
How to get the best pork crackling on a spit? ›
Another technique to get the perfect pork crackling is after you have pricked your pork skin, wipe it down with white vinegar before you apply the salt and let it rest uncovered in the fridge. Please note that we are only applying salt to the skin side, not the meat side.
Does vinegar help pork crackling? ›
Using Smeg's 'Ferrari' function, supercook and apple cider vinegar results in exceptional, toothsome crackling with meltingly tender pork. For best results, rub with salt and vinegar the day before and dry thoroughly before roasting.
Should you salt pork for crackling? ›
Seasoning pork
Salt gives flavour and helps absorb any remaining moisture.
How long does it take for pork to crackle? ›
Preheat oven to 220C or 200C fan-forced. Place crackling rind-side up onto a rack over a shallow baking dish. Roast for 40 to 50 minutes, or until small bubbles form on surface and rind is golden and crisp. Cool for 5 minutes, then slice & enjoy!
Is lemon juice good for pork crackling? ›
Salt, Oil and Lemon Assault – Vigorously rub oil, lemon juice and salt deep into the slits of the scored rind and season generously. The reaction between the salt and the fat layer under the skin is what makes the skin puff up and crisp into an ear-shattering crackle!
Do you rest pork with crackling? ›
HOW TO SERVE ROAST PORK. Let it rest for a good 10-15 minutes so all of those juices stay in the meat before carving. The longer you wait the juicier the meat. The crackle doesn't go soft while resting.
Do you cook pork crackling on high or low heat? ›
Now the pork is ready to cook, but there's another trick to follow here, to get even better crackling. Always start with high heat, to get the crackling going! Try 20-30 minutes at 220c-240c then reduce the temperature to a medium heat for the remainder of the cooking (170-190C).
How do you keep pork crackles crispy? ›
After degreasing your crackling using a paper towel, place the cracklings in an airtight container. You can also settle for a food-storage bag that can be sealed and not permeable to air. It's best to avoid paper bags as they'd soil up in the fridge or freezer and ruin your pork crackling.
A close cousin to pork rinds, cracklins are essentially what happens when you leave a little bit of fat on the pork skin and fry it up. The result is a heavier, chewier product with a meatier crunch. Though they don't puff up like pork rinds, they're addictively satisfying in their own right.
What is the secret to good pork crackling? ›
HIGH HEAT. “A searing hot oven to start is the best way to get crisp crackling,” says Valli Little, of delicious. Between 220C and 240C for 20 to 30 minutes is the recommendation, then reduce the temperature to a range of 160C to 180C. Pork meat is at its best when it's just pink verging on white.
Does boiling water help pork crackling? ›
Once you have scored the skin (or taken the already-scored roast from the packaging) place your roast skin side up on a rack in the sink. Pour a cup or more of boiling water over the skin. This will shrink the rind, allowing the incisions to open and enabling the heat, salt, and oil to penetrate deeper.
Why is my crackling too hard? ›
The heat at which you cook pork cracklins can also cause them to become hard. If the temperature is not high enough, the skin won't crack properly, resulting in a rubbery texture.
How do I keep pork crackling crisp? ›
After degreasing your crackling using a paper towel, place the cracklings in an airtight container. You can also settle for a food-storage bag that can be sealed and not permeable to air. It's best to avoid paper bags as they'd soil up in the fridge or freezer and ruin your pork crackling.
Should you salt pork belly overnight? ›
You do have to prepare the pork belly the night before, but all you need to do is score the skin, put on a salt rub, and then let it sit in the fridge overnight to dry out the skin. The next day you put on some more seasoning and then stick it in the oven.
