There’s a long list of words to describe food, from flavour basics such as sweet and sour to the textural creamy, crunchy and chewy of the eating spectrum.
Few, however, are named and famed for a sound. Popcorn and ginger snaps come to mind, with brand named Slurpees and Crunchies possibly making the grade.
But the real hero is crackling, the loudest, proudest and best loved of all. Round of applause, please.
At its most basic, crackling is rind, the skin that sits above a layer of fat and meat of a piece of roasting pork. But when scored, dried, salted and blasted with a hellish heat, it’s transformed into the dinner table’s golden child. And that’s only if it’s not nicked straight from the baking tray.
The rest of the roast – the sweet, succulent meat – is just as covetable, especially with all the traditional and modern trimmings. Today, we’re here to give you the quiet confidence to get crackling.
BONE IN OR BONE OUT?
“Maximum use, minimal waste is what you’re after,” says Allan Northen, butcher at David Jones in Sydney, of the bones, which is why he recommends a boneless rolled pork loin, a choice that offers easier cooking and carving.
Boneless cuts – legs and shoulders are other options – are the only choice if you want to stuff it, but it also offers the advantage of super-easy carving and buying the right size for your needs. Budget for about 200-300g per person, or go for the biggest cut or a leg and use the left-overs for school and work lunches.
As with beef and lamb, each cut offers a slightly different flavour, with the loin the sweetest, leanest and most tender meat, but which some cooks say makes it easier to overcook.
Pork belly – boneless with a very high fat to meat ratio – is another cut being embraced. It starred in MasterChef last year and recently My Kitchen Rules winners Leigh and Jennifer served up poached pork belly in the finale.
“Many cooks steer away from pork because they think it’s too difficult,” says Australia’s best-selling cookbook author Donna Hay. “But all you need to do is select the right cut and my advice is to pick the most forgiving cut of all for your roast – pork belly.”
SCORE THE SKIN
If ear-shattering crackling is what you’re after, it starts with scoring the skin with a very sharp knife. Many retailers now do this for you – if not, ask as their knives are almost always likely to be sharper than anything you have at home. ”
If you want to DIY, take MasterChef Magazine‘s Sophia Young’s advice and use a Stanley knife to score into the skin at 1cm intervals, being careful not to penetrate the fat through to the meat layer.
SALT ASSAULT
Next step is to ensure the rind is as dry as possible.
“If your pork is purchased in a vacuum sealed bag, pat it dry with paper towel before roasting,” says Super Food Ideas‘ Kim Coverdale. “If the skin is too damp, you won’t get fantastic crackling.”
If time allows, leave uncovered in the fridge for a few hours or even overnight to dry out even further.
Stephen Seckold, head chef at Sydney’s Flying Fish, says next rub oil and plenty of salt into the scored skin, really getting it into the slits of the score marks. “The fat under the skin reacts with the salt – that is what makes the skin puff up and crisp up,” he says. “If you don’t rub the salt in properly the crackling will have that chewy texture.”
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. Be guided by your recipe and oven, but also the visual cues.
“You’re looking at 25 minutes for 500g of pork,” says Allan, who suggests testing whether it’s cooked with a meat thermometer or a bamboo skewer: “When the juice runs clear, it’s cooked but if it’s still milky it’s not. And, always rest meat for 20 minutes.”
ON THE SIDE
In the lovely serendipity of Mother Nature, the best friend to pork – apple – is also at its seasonal best now. Pear and quince also tick the box.
“Things with a bit of a sweet or earthy edge seem to go well with pork,” says Sophia, listing chestnuts, brussels sprouts, sweet potato, corn and most root vegetables and pulses.
Food editorMichelle Southan suggests carrot and ginger mash or parsnip wedges roasted and sprinkled with a little parmesan and fresh thyme. And don’t just think of hot sides – pork goes well with a simple salad of fennel and rocket, an old-style waldorf or coleslaw and the family favourite potato salad.
Information in this article is correct as of 10 April, 2012.
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