Consistently getting perfect pork crackling is quite a challenge but by using your PigOut Roaster the results are easy. the biggest secret is that it’s all about the moisture content in the skin and then heat.
Each one of the steps below is designed to remove moisture and ensure that the skin is as dry as possible so the timing of each of the steps below is important.
Hang for 24 hours
After getting your pig pat the skin with a paper towel and hang it in the refrigerator for 24 hours and do not cover. This allows the skin to dry out naturally by evaporation.
Note: - You will find that water runs out of the pork while hanging, be sure to place a towel or bucket under the pork to catch these drippings.
Score the skin
It’s important to score into the fat under the skin but not as deep as the flesh. This means that when you roast the pig, the fat renders out onto the skin but the moisture in the meat remains inside keeping the meat juicy.
Add salt to the skin
Just before cooking rub salt into the scored skin and this will help release any more moisture from the fat. It's important however to ensure that you do this just before the pig goes on your roaster because that way the water which leeches out of the fat is immediately evaporated by heat of the roaster
If you do it say 30 minutes before cooking, then water will leech out of the fat and dampen the skin, so you would have done the 24 / 48 hours in the refrigerator for nothing.
Cook over a dry heat
Cooking your pig on the rotisserie with the heat to the side is the best way because the skin is getting intense direct heat. I recommend cooking on high heat in the first instance to scorch the skin. The first 20 minutes of cooking need to be at 220°C or 430°F and after that the roaster can be turned down to a more moderate 180°C or 360°.
If you check the pork prior to turning the oven down, you'll see that the skin has already bubbled but if it hasn't don't turn the heat down for another 10 minutes and check again. Same rule applies for the final 30min of cooking, I prefer to once again turn the roaster up to high heat to blast the skin with a final amount of heat to ensure good crispy skin.
Never put anything else in the roaster with the pork because this will only add moisture. Roast the pork solo so that you can maintain the dry heat.
If you follow the tips above then you’ll get perfect pork crackling every time. Good luck!
Tags: #perfectpork #pigout #recipes #HowTos
