Roast Pork and Crispy Crackling

One of the questions I'm asked on a regular basis is,

" How do I get my pork crackling crispy? "

I think every chef has their own method on how and why, I'm no different, I think a good quality piece of pork, whether that's belly, loin, shoulder or leg is essential, Also, an extremely hot oven to begin with, dry and well scored skin, a little oil, and plenty of salt rubbed into the scored skin, It's the way I've always done it, I don't think my way is the right way, but it works for me.

The other thing I do a lot is cook the pork over vegetables, this gives you an all in one meal, with the added benefit of all those lovely pork cooking juices soaking into the vegetables, a meal packed full of flavour, and to take things a step further, you could add a glass of cider, white wine or water to help give a lovely sauce

This recipe will serve 6-8 people

Preparation time 30 minutes

Cooking time 2 hours

Ingredients list

1. 2.5kg pork loin, skin on

2. 1 small onion, peeled and chopped into pieces

3. 2 carrots, peeled and chopped into pieces

4. 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces

5. 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

6. A half of swede, peeled and cut into pieces

7. 3ooml of cider (optional)

8. A splash of vegetable oil

9. seasoning

Method

1. Pre heat the oven to 220c

2. Score and dry the skin really well

3. Rub a small amount of oil over the pork skin

4. Now rub a generous amount of salt into the pork skin

5. Add the vegetables to a mixing bowl with the garlic, a splash oil, and season well, toss the vegetables to coat well

6. Tip the vegetables into a roasting tray, and place the pork on top of the vegetables

7. Place the pork in the oven and roast for 25 minutes, turn the oven down to 185c and continue to cook for a further hour

8. When the pork is cooked (the juices will run clear when skewered) remove from the oven and transfer to a warm plate to rest

9. Add the cider to the roasting tray and return to the oven for 10 minutes, this will give you wonderful flavoured vegetables and sauce

10. Divide the vegetables between warmed plates, carefully carve the pork, and spoon the delicious sauce over the pork and serve

Perfect roast pork and crackling every time