How to make pork crackling (2024)

FAQs

How to make pork crackling? ›

Rub them all over with salt, then put them in a hot oven on a griddle. After 30 minutes turn the oven down to medium hot, and cook for 1.5–2hr more. The fat should all drain out leaving the pork belly crisp. Delicious.

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.

Not enough salt - use the full amount specified in the recipe to cover the pork belly rind when dry brining as this is what causes the crackling to puff up and become crispy when the salt reacts with the fat. You can mix it with some oil to help it coat the pork if you need to.

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.

Place the pork, rind-side up, in a roasting pan. Drizzle the oil over the pork, then rub the salt mixture into the cuts. Rub a little oil and salt into the scored rind and place in the oven.

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.

Step 1: Leave your pork cut uncovered in the fridge overnight before cooking. This dries the skin out which is the important step. This pretty much guarantees maximum crunchiness. Step 2: Before cooking, rub a little olive oil or butter and a good amount of salt into the skin.

Drizzle olive oil and rub salt over the pork rind and meat – for best results use your fingers to massage the salt and oil into those scoring cuts. The fat underneath the rind will react with the salt and render down which is what will make the skin burst into puffy crispiness.

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!

The secret to achieving the pork crackle is dry skin, salt, and high heat. Also give yourself at least 24hrs for the best results. Use a rolled shoulder/neck or belly with all the skin still in tack. I find using these mentioned cuts yield the best results.

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 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.

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.

You can choose to store it in a fridge or to store your crackling in a freezer for an even longer period. But, you'd need to keep the crackling in an airtight or a tight cling film which helps prevent damage and spoils from your crackling.

Seasoning pork

Salt gives flavour and helps absorb any remaining moisture.

Do not cover pork crackling joints while they're cooking, or you'll be left with soggy crackling. There's no need to baste pork while it's cooking as the fat should keep it moist, but some cooks like to brush the crackling with a little extra oil once or twice.