crackling...my reputation is at stake!

[Mulledandmerry]

Roast pork tomorrow. Have a decent piece of free range with a good layer of fat. Please tell me in idiot terms how to make crispy crackling...my last effort was pathetic. Thanks.

Score the skin. Dry it thoroughly with kitchen towel.
Cover in salt and vinegar and repeat every hour or so for the whole morning.
Preheat oven very hot - 230+. Put in oven for 30 mins on very hot temp then drop to 180 or so for rest of cooking time (but check first that crackling has crackled). I usually put a bit of water in the try at this stage otherwise the tray and juices can get burnt. Turn the oven back up near the end if its not a crackly as you want.
Hope it works - does for me every time!

Your oven needs to be really hot. Gas Mark 8, probably. Score the fat, paint with oil and rub lots of salt on it. Top of the hot oven for at least half an hour and then turn it down to normal. Works for me.

If it's wrapped in plastic or vacuum packed then you need to unwrap it NOW and rewrap it in grease proof paper in the fridge overnight. The fat needs to be really dry to get a proper crackle.

Then do what the others suggest with the very, very hot oven for the first half hour.

Thanks....how much salt am i supposed to be rubbing on? (Not worried about health issue here..its crackling for goodness sake ) I will get the oven to nuclear hot and have a go.....nope, pork isn't in plastic. It was a proper butchers!!! Apparently they source from Jimmys farm so his reputation is at stake too!!!!

Quite a lot of salt - I would say about a teaspoon for a joint to serve 4 - and I would 'salt' it 2 or 3 times before it goes in the oven.

We never put anything on the fat. We let it dry out by leaving it uncovered in the fridge then when we start cooking, it goes in at Gas 9 for 30 mins.

After scoring with the sharpest knife you can find, I pour a just boiled kettle of water over the skin to open up the cuts. You will see it working when you try it! Then dry very well on paper towels and season quickly before throwing it in the oven.