Crackling - any tips?

[AndATigerschickInAPearTree]

I'm doing roast pork for a dinner party tomorrow night and have been requested to make sure there is crackling.
I don't like it so have never bothered before. I checked my trusty books and they contradict each other - Delia says to have the oven really hot for 20 mins at the start of cooking and Mrs B say to do it at the end
Any tips gratefully received

Rub it with plenty of salt and don't smear any butter or fat on it before you cook it. I follow Delia which has always worked great. The only thing I do extra is when the joint is cooked I take the crackling off, put it in a tray and back in the oven on its own for 15 mins or so. It really crisps up..fab!

Don't forget the apple sauce! Yum.

Hello -

My DH does the best crackling so I should really get him to answer, but he's at work, so here goes my attempt...

Are you buying from a butcher? If so get them to score the skin with their really sharp knives, otherwise you'll have to have a go yourself - basically, score the skin into strips (probably about 1-2cm thick) going fairly deep into skin (but not into meat). You will need a very sharp knife to do this easily.

Secondly take meat out of fridge early and out of all plastic etc, and dry skin off with kitchen towel - to get good crackling you need skin to be dry to start with. Then rub salt into skin(now this is where I get hazy on quantities - but again, the idea is to draw out moisture and make skin as dry as possible)

Then follow Delia... She probably tells you about salt actually. DH uses Delia every time (blasting it for 20 mins at start) and it is really really delicious.

Good luck!

FWIW, DH also uses thyme and garlic to make the pork extra yummy. Cuts little slits in the meat and sticks slithers of garlic in and rubs the meat in thyme. Oooh, his roast pork is my favourite dinner!!!

score the fat before you put the joint in the oven, rub plenty of salt into the fat, then roast as normal. I always whack the temperature up (and remove tin foil if you've covered the joint with it) right at the end.

You can rub cider into the fat as well - and you can use cider as the liquid to roast it in, it soaks into the meat and tastes delicious

sam as holidaysqueen, also i sometimes shove it under the grill just to crisp up properly.

I asked for this not so long ago, and was told to put criss cross cuts in the fat, rub a little salt in (not too much) and preheat the oven as hot as it will go.
Put the joint in for about 20/30 minutes at that temp before turning down to cook normally.
It worked wonderfully.

So there you are Tiger- thoroughly confused eh?!!

Toldja you was posh!!

Thanks so much for your responces.
If you have the heat up at the start do you cover the meat in tinfoil?

LOL bossy!

I never cover the meat up when I do it, I also throw my roast pots in at the beginning too, just to get them that little bit crispier.