Pork roast with crispy crackling 

• Pork roast 1½ kg - pork loin with crackling

• Coarse salt 1½ tbsp

• Water ½ liter 

 

How to cook pork roast with crispy crackling 

• In order for the crackling to become crispy, it is important that the crackling is cut all the way through with ½ cm between the cuts - but be careful not to cut the meat beneath, because the juices may seep through, making it harder to get crispy crackling.  

• Use 1 tbsp of coarse salt per kg of meat and rub it carefully between the cuts in the crackling. Then place the roast on a grill above an oven pan, making sure the crackling is as level as possible. You can use aluminum foil or a piece of potato to put under the roast, to keep it straight. 

• Pour water into the pan and place the grill with the roast on top. Put the roast in the middle of a cold oven. Turn the oven to 200 degrees celcius or 390 degrees fahrenheit and cook the roast for 1½ hours – cook it longer if it’s a large roast. The meat will be juicy if you use a cooking thermometer. Make sure the tip is in the middle of the roast.

• Keep an eye on the core temperature. When that is 55°c or 130°f, check the crackling for crispness. If it’s crispy, keep cooking the roast until the core temperature is 65°c or 150°f. If the crackling is not crispy, turn the oven up to 250-300°c or 480-570°f until the core temperature is 65°c or 150°f. The crackling will only bubble up if the oven temperature is 225-230°c or 435-445°f.

• Let the roast rest uncovered for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile the core temperature will go up to 70°c or 160°f. A pork loin is cooked through at that temperature. 

Cooking time

About 1½ hours at 200°c or 390°f in a traditional oven.

 

Tip

If the core temperature is 65°c or 150°f and the crackling isn’t crispy, you can remove the crackling from the roast and grill it in the oven. Wrap the roast, so that it keeps warm during.