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How to make the ultimate pork crackling
Making a gorgeous crackling has always been a bit of a mystery, but don’t worry! We’ve got some handy tips to get you to pork crackling heaven.
Published 11 December 2019 9:57am
Updated 28 July 2020 1:23pm
By SBS Food bite-sized
Source: SBS
Image: Crispy roasted pork belly (Donna Hay)
Dry the skin
Excess water can cause stewing, which prevents the temperature from getting high enough for a successful crackle! Thoroughly pat the skin dry before oiling and salting, or if you can, leave your piece of pork uncovered in the fridge for 2 hours to overnight.
Score the skin
Just like rind on bacon spits and bubbles in a hot pan, the rind on a piece of pork will naturally want to bubble up when it’s ready to become crackling. Big differences in texture is what causes some parts of your pork to burn before the rest crackles, so remember to score the rind well to help release some of that tension. There are even some gadgets that the Cantonese uses to pierce small holes in the skin, to help achieve what they call “lychee skin”. Bonus points: these cuts also help the rendered fat bubble up from beneath, basting the rind and helping the heat penetrate evenly.
Render the fat
Large amounts of fat left under the skin can trap a lot of moisture, which can make for chewy crackling! Take your time to cook the meat low and slow, rendering out enough fat before you turn up the grill to get that crackling going!
Turn up the heat
A hot blast of heat is what you need to get a good crackle, and the grill setting in your oven is perfect for that. Set it at 220C, and keep a close eye on it to make sure that it doesn’t burn and ruin all your hard work! if parts of it do start to burn, use aluminium foil to protect the crackling while the rest of the rind catches up. For extra points, you can also use (with great caution!) a heat gun to target the areas that just refuse to crisp up.
Flavour the meat!
A beautiful crispy topping of crackling isn’t quite as satisfying if there isn’t succulent, flavourful meat to go with it! In the process of drying out the skin, remember to not let the meat underneath dry out too. Use a deep roasting tray to brine just the meat while you leave the skin to dry out uncovered, and you can have the best of both worlds. No brine? It’s okay, store-bought stock, or even just rubbing the meat with salt can impart lots of flavour too.
