Mrsfoodiemumma – Marie Muccio, foodie, wife, mum of three and granddaughter – inspiring you to get excited about food!
When I think of Sunday’s I think of family dinners, delicious roasts and all the trimmings. I think of tender pork with drool worthy crispy crackle. After several attempts of trying different techniques I think I’ve mastered the art of the perfect crackle and I’m going to share my tips with you!
Whether it be for your family dinner or part of your Christmas Day banquet this is sure to be the show stopper!
I prefer to use boneless pork shoulder, the result is juicy, tender pork inside and the perfect crunch of crispy crackle on the outside. The secret is to take the time to prep the pork before you put it in the oven.
First you need to score the pork; If you don’t have good quality sharp knives, get your butcher to score it for you.
Next you need to place the pork in a colander in the kitchen sink and pouring over 1 litre of boiling water. This will help the rind to open up.
Equally important is to dry out the rind before cooking to ensure you get the perfect crackle.
Ideally you want to dry it out in the fridge overnight so make sure you do your prep the day before. If you’re short on time even just a few hours drying out in the fridge will make a difference.
Next the cooking time and temperature plays an equally important part. Starting off on low heat to give the pork time to cook without drying it out and then cranking up the heat towards the end gives you the ultimate crackle.
Perfect pork roast, crackle and caramelised apples
Ingredients
2kg boneless pork shoulder, scored
2tbs fennel seeds
6 red apples
2tbs soft brown sugar
Method
Fill and boil your kettle.
Place the pork in a colander and slowly pour the boiling water over the skin to open it up.
Dry well with paper towel or a clean tea towel and then place in the fridge to dry out completely (min 2hrs or preferably overnight.)
Take pork out of the fridge and rub with olive oil, lots of salt and fennel seeds helping the seeds to get inside the cracks.
Preheat oven to 150 degrees.
Place on a rack in a roasting tray and cook in the oven for 2hrs then crank the oven up to 200 degrees and cook for further 30 min
Once you see the golden crackle it’s done.
Don’t dig in yet though, leave to rest for 20min
Caramelised apples
Wash and cut apples in half and place on baking tray lined with baking paper.
Sprinkle with brown sugar and bake for 20-30 min until golden and caramelised.
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