Adrian Richardson shares the secret to perfect pork crackling
La Luna chef Adrian Richardson has joined Neil Mitchell throughout lockdown to share his cooking tips for Victorians cooped up at home!
This week, it’s all about pork.
Press PLAY below to hear Richo on air.
Richo’s tips for perfect crackling
Buy great Australian pork, fresh with the bone in.
Remove packaging and allow to dry.
On roasting day bring to room temperature for 1 to 2 hours, This will help cook the pork evenly. Make sure the skin is dried out.
Pre-heat the oven at 220°C for 30 minutes.
Rub with oil and lots of salt on the pork
Pop it on a wire rack with a tray underneath.
Roast at a high temperature for 25 to 30 minutes, This will form the crackle.
Turn the oven down to 175°C
Digital thermometer 72C
Rest for 30 minutes.
Adrian Richardson’s crackling wrapped rolled loin of pork
This is a great dish for serving lots of people. Because the bone is removed & the loin rolled, it slices easily & economically. The pork stays moist, and everyone gets the same amount of crackling. It is also a really easy dish to reheat, & will taste just as good.
Ask your butcher to bone the loin & keep enough of the belly flap to wrap around the meat to make a roll.
Serve with slow braised cabbage.
Ingredients
2.5 kg pork loin
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
6 cloves garlic thinly sliced
¼ cup fresh thyme leaves
¼ cup fresh sage leaves
½ cup parsley leaves
½ cup olive oil
Method
Open the pork loin & lay it, skin-side down, on your work surface. Rub in 1 tablespoon salt & all the pepper then scatter the garlic & fresh herbs. Roll the loin up into a long log shape and tie securely with butcher’s string at 5 cm intervals. You can prepare the pork to this stage up to two days in advance. The herbs & seasoning will permeate the flesh and add extra flavour.
When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 220ºC and place the pork on a rack inside a large roasting tin. Rub all over with oil & season with the rest of the salt. Roast for 20 minutes the lower the oven temperature to 175ºC & roast for 1 hour. The pork is cooked when the internal core temperature reaches 72ºC.
Transfer the cooked pork to a hot dish & leave it to rest for 30 minutes in a warm spot. Remove the string & carve into slices, each with a crisp layer of crackling.
Adrian Richardson’s baked chicken with milk, white wine, lemon & garlic