I get asked all the time "how do you get your pork skin so crispy"? My answer is to prepare the skin well in advance of roasting.
One of the most important things is to make sure the skin is dried very well before preparing it.
When I was growing up I used to watch my Mother prepare a pork roast the day before she was going to cook it. Sometimes it was pork belly and other times it was a shoulder. Shoulder of pork is a very cost effective choice for a roast. It's often on special and can feed many mouths with, we hope, leftovers.
She would start by patting the skin dry with several paper towels and repeat this until she was sure the skin was completely dry. Then with a sharp knife score the skin by making cuts through the skin into the fat but never into the flesh. Often the roast will come scored and if not you can ask the butcher to do this for you.
Then she drizzled some oil over the skin and rubbed it in well all over, taking a little time to massage it in.
Next comes the salt. Sprinkle some fine salt, I use sea salt over the oiled skin and massage well making sure you get a fine coating all over the skin but none on the flesh.
Next she would place the roast in a large dish, cover with cling film and place in the fridge to rest overnight. If you want to cook it on the same day prepare it in the morning and rest in the fridge for 4-6 hours.
She would take the roast out of the fridge at least three hours before it needed to go in the oven.
If you are roasting a stuffed pork belly prepare the skin as above, fill with the desired stuffing, roll, tie, cover and rest in the fridge as above.
CRISPY PORK SHOULDER ROAST
Ingredients
2kg bone-in pork shoulder roast
oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 red onions, halved
2 carrots, peeled and halved lengthways
2 sticks of celery, halved
1 bulb of garlic, skin on, broken into cloves
6 fresh bay leaves
2 cups water or vegetable stock
Method
Prepare the pork skin as per the instructions above and rest covered in the fridge overnight or for at least 4-6 hours. Remove the roast from the fridge 2-3 hours before you want to start cooking it.
Preheat your oven to 220C. Season the underside of the meat with salt and pepper.
Place your pork, skin side-up in a stove top safe roasting tray and place in the oven and roast for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes turn the heat down to 170C and cover the pork snugly with a double layer of tin foil. Put the roast back in the oven and cook for another 3 to 4 hours.
After 4 hours remove the roast from the oven, take off the foil and baste the meat (not the skin) with the fat in the bottom of the tray.
Carefully lift the pork up and transfer to a chopping board or large plate. Spoon off all but a couple of tablespoons of fat from the roasting tray and reserve for later.
Add all the veges, garlic and bay leaves to the tray and stir them into the fat. Place the pork back on top of everything and return to the oven without the foil to roast for another hour. By this time the meat should be meltingly soft and tender.
Gently shift the meat and cooked vegetables to a large serving dish and cover (tent) with tin foil and leave to rest.
Now is the time to make the gravy if you are. Spoon away any fat in the roasting tray then add the water or stock and place the tray on your stove top over a medium heat. Bring to the boil and simmer for a few minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to scrape up all those lovely sticky tasty bits on the bottom of the tray.
When you've got a nice, dark gravy, pour it into a warmed bowl or gravy boat. Add a little more salt and pepper if it needs it.
Remove the crackling from the pork and cut into serving size pieces. Slice your pork and serve with the vegetables.
Roast pork vegetable matches
Sweet flavours enhance the mild taste of roast pork, and bold flavors offer a welcome contrast.
Wash several potatoes and sweet potatoes (don't peel them), then cut into quarters and place around the roast an hour before the roast is done.
Peel 4 or 5 carrots and slice them into about 5cm pieces and put them in with the roast when you add the potatoes.
Roasted pumpkin is also great with the pork. Place some pumpkin slices in a separate dish and cook for 45 minutes before the roast is ready.
Serve with your choice of green beans, peas or cabbage.