Hello again! It\u2019s time to do that apron and put on your chef\u2019s hat as we take a look at the best way to cook pork. If you\u2019re like me then the most important aspect of a pork lunch or dinner is getting your teeth into that delicious cracking!<\/p>\n
How do you like your pig?<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\nLike most meats, your choice for roasting depends on your individual personal taste. If you really like a good bit of crackling, try leg and loin joints which have lean meat and are excellent for roasting. If you prefer something with a richer flavor then choose a cut with a higher fat content that can be rendered down to tender meat during cooking like pork belly or shoulder joints.<\/p>\n
If like me you are sometimes a bit lazy or hungover, choose a nice piece of pork fillet because it\u2019s really easy to prepare and cook. It will roast in 30-40 minutes while you watch football on the telly. Here\u2019s a good idea, wrap the pork in slices of Parma ham before roasting it, really tasty.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
What size?<\/b><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nHere\u2019s a good tip. Always buy a piece of pork larger than you think you need as the larger cuts shrink less when you roast them. If there\u2019s too much save it for a next-day sandwich or give it to the cat. To get yourself a lovely layer of crackling, buy an even shaped cut with a nice layer of fat underneath the rind. Score the rind down its length using your finger to measure the gaps, I except zero responsibility for anyone chopping their finger off but can recommend a recipe for finger hot dogs. If you\u2019re looking at a piece of the beast to serve around 6 people (good for you, I don\u2019t have that many friends) buy around 1.5 \u2013 2kg of boneless loin, leg or shoulder joint and the job\u2019s a good \u2018un.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
![\"How](\"https:\/\/www.chefstemp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/How-Do-I-Roast-Pork-Properly-1024x756.jpg\" "\\"How")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>Now it\u2019s time to prepare and get ready to cook<\/b><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nOf course, the best bit of the pig is the crackling, and to get the best bit of crackling known to humanity follow my advice. Take the cut of pork out of the packaging as soon as you get home, dry the beast as well as you can taking special care to thoroughly dry the rind. Then, loosely cover the joint with a tea towel or similar and put it in the fridge. If it\u2019s a large joint, grab it from the fridge about an hour before you want to cook it so that the cut can get up to room temperature. Dry the rind again and rub a tablespoon of salt into it about half an hour before you plan to cook.<\/p>\n
Grab a roasting tin that\u2019s a little big bigger than the joint, make sure it\u2019s not too big or the delicious gravy juices will evaporate. Peel half an onion and then bung it in the roasting tin, this will caramelize and add loads of extra flavor to the gravy. If you\u2019re a fan of herbs the best ones to use are thyme and sage, apples also go well with pork (obviously) so you can also slice up an apple and throw them in the tin. Lightly sprinkle the crackling with a bit of extra salt before putting the tin in the oven.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>Watch your meat temperature<\/b><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nDon\u2019t forget to preheat your oven to 428\u00b0F\/Gas 7\/fan 392\u00b0F. I advise that, for a big joint, you roast on high heat for the first 30 minutes so that it penetrates the pork quickly (for crackling joints, 20 minutes for no crackling but then you would be crazy to not want crackling). The best crackling is formed when the fat beneath the rind melts and bastes it to a lovely crisp. If you want perfect pork and crackling it\u2019s of extreme importance that you check the cooking temperature of this joint as it cooks.<\/p>\n
WARNING! Do NOT cover pork crackling joints while they are in the oven or the result will be crackling so soggy that even the cat will not eat it. There\u2019s never any need to baste the cooking pork but you can brush the crackling with a little oil.<\/p>\n
What size?<\/b><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Here\u2019s a good tip. Always buy a piece of pork larger than you think you need as the larger cuts shrink less when you roast them. If there\u2019s too much save it for a next-day sandwich or give it to the cat. To get yourself a lovely layer of crackling, buy an even shaped cut with a nice layer of fat underneath the rind. Score the rind down its length using your finger to measure the gaps, I except zero responsibility for anyone chopping their finger off but can recommend a recipe for finger hot dogs. If you\u2019re looking at a piece of the beast to serve around 6 people (good for you, I don\u2019t have that many friends) buy around 1.5 \u2013 2kg of boneless loin, leg or shoulder joint and the job\u2019s a good \u2018un.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> Now it\u2019s time to prepare and get ready to cook<\/b><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Of course, the best bit of the pig is the crackling, and to get the best bit of crackling known to humanity follow my advice. Take the cut of pork out of the packaging as soon as you get home, dry the beast as well as you can taking special care to thoroughly dry the rind. Then, loosely cover the joint with a tea towel or similar and put it in the fridge. If it\u2019s a large joint, grab it from the fridge about an hour before you want to cook it so that the cut can get up to room temperature. Dry the rind again and rub a tablespoon of salt into it about half an hour before you plan to cook.<\/p>\n Grab a roasting tin that\u2019s a little big bigger than the joint, make sure it\u2019s not too big or the delicious gravy juices will evaporate. Peel half an onion and then bung it in the roasting tin, this will caramelize and add loads of extra flavor to the gravy. If you\u2019re a fan of herbs the best ones to use are thyme and sage, apples also go well with pork (obviously) so you can also slice up an apple and throw them in the tin. Lightly sprinkle the crackling with a bit of extra salt before putting the tin in the oven.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> Watch your meat temperature<\/b><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Don\u2019t forget to preheat your oven to 428\u00b0F\/Gas 7\/fan 392\u00b0F. I advise that, for a big joint, you roast on high heat for the first 30 minutes so that it penetrates the pork quickly (for crackling joints, 20 minutes for no crackling but then you would be crazy to not want crackling). The best crackling is formed when the fat beneath the rind melts and bastes it to a lovely crisp. If you want perfect pork and crackling it\u2019s of extreme importance that you check the cooking temperature of this joint as it cooks.<\/p>\n WARNING! Do NOT cover pork crackling joints while they are in the oven or the result will be crackling so soggy that even the cat will not eat it. There\u2019s never any need to baste the cooking pork but you can brush the crackling with a little oil.<\/p>\n<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>
![\"ChefsTemp](\"https:\/\/www.chefstemp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/ChefsTemp-Safe-Cook-Temp-Magnet-683x1024.jpg\" "\\"ChefsTemp")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>![\"ChefsTemp](\"https:\/\/www.chefstemp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/finaltouchx10-2-e1607718414763.jpg\" "\\"finaltouchx10-2\\"")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>