Why am I rubbish at making crispy pork crackling?!

[scrummyyummy]

I have tried different recipes with different methods of doing a crispy belly pork but my crackling is never crispy! I have tonight tried Marco Pierre White's recipe which I found on Youtube and it still comes out rubbish! I'm now grilling the skin to make it crispy! I did exactly as he said but it didn't look like his crackling! Should I just give up doing crispy belly pork as I obviously don't have the knack for it!

[Count-A-Strong]

What are you doing cooking pork at twenty past nine. You'll have indigestion if you go to bed After that.

[237SJ]

Are you scoring the rind and rubbing salt into it? We have pork belly on the menu at work at the moment but it doesn`t come out crispy. The conditions it is cooked in are a bit "challenging" though so maybe that`s why! Pork loin gives the best crackling. Maybe it`s hard to get good belly crackling because it`s such a fatty cut of meat.

[funnygirl]

It is a bit late to be cooking pork!!

I am drinking my cocoa!

[DTCwordfan]

(i) not drying your pork in the fresh air - i.e. taking straight from the fridge and/or out of the pork

(ii) using some good salt to rub in

(iii) cooking temp not high enough to crisp it up......

[granny grump]

Grandad G my favourite crackling maker recommends rubbing grease (lard or dripping) & salt into it - preferrably a fan oven but it does work with other ovens. It will not vrackle properly if it has been frozen - goodluck

[granny grump]

sorrry crackle not vrackle

[Mamyalynne]

liberally sprinkle a baking tray with coarse sat, lay the scored belly posrk skin side down, cover and chill over night(this draws the moisture out of the skin) Brush excess salt off lay on a tray skin side down and season with pepper, then roast.

[Mamyalynne]

*pork*

[tamborine]

marco pierre - phooey ! Score the skin, sprinkly salt & hand-spread to get it crispy

[hc4361]

It'll never crackle skin side down!

[askyourgran]

Belly pork at room temp, score the rind then rub in some oil (or lard) then rub salt all over the rind, Put the meat in a tin with some lard in, set the oven gas mark 6 or 200 electric, shelf just above the middle of the oven, Baste meat every so often, the fat will bubble. I usually do ours for an hour nearer the top of the oven then depending how big the joint is lower the shelf and turn to 180 or no 5 for about 30 mins to give the meat itself time to relax before taking it out. Good luck, sometimes the rind isn't right for it to work.

[tamborine]

skin side up to roast

[tamborine]

I sprinkle water if not crispy enuf, return to top of oven till crisp & bubbly.

[scrummyyummy]

I'm cooking the pork so late as we've got home a bit late and i thought we would be a bit peckish by the time it takes to cook the pork. Also, the pork needed to be eaten by today and I didn't want to throw it out (thinking of the landfill and my finances!). However, It always seems too much effort for what I achieve at the end of it. As I said, I ended up grilling the skin in the end and it is crunchy but we all feel a bit sick now as it was fatty too! Definitely not good just before bed! The whole family will probably have indigestion!!

Some of you have said cook it at a high temperature to start with wihich I have tried previously but tonight, I tried Marco's recipe and cooked it at 160C with some water in the tray. Still no good. I'm much better doing roast chicken so maybe I should stick to chicken - much healthier and less fatty!

[EcclesCake]

One of the biggest problems is finding pork that has enough fat on it to produce good crackling. As others have said the skin needs to be good and dry, when you get home unpack the meat and put it on a plate uncovered in the fridge, remove from fridge one hour before cooking.

If you are going to salt the skin (I don't) wait until you are ready to put it in the oven.

[McMouse]

For perfect pork crackling I would refer you to the essayist Charles Lamb and his "A Dissertation upon Roast Pig"