Roast pork

[LionsandBears]

We're having roast pork today. I've never cooked one, so can people gives me some tips? Would it be better in the oven or the Weber? I want lots of crispy crackling.

[*Ang*]

We do both - how big is it? If it is over 2 kilos it will take just over 2 hours in the weber.

In the oven it is best for pork to turn the heat up quite high for the first half an hour - say 200 then knock it down after that - well that's the way my mum taught me anyway!

[Cassius2]

loads of rock salt in the skin is your friend. Jamie Oliver has a really good way to get crackling...surely it is 'google-able'?? Om nom nom....

[Cassius2]

oh and re the oven vs the weber. if you have a gas oven, i *might* be more inclined towards the weber. Electric ovens are just that bit easier to get the nice high, even temp.

[nothing2lose]

Make sure the skin is as dry as it can be. Take it out of the fridge and let it air for as long as possible. Dry it with a tea towel. Moisture is the enemy.

Score skin with a sharp knife. Rub lots of salt and veg oil into skin. Don't use olive oil. Some people swear by adding lemon juice to the mix but I never have.

Have oven up very, very high to start (first 20-30 mins) the turn down to just high for remainder. Google cooking times dependent on weight. I always forget!

[LionsandBears]

Thanks all. We have a fan forced electric oven.

The roast is a rolled thingy and is 1.1kg. That will be enough for 4 people won't it?

[Cassius2]

that is alot of pork so yeah, loads. 275gms of meat each is awesome. I second N2L...skin MUST be dry.

[Rouge]

Poor boiling hot water over the scoring and pat dry. Leave the meat out of the fridge at least 1-2 hours before cooking as the meat, like when cooking steak, cooks better at room temperature. Then follow everything else that's been suggested here. I am the crackle queen. And the tip is really dry, really salty, really hot and then really slow.

[RhiChiChi]

We follow N2L method and we also put a small tray of water in the bottom of the oven, so that keeps the meat moist.

[Mummy&Daddy2Be]

oh man.... this thread is making me hungreehhhh!!!!

[Rooey5]

My bro swears by the boiling water over scored crackling first tip.

[LionsandBears]

Thanks all. One recipe say to cook it for 45min per 1kg. So should I cook it hot for just 20min then low for another 30?

[Rouge]

I normally slow cook my pork, up to 4 hours. Minimum of 2-3. I haven't cooked it the traditional way for a long time. I would PM BG, as I gave her my perfect traditional method years back and she swears by it. It's been so long since I did it that way that I can't remember.

[LionsandBears]

If you slow cook it, how do you get crackling?

[Rouge]

I slow cook it in the bbq or the oven.

I do the crackle method as mentioned above. I put the pork on a trivet on a tray. I put water in the bottom of the tray. Then I cook at about 450F (220C) for about 30 minutes, then on the bbq I turn the burners down to low so that the temperature on the hood is about 160C. Same goes for the oven. I then cook it slowly for about 2-4 hours depending on the piece of pork. The pork crackle comes out as good as chinese roast pork crackle. It crunches yet melts at the same time. And the pork is like butter. Only way to describe it.

When cooking any meat in the BBQ with a tray make sure the tray is sitting on indirect heat. So we have the outside burners on but the middle ones are off. Otherwise you are grilling the meat.

[LuluHB]

Definitely what Rouge says. I cook mine in a combi steam oven but other exactly as Rouge does and its perfect every time. The moisture is definitely the secret. And because you can't have one without the other, par boil your potatoes first, give them a gentle shake around to roughen up the edges, coat in oil and salt and then roast them. After about 30 minutes in the oven squish them slightly to increase the surface area. Guaranteed to give you yummy crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside roast spuds. Mmmmmmm I think we might have to have roast for dinner now too.

[LionsandBears]

We normally roast the potatoes separately with duck fat.

i'd like to do the roast in the BBQ but 1) I want to make gravy using the juices and I can't do that on the BBQ and 2) we only have a Weber q, so there's only one burner thingy that runs around the whole thing. I don't think I can do indirect heat that way.