Oil or butter? Or both – or neither? Salt, or not? How about liquids – how do you get the meat of a pork joint succulent and cooked through yet also end up with perfectly crisp rind, that wondrous thing that every pork lover craves: the perfect pork crackling?
Caroline Conran, and it’s wise to consult very English cooks on this subject, urges us, when roasting a loin of pork, to rub the crackling with a little butter (“don’t sprinkle it with salt, as this will toughen the crackling”), then roast at 220℃ for 10 to 15 minutes, then reduce to 190℃ for 20 minutes per 500℃ plus another 20 minutes. “Don’t,” she instructs, “baste the crackling, just let it cook and it will be crisp and delicious.”