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Perfect Crackling and Scratchings

I love crackling on roast pork and here are some tips on how to do it!

To make scratchings, take the rind off more or less any pork. To making crackling leave it on but follow the basic instructions as far as you can.

If there is a lot of fat do take some off. If the rind is off the belly and there are small layers of meat, leave these on as they are absolutely delicious.

The drier the rind to start, the better.

Lay the rind fat side down and dry. If you can leave for five minutes exposed to the air.

Lightly scatter salt over the skin ensuring an even coverage.

After 20 minutes, beads of moisture that will have formed. Wipe these off together with any salt

Taking your sharpest knife, with a lot of care, cut the rind into neat strips, between 1/4" and 1/2" wide. If making crackling on the joint, just score the rind-we normally will do this unless asked not to.

Place these fat side up, on the trivet in your grilling tray, and roast at a medium heat (150 degrees C, Gas 3) for 25 minutes.

If the scratchings start to curl, set them out again to keep them separate and turn them over at that point.

Remove them when done and leave for five minutes on kitchen paper to cool, during which time, they will crisp up even more.

If roasting a joint start the joint off slowly, when the crackling starts to turn, you'll find not all of it goes at once and it's a good idea to remove it in the piece and finish it off on it's own.

A good tip when chopping up crackling you’ve removed from a roast (makes it easier to carve anyway)-place it fat side up and chop it with a heavy knife.

We had the most perfect loin of pork cooked for us at one of our tasting lunches, by Jacques Marchal-Plymouth's first Michelin starred chef. His method was to remove the crackling when the joint was all but cooked, breaking it up and putting it on top of the roasting potatoes-naughty, but nice once in a while.