Roast Pork and Crackling, let me show you the easy trick to getting a nice crispy crackling PLUS tender juicy meat! Cook times for roasting pork. This is an easy step-by-step guide to show you how to roast a joint of pork, perfect for a Sunday Roast dinner!
Often people can feel a little intimidated at the thought of cooking a Sunday Roast Dinner. It can turn into a nightmare if you don't organise yourself and get your timings right so that everything is ready at the right time.
A traditional Sunday Roast dinner would usually be made up of a joint of meat, whether it be a whole chicken, leg of lamb, joint of beef or pork, along with roast potatoes, a selection of vegetables, and gravy. Here I will show you how to make a delicious Roast Pork dinner, with lovely crackling! I love the crackling and enjoy eating it with Home Made Apple Sauce.
The beauty of having a roast dinner is that any leftovers can be used the following day, such as roast pork sandwiches, or chopping the cold meat into cubes and adding to fried rice for your Monday dinner! or you could even add to a pie, such as our chicken pie recipe using leftovers. Obviously, just switch the chicken for pork in this case!
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There's also 'Bubble and Squeak' which is a mixture of all the leftover vegetables and potatoes, fried up and eaten with gravy the following day. So you may think you would never get through a joint of meat or a whole chicken, but it really can save you money as larger cuts of meat are often cheaper, and much tastier when cooked whole.
For this recipe for Roast Pork and Crackling, you will be shown how to roast a joint of Pork, and keep it moist. I will also show you how to get crispy crunchy crackling from the skin of the Pork. Often people find this part the hardest, to get it crispy, but I have an easy way that works!
There's also a link to how to make crispy crunchy roast potatoes, and Yorkshire Puddings, so trust me, this recipe doesn't require any skill, apart from thinking about your timings, but you do that every day when you have to get up for work or catch a bus right?
So let's get straight to the recipe and see how we can make a lovely Roast Pork dinner with crispy crackling. Please enjoy!
Ingredients
The Pork
1 joint of Leg, Belly, shoulder of Pork with the Rind/skin ON. Leg of pork (bone out) is the nicest - (less fatty)
1 onion Sliced (see step 5 photo below)
2 teaspoons fine salt
Pepper to season
Herbs if you like, Tarragon, Sage, Thyme etc.
The gravy
2 Tablespoons cornflour or gravy thickener (follow thickener guide for quantity)
500 ml or ½ quart of boiling water or better, use the water from the vegetables you have cooked.
1 chicken stock cube.
Salt & pepper if needed.
Juices from the roasted pork (optional as it may be fatty)
The apple sauce
Calculate 1 apple per person.
This is the link for cooking instructions for my 3-minute applesauce.
The potatoes
Calculate roughly 2 medium sized potatoes per person.
This is the link for cooking instructions for roasting potatoes
The vegetables
Choose vegetables that you like and are in season. For example, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, carrots, cabbage etc. Whatever takes your fancy.
You can also make these Yorkshire Puddings. It's traditional to serve Yorkshire puddings with a Roast Beef Dinner but I tend to serve them with any roast dinner!
Instructions
1. Turn oven on to 240C, 475F, Gas 9
2. Prepare the Pork. First, take a sharp knife and cut through the skin, as far as the fat layer in straight lines, about 1 finger width apart. See the photos below.
The cuts should be ½ inch apart and about 2-3 inches long as in the photos.
3. Place meat in the sink and pour a kettle full of boiling hot water all over the skin.
4. You see the skin has separated. Pat the skin very dry with kitchen paper, and in between the cuts also.
TIP: When you buy your joint of pork, be sure to choose a piece where there is a lot of skin on the 'top' as this is what will make the crackling. You can ask your butcher to score the lines on the skin, but make sure the cuts are down to the fat level otherwise it won't crisp up.
5. Slice an onion and place on a baking dish. First, place some aluminum foil on the dish and be sure to have enough foil so it comes up the sides to cover any exposed meat (NOT the skin).
6. Season the underside / exposed meat part by rubbing some pepper and any other herbs you like.
7. Place the meat, skin side up on the onions and then taking the fine salt, sprinkle all over the skin, rubbing it in, and also in between the cuts.
8. Gather the foil to cover the sides of the meat where it may be exposed, that is if there is no skin covering the meat. This will stop it from drying out.
Adding onions will flavor the juices in the tray which will be added to the gravy and also the steam from the onions cooking will keep the pork moist as well as add flavor.
9. Place the meat in the oven and cook for 25 minutes at 240C, 475F, Gas 9
10. Turn the oven down to 190 C, 375 F, Gas 5, and cook using the guide below.
11. At this point, prepare the roast potatoes and place in the oven after the pork has finished cooking.
12. Prepare your chosen vegetables. Start cooking your vegetables when you have taken your pork out of the oven. If you want to cook them now, you will need to keep them warm somewhere or reheat.
Pork COOK TIMES:
When cooking pork (bone out), please follow these cooking times:-
25 minutes (no matter what weight the meat is) at 240C, 475F, Gas 9 then after 25 minutes, turn oven down to 190 C, 375 F, Gas 5 and cook for 35 minutes per 1 pound of meat.
So if your meat weighs 4 lbs, your cook time will be 25 minutes to start, and then 140 minutes for the 4 lbs of meat. (35 minutes x 4 lbs = 140 minutes).
For those who have a meat thermometer, the internal temperature should be 150F.
Top Tip: If you are going to boil your vegetables, keep the used water to add to your gravy. It’s full of vitamins and will add flavor to your gravy!
13. When the cook time is up for the pork, take out of the oven and let rest for 35 minutes. As soon as it is not too hot to handle, remove the crackling from the pork and place crispy side up on a plate (keep away from the family!!) and then wrap the pork up in the foil to keep moist.
You can use the juices in the gravy if you wish, although it may be a little fatty. You can choose!
At this point, start cooking your vegetables.
14. Make up the gravy. If you are boiling the vegetables, use the cooked vegetable water and add to a saucepan, together with the other gravy ingredients and heat up, stir to make sure there are no lumps.
15. Turn your oven temperature back up and roast the potatoes. This should be done whilst your roast pork is out of the oven and resting.
16. Make up some applesauce if using.
5 minutes before the potatoes are done and when your pork has rested, use a sharp knife and slice the pork ready for serving.
We'd love to hear from you and what you thought of our roast pork and crispy crackling recipe. Did you make any changes or add some other goodies? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!
Recipe Card
Moist Roast Pork and Crackling
Roast Pork and Crackling - Let me show you the easy trick to getting a nice crispy crackling PLUS tender juicy meat!
Ingredients
The Pork
- 1 joint of Leg, Belly, shoulder of Pork with the Rind / skin ON. Leg of pork (bone out) is the nicest - (less fatty)
- 1 onion Sliced, see step 5 photo below
- 2 teaspoons fine salt
- pepper to season
- Herbs if you like, Tarragon, Sage, Thyme etc.
The Gravy
- 2 Tablespoon cornflour or gravy thickener, follow thickener guide for quantity
- 500 ml or ½ quart of boiling water or better, use the water from the vegetables you have cooked.
- 1 chicken stock cube.
- salt & pepper if needed.
- Juices from the roasted pork, optional as it may be fatty
The Apple Sauce
- Calculate 1 apple per person.
- See here for cooking instructions for my 3 minute apple sauce.
The potatoes
- Calculate roughly 2 medium sized potatoes per person.
- See here for cooking instructions for roasting potatoes
The vegetables
- in Choose vegetables that you like and are season. for example, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, carrots,cabbage etc. Whatever takes your fancy!
Instructions
- Turn oven on to 240C, 475F, Gas 9
- Prepare the Pork. First, take a sharp knife and cut through the skin, as far as the fat layer in straight lines, about 1 finger width apart. See the photos below.
- The cuts should be ½ inch apart and about 2-3 inches long as in the photos.
- Place meat in the sink and pour a kettle full of boiling hot water all over the skin.
- You see the skin has separated. Pat the skin very dry with kitchen paper, and in between the cuts also..
- When you buy your joint of pork, be sure to choose a piece where there is a lot of skin on the 'top' as this is what will make the crackling. You can ask your butcher to score the lines on the skin, but make sure the cuts are down to the fat level otherwise it won't crisp up.
- Slice an onion and place on a baking dish. First place some aluminium foil on the dish and be sure to have enough foil so it comes up the sides to cover any exposed meat (NOT the skin).
- Season the underside / exposed meat part by rubbing some pepper and any other herbs you like.
- Place the meat, skin side up on the onions and then taking the fine salt, sprinkle all over the skin, rubbing it in, and also in between the cuts.
- Gather the foil to cover the sides of the meat where it may be exposed, that is, if there is no skin covering the meat. This will stop it from drying out.
- Adding onions will flavour the juices in the tray which will be added to the gravy and also the steam from the onions cooking will keep the pork moist as well as add flavour.
- Place the meat in the oven and cook for 25 minutes at 240C, 475F, Gas 9
- Turn the oven down to 190 C , 375 F, Gas 5, and cook using the guide below.
- At this point, prepare the roast potatoes and place in the oven after the pork has finished cooking.
- Prepare your chosen vegetables. Start cooking your vegetables when you have taken your pork out of the oven. If you want to cook them now, you will need to keep them warm somewhere or reheat.
- When cooking pork (bone out), please follow these cooking times:-
- 25 minutes (no matter what weight the meat is) at 240C, 475F, Gas 9 then after 25 minutes,
- Turn oven down to 190 C , 375 F, Gas 5 and cook for 35 minutes per 1 pound of meat.
- So if your meat weighs 4 lbs, your cook time will be 25 minutes to start, and then 140 minutes for the 4 lbs of meat. (35 minutes x 4 lbs = 140 minutes). For those who have a meat thermometer, the internal temperature should be 150F.
- When the cook time is up for the pork, take out of the oven and let rest for 35 minutes. As soon as it is not too hot to handle, remove the crackling from the pork and place crispy side up on a plate (keep away from the family!!) and then wrap the pork up in the foil to keep moist. You can use the juices in the gravy if you wish, although it may be a little fatty. You can choose!
- At this point, start cooking your vegetables. Make up the gravy. If you are boiling the vegetables, use the cooked vegetable water and add to a saucepan, together with the other gravy ingredients and heat up, stir to make sure there are no lumps.
- Turn your oven temperature back up and roast the potatoes. This should be done whilst your roast pork is out of the oven and resting.
- Make up some apple sauce if using.
- 5 minutes before the potatoes are done and when your pork has rested, use a sharp knife and slice the pork ready for serving.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 311Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 921mgCarbohydrates: 52gFiber: 8gSugar: 22gProtein: 14g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate
Delicious Roast Dinner Ideas
Here's a selection of delicious Roast Dinners for you to enjoy!
Sunday Roast Chicken Dinner, a very easy to follow recipe with cook times and instructions for the chicken, gravy, roast potatoes and vegetable side dishes
Roast Beef Dinner with cook times for rare, medium and well done. Juicy tender beef served with all the sides!
Chinese Roast Chicken is a nice aromatic tasting dish with Chinese flavors, serve as a dinner or appetizer using some lovely pastry wraps. Delicious!
How to Cook Prime Rib Roast. Full of flavor, tender and juicy, this will not disappoint your diners!
How to make Slow Cooker Roast. Use Beef, pork etc, leaves your meat full of flavour and of course super tender! Easy Instructions.
Best Pork Roast Ever! A lovely marinade which will give great flavor and keep your pork juicy. Great for the oven of grill.
Honey Glazed Ham. Super easy recipe and guaranteed to be packed full of flavour and very moist. Perfect served warm or cold, or both!
Char Sui Pork, Chinese Barbecue Pork is a delicious recipe, full of flavor. It's sticky, sweet and slightly caramelised and goes perfect with a bowl of ramen, fried rice or simply eaten on it's own as an appetizer!
Yorkshire Pudding, a.k.a. popovers are so delicious! Serve as part of a main meal with lots of gravy, or as an appetizer and fill them with goodies. You can also serve these as a dessert, adding some nice fruits or pie filling and ice cream! You decide. They are so yummy! Make in one pan or mini muffins.
Super Crispy Crunchy Roast Potatoes. Crispy on the outside and fluffy inside!
Super Crispy Crunchy Roast Parsnips are the perfect accompaniment to a Roast dinner. Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside!
Roasted Flattened Chicken. A quick and easy way to roast chicken and keep it moist. Way better than rotisserie! Serve as part of a hot dinner or have cold cuts!
Hawaiian Chicken - A great dinner idea with wonderful caramelised pineapples on top and cooked it a delicious sauce! Serve with cous cous, rice, mashed potatoes, whatever you enjoy!
BBQ Bacon Stuffed Chicken. A wonderful flavored piece of chicken, stuffed with bacon and other goodies, and coated in a homemade rub. Perfect for Grilling / BBQ or oven. You choose!
Spicy Tandoori Chicken Drumsticks is a wonderful baked or grilled recipe using a homemade spice mix. Full of flavor and great for a dinner or to serve at a party!
Herb Crusted Stuffed Chicken, a delicious juicy baked chicken breast stuffed with cream cheese and spinach and coated in crispy breadcrumbs.
Flattened Moist BBQ Garlic and Lemon Chicken with a delicious marinade to give you juicy chicken every time. Easy instructions of how to cut a whole chicken into portions.
Brown Sugar Roasted Pork Loin with Cream Cheese Stuffing. This is a lovely recipe using tender pork loin, stuffed with peppers, cream cheese, spinach and garlic then rolled with a delicious Brown sugared spice rub. Oven roasted, this joint of meat comes out nice and juicy and full of flavor
Cauliflower Cheese. Ideal if you need to make ahead. Simply put it in the oven when you're ready! This is great as a main meal or served as a side, with a nice roast dinner, or ham.
Cowboy Chuck Roast A super easy and great tasting dinner! Slow cooker too!
Theresa
says:You need to try this! I cannot cook a pork joint. I’ve tried everything. This came out perfect. I followed the recipe. I made sure it was dry, calculated the timings and put in the oven in the middle. I was sure this was not going to work and it did! Now to try and cook a beef joint! Thank you!
Rob Elliott
says:I use a similar recipe to you but leave the joint with skin exposed in the fridge for 24 hours to dry out, and prior to baking I add a dust of baking powder to the skin,works well
Trisha
says:Why add salt to your crackling. Surely salt is bad for you. My crackling is always crunchy and I have never added salt.
Jeff the Chef
says:I like the way you photograph your food. Plus, it’s interesting food.
courtney mills
says:thank you so much for this i made it and even my fussy 3 year old ate it. i did need to tweek the time slightly for my oven
Gail
says:Hi you make this sound so easy, I am going to try it today.
Just curious though. You don’t use oil on the skin, every recipe I have seen says oil and salt.
Is there a reason for no oil
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Gail, I’ve never needed to use oil. So long as you do the hot water trick after scoring the skin and then pat as dry as possible with some kitchen paper, that will make the skin ready to be crispy and then the salt all over it. I think the recipes that use oil don’t do the pouring of hot water trick (that’s the secret to real light and crispy cracking!)
Mali
says:I’m not sure what I did wrong but my meat came out so dry. I followed the recipe to a T. The crackle turned out amazing but the meat itself isn’t very nice. Not sure if I would follow this method again.
Jayne Lein
says:How long to cook a 4 lb 4 oz roast with bone in?
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Jayne, because your pork will have the bone in, the cook time is faster, so you need to calculate approx 20 minutes per pound. So for this recipe, start with the first 25 minutes cook time at the higher temperature of 240 C, 475F, Gas 9 then after 25 minutes, turn oven down to 190 C , 375 F, Gas 5 and cook for 20 minutes per 1 pound of meat. So for you, start with 25 minutes then after turning down the oven, cook for a further 1 hour and 20 minutes at the lower temperature.
Please do make sure you cover any parts of your pork with foil which do not have crackling to stop it from drying out. That way, your roast will be lovely and juicy!
Hope this helps and happy Christmas to you!
Jon
says:Are these temperatures for a fan oven or conventional? thanks
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Jon, these are for a fan oven.