How to cook pork crackling 

Pork is really good for you. Australians first discovered pork’s health credentials in TV advertising seven years ago. The ad from Australian Pork focused on the humble pork fillet, which many were surprised to learn has less than half the fat of beef fillets, less fat than snapper fillets and are leaner than skinless chicken breast fillet.  Research projects conducted between 2005 and 2019 have found benefits in weight loss and diabetes management, as well as benefits to quality of life, general health and quality of sleep. While the low in fat message is well-received, pork has a lot more to offer. It’s a rich source of protein, vitamins and minerals, delivering nutrients like thiamine, niacin and zinc. 

 How to make the best pork crackling

There are two ways to make pork crackling buy it already made or make it from scratch. Here we are recommending both, you can actually purchase our already cooked, already crispy skin pork belly here. To make this crackling skin pork belly is quite the process. First, we use a sous vide method of cooking a whole pork belly in a bag and steaming it in the oven until it is nice and tender.

This fist cook takes about 4 hours then we transfer the pork bellies to a grill oven which creates the beautify crispy skin. If you do decide to take to the easier route and go with purchasing the already made crispy skin pork belly, we recommend sticking it in the oven to warm it up and give the skin more extra crisp. If you are wanting to experience the process of making pork crackling from scratch and have a few hours to kill in iso you can purchase our pork belly skin on and use the recipe below.  

What is the best pork crackling cut to use

 For pork crackling, you need a cut of pork with skin on. You can use pork loin, pork leg, pork belly and pork rack. We are recommending pork belly; the pork belly cut offers extra flavour and tenderness due to the layers of fat. The other cuts we recommend if you are looking for a healthier leaner option to crackling pork belly. 

If you are a fan of bacon but are concerned about the high sault and nitrate content we can safely say our crispy skin pork belly is a great alternative. If you are wanting crispy skin pork belly bacon, deep fry, air fry, pan fry or oven bake until golden brown. No nitrate, less sault with the same delicious taste.   

What to serve with pork crackling  

In our recipe we are recommending serving with a simple crimson grape and plum sauce, the sweet flavours and thickness of the sauce add a honeyed sweetness to the pork. There are other ways to increase the serving size like adding rosemary and sault roast veggies. We would even recommend making a banh mi roll or a Vietnamese roll, this is one of the more traditional variations to serve with pork crackling.  All you need is a Vietnamese baguette, cucumber and carrot shredded and of course crispy skin pork belly.  Put it all in a bun lightly drizzle with your favoured Asian sauce and garnish with coriander.        

 

Servings & Prep Time

7 serves; 25 min prep; 2h 15 min cook

Ingredients

  • 2kg of University Meat’s pork belly skin on
  • Oil 
  • Salt flakes 
  • 1 cut plumb sauce 
  • ½ cup caster sugar 
  • ¼ cup caster sugar 
  • ¼ cup pomegranate 
  • ¾ cup crimson grapes, halved

 Method

  1. Preheat oven to 220°C.
  2. Using a Stanley knife or scalpel, finely score the pork belly rind. Pat the surface of the rind dries with paper towel and rub with oil and flakes of sea salt. Allow to sit for 20 minutes.
  3. Place the pork belly into a shallow baking dish.
  4. Roast the pork belly in the preheated oven at 220°C for 30 minutes. This will begin the crackling process. Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C and continue to roast for a further 1 ½ hours. Remove the belly from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
  5. To prepare the sauce, combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and stir over a medium heat. Simmer until liquid has reduced by half and is glossy.
  6. Cut the pork belly into serving-sized portions. Serve hot with steamed vegetables and crimson grape and plum sauce.

 

Related Recipes 

https://www.pork.com.au/recipe/simple-pan-fried-pork-belly-rashers/3871/ 

https://www.pork.com.au/recipe/stir-fried-pork-scotch-fillet-with-five-spice/3944/ 

 

Reference Recipe Article 

https://www.pork.com.au/recipe/crackling-pork-belly-with-crimson-grape-and-plum-sauce/317/ https://universitymeat.com.au/products/3032.203

https://www.pork.com.au/recipe/crackling-pork-belly-with-crimson-grape-and-plum-sauce/317/

 

 

 

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