900g/2lb boneless loin of pork roasting joint, with skin, tied with string
1–2 tsp vegetable oil
coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 240°C/475°F/Gas 8 and line the roasting tin with foil. Prepare the pork by drying the skin thoroughly, patting it with kitchen paper. Using a sharp knife, score the skin, making deep, long parallel cuts into the fat about 3–5mm/¹⁄8–¼in apart; do not cut into the flesh. Rub the skin with a little oil, then season it with a generous amount of coarse salt and a little pepper.
Sit the pork on a rack over the roasting tin and roast for 25 minutes. The initial high temperature helps to give a crisp crackling. Turn the oven down to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4 and cook the pork for a further 45 minutes, turning the tin around halfway through. The meat should be slightly pink in the centre, though the juices flowing from the pork should not be bloody. If you have a meat thermometer, it should read 63°C/145°F.
Transfer the pork to a warm serving plate and leave to rest in a warm, draught-free place for 10–20 minutes before carving. Don’t cover the joint, because any steam coming from the resting pork could soften the crackling. You could remove the crackling at this point and return it to the oven turned up to 220°C/425°F/Gas 7, or give it a quick blast under a hot grill to make it extra crispy.
To carve the pork, remove the crackling, if you haven’t already done so, and cut it into strips. Carve the meat across the grain into thin slices.
Johnnie’s Tip
You may need to adjust the cooking times at the 180°C/350°F/Gas 4 stage, depending on the weight of the pork joint. Allow 25 minutes per 500g/22 minutes per lb. If you like your pork more well done, cook for 30 minutes for 500g/27 minutes per lb. For a rack of pork on the bone, aim for a 2kg/4lb 8oz piece of meat to serve 4 people. Roast for 25 minutes at 240°C/475°F/Gas 8, then turn the heat down to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4 and cook for 20 minutes per 500g/18 minutes per lb.
And here comes the bonus! If you click on this link, you’ll go to footage of Johnnie showing how to do this recipe. Fantastic!
Recipe by Grace Cheetham at https://www.gracecheetham.com/gluten-free-dairy-free-amazing-roast-pork-with-crispy-crunchy-crackling