Roast pork loin with crackling

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Sally Abé's delicious roast pork loin recipe with golden, crispy crackling makes the perfect centrepiece meat for a Sunday roast. By first salting the pork skin and softening it in boiling water Sally ensures the crackling is crisp without needing to overcook the joint. Take a look at our Sunday roast collection to find your perfect accomplishments.

First published in 2016
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Ingredients

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Imperial

Roast pork loin

Method

1
Using a sharp knife, score the skin of the pork – you want to just cut through the skin and avoid cutting into the meat
2
Season the meat liberally with sea salt and black pepper. Fill a saucepan wide enough to fit the pork with 2cm of water and bring to the boil
3
Place the pork skin side down and boil for 5–10 minutes, until the skin has softened significantly. Remove from the pan and leave to air-dry completely
4
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4
5
Add a generous glug of oil to a large frying pan and place over a high heat. Once hot, carefully place the pork skin side down into the pan – the skin will start to bubble and spit so you may want to cover the pan with a kitchen towel
6
Once the skin is crispy and a lovely golden brown, transfer to a wire rack over a roasting tray. If there are any bits of skin that haven’t crisped up, heat the leftover oil in a frying pan until smoking and pour over the offending spots (be very careful when doing this)
7
Place the pork in the oven to roast for 45 minutes, or longer if you prefer it completely cooked through. Perfectly cooked pork will have a slight blush next to the bone with a temperature of 58°C on a thermometer – cooking the joint any longer runs the risk of drying out this lean cut
8
Remove from the oven and leave to rest for at least 20 minutes. To serve, slice the pork into even pieces with a sharp carving knife. If using a bone in joint 1 chop per person should be plenty
First published in 2016
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After a five-year stint in the kitchen at two Michelin-starred restaurant The Ledbury, Sally is now head chef at The Harwood Arms in London.

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