Roast pork with a very crunchy skin is one of the most popular dishes in the UK and the British Commonwealth of Nations. Producing pork chops with soft meat, a chewy layer of fat, and crispy skin does seem as difficult as moving mountains. In fact, the crispy roast pork recipe is actually very easy to make, does not require complicated ingredients, and the final taste is guaranteed to be delicious! Interested in making your own at home? Read this article!
Ingredients
- Fatty, skinless and boneless pork chops
- Olive oil or vegetable oil
- Coarse textured sea salt
- Assorted herbs and spices, according to taste
Step
Part 1 of 3: Cut the Pig's Skin
Step 1. Choose a fatty pork cutlet
Basically, crispy roast pork can be made from any cut of meat that contains fat, such as pork chops, shoulders, belly, or even pork rump. Most importantly, make sure the meat is still fatty and has a thick layer of skin on the surface.
If you want to produce roast pork with a balanced percentage of meat and crispy skin, most cooks will recommend using pork belly strips
Step 2. Soften the meat in the refrigerator for 12-36 hours if it is still frozen
Remember, meat must be tenderized before grilling so that it cooks more evenly when cooked, and the safest way to tenderize meat without changing its quality is to refrigerate it instead of at room temperature, to keep the temperature stable.
- If you don't want to calculate the duration of tenderizing the meat, just let the meat sit overnight in the refrigerator.
- When softened in the refrigerator, excess moisture in the meat will dry out as well. As a result, the crispness of the meat will be more consistent when cooked.
Step 3. Place the tenderized meat on a baking sheet with the crust facing up
While baking, the fat will continue to drip onto the bottom of the pan. That is why, the bigger and deeper the pan that is used, the more maximal the result will be. Also make sure the meat is neatly arranged on the baking sheet so that it doesn't change its shape when it's roasting.
Step 4. Make a shallow incision on the surface of the meat
On the fatty pork skin, make long or wide incisions from one side of the meat to the other. In particular, make sure there is a gap of about 2.5 cm, or the width of two fingers pressed together, between each incision. Be careful not to cut the meat under the skin so that the juices don't come out when grilled.
- Supposedly, cuts of meat that have been sliced and specifically sold for grilling can be easily found in major supermarkets.
- The incision is useful for maximizing the rendering process, which is the process of separating the fat on the skin of the flesh from the blood, muscle, and water content in it.
Step 5. Tie the meat using a special thread at 5-15 cm intervals
First of all, prepare a thread that is long enough. Then, tuck the string into the base of the meat, and begin tying the meat from one end to the other, about 5-15 cm between each knot. This method will help the meat retain its shape when it is roasted in very hot temperatures.
This method is optional, but it is useful for preserving the shape of meat that has been filled with other ingredients or for smoothing out the shape of meat that is not completely cut at the market/supermarket
Part 2 of 3: Coating Meat with Oil and Salt
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 232 degrees Celsius
To increase time efficiency, don't forget to preheat the oven while preparing the meat to be roasted. If you want, you can also use the “convection” technique, which is to lower the original recommended temperature by 25 degrees to ensure that the heat in the oven is spread more evenly.
If possible, reposition the oven rack to allow more space in the middle
Step 2. Brush the surface of the meat with olive oil
Pour some olive or vegetable oil into a shallow pan, then use a special brush to apply the oil to the surface of the meat. Make sure that the oil also hits any cracked, dented cuts on the surface of the meat.
- The amount of oil used depends on the size of the meat. Generally, the belly, shoulder and pork chops only need about 2-3 tbsp. oil.
- If there is condensation on the surface of the meat after it has been tenderized, don't forget to dry it with a paper towel before applying the oil. Remember, water and oil can never mix!
Step 3. Sprinkle the surface of the meat with sea salt
Sprinkle enough sea salt all over the surface of the meat. Some cooks even prefer to apply salt to the skin of the meat manually, as when you apply dry spices to the surface of the meat to be grilled.
- Coarse-textured sea salt will provide the best taste, although you can also use regular table salt if you don't have it.
- If you want to use other herbs or spices, such as ground black pepper, salt with a garlic powder mixture, ground fennel, or ground onion, feel free to do so after the salt has been added.
Part 3 of 3: Grilling Meat
Step 1. Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven
If your oven has a light, turn on the oven light so you can monitor the rendering process without having to open the oven door.
Step 2. Bake the meat for 45-50 minutes
In this first stage, you only need to focus on rendering. Once the skin begins to look blistered and cracked, lower the oven temperature and continue grilling the meat until it is evenly cooked.
- Turn on the timer to see how long the meat is roasting in the oven.
- The rendering process is finished when the skin color of the flesh turns golden brown, even if the surface starts to look bubbly.
Step 3. Lower the oven temperature to 191 degrees Celsius, then continue baking for an hour
In fact, the duration of roasting is very dependent on the size and thickness of the cut of meat. If you're not sure about the exact roasting time, a basic rule of thumb you can follow is to grill every 500 grams of meat for 30 minutes.
At this stage, the color of the meat around the layer of meat will turn dark brown
Step 4. Remove the meat from the oven once the internal temperature reaches 63 degrees Celsius
Insert a thermometer into the center of the meat to check for doneness. If the internal temperature in the area has not reached 63 degrees Celsius, continue roasting the meat for 5-10 minutes or until the internal temperature has reached a safe and appropriate level.
- Another way to check for doneness is to pierce it with a skewer. When the meat is fully cooked, the liquid that flows out should be clear, without the slightest hint of pink.
- If the skin is no longer crispy after a second roast, try setting the oven to broil mode, heating it to 232 degrees Celsius, then grilling the meat again for 10-20 minutes until the skin is crispy.
Step 5. Rest the meat for 10-15 minutes before serving
Remember, the temperature of the meat will be very hot when it is just removed from the oven. That's why the meat should be rested for a while so that it cools down and the juices don't flow out when it's cut. If you want, you can wrap the meat in several sheets of aluminum foil to keep it warm while serving.
When ready to eat, cut the meat in generous portions and make sure each piece has a very crispy skin
Tips
- Drying the surface of the meat with a hairdryer before grilling or constantly grease the surface of the meat being grilled with fat dripping onto the bottom of the pan can result in a roast with a very crispy skin when cooked.
- Once removed from the oven, pour a handful of flour into the bottom of the greased baking sheet. Then, stir in the flour until the texture of the beef juice thickens. Later, the thickened beef juice can be served as a side dish for various types of main dishes.
- Some cooks prefer to slice the roast pork thinly with scissors instead of slicing it with a knife or shredding it.
