Making the perfect pork crackling is a bit of an art. Not every great chef can make it right but there are some backyard cooks who do it perfectly. So what’s the secret? Anyone who can master this salty skin will tell you that it’s all about making the meat as dry as possible and using just a touch of oil, and a lot of salt.
But how can you make the pork more dry than paper towel and a few hours in the fridge? Easy: use a hairdryer.
Yep, it sounds crazy but this is a sure-fire way to make your pork crackle perfectly. All you need to do is score the skin and pour boiling water over it to open the cuts up. Dry off as much as you can with paper towel then put your hairdryer on the hottest setting and blast away. Do this for 5-10 minutes and use some paper towel to check there’s no moisture left.
Then you’re right to start rubbing in a teaspoon of olive oil and two teaspoons of salt. Put it in a super hot oven for three-quarters of the cooking time and impress everyone with this amazing trick.
This article was first published on Starts at 60.
