How to make the perfect Christmas pork crackling

When it come to Christmas roasts it’s hard to go past succulent pork with salty, crunchy crackling on top. When done right crackling can be the star of the Christmas table and has been known to lead to a few bouts of tug-of-war over who gets the last bit.

However, creating the perfect pork crackling isn’t always as simple as it seems and that crunchy skin can end up limp and lacklustre if not prepared the right way.

The best way to get perfect crackling is through a careful combination of dryness, salt and heat.

Starts at 60 previously spoke with Melbourne-based Italian chef Matteo Tine, owner of Mr Ottorino restaurant in Victoria, to find out how to make perfect pork crackling every time.

The first step, according to Matteo, is to season and score the skin.

Using a sharp knife, score the skin in a criss-cross shape or simply by running your knife across the width of the skin with each cut about 1-centimetre apart. Then pour boiling water over the skin  and rub it with a generous amount of salt and squeeze lemon over it.

Leave the meat to air-dry, uncovered, in the fridge for up to 24 hours before cooking. This combination of salt and air-drying will help ensure your crackling is seriously crunchy.

However, if you’re pushed for time, Sydney butcher Adam Stratton from Tender Gourmet Butchery has an alternative solution. According to Adam, this technique is “so easy” and will ensure everyone can make mouth-watering crackling this Christmas.

So what’s the secret? 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 and impress everyone with this amazing trick. So easy!

Do you have a handy trick to get the perfect pork crackling?