We had roast pork. Actually, I first tasted this stuffed roast pork at MW's house for Xmas dinner. It was delicious! MW roasted her meat so beautifully (though I distracted her somewhat - chatting away and the skin got a little charred, sorry).
Rather inspired, I decided to repeat this wonderful roast to share with my parents when I had the first opportunity.
I confess that even though I adore the lovely crispy and crackled pork skin, I find this part of the grilling most daunting as I've had my fair share of tough chewy skin :(
Here are some tips to ensure a good skin crackle that I've picked up experimenting and talking to more experienced grillers:
- Pat dry the wash meat.
- Score skin diagonally 2 inches apart after blanching the skin only in vinegar bath (2 cups water with 2 tbsp vinegar).
- Sprinkle skin with some salt and leave to 'dry' uncovered (skin side up) in the fridge overnight or slightly longer.
- Note that it becomes very difficult to score skin after leaving it in the fridge so score it early - refer to point 2.
- After putting the meat 30 min in the oven, remove the partially cooked meat and poke the soften skin all over with a fork or sharp point of a small knife.
- Turn meat around to ensure even cooking
- When meat is almost cooked, for the last 10-15 min use the grill to help crackle the skin.
- Sprinkle some salt on the skin and continue to grill until skin crackles all over. If some 'stubborn' part doesn't crackle, sprinkle more salt and put it under the hot grill. Use aluminum foil where necessary to ensure other parts of the skin doesn't burn!
- Let cooked meat rest for about 20 min before cutting and serving.
We had our roast pork with some cherry sauce (though apple sauce would have been perfect too) and side servings of roasted vegetables - pumpkin, potatoes and onions. It was good though next time we will use pork loin instead of the belly (the latter is more fatty which leaves the meat more juicy but if you are more health conscious, choose the former).
Bench note #1 - For siew yoke (aka Chinese Roast Pork), use a mixture of 5-spiced powder, some garlic powder, sugar, salt and pepper. Rub mixture only on the meat.
Bench note #2 - For a light spicy fusion roast, use a mixture of sweet paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Rub mixture all over the meat and skin.
Bench note #3 - For stuffing, use a blended mixture of fresh corriander, garlic, bay leaves, salt, pepper and a little oil.
The type and combination of ingredients for the marinate are only restricted by your imagination. I'm only sharing what I've tried.
