A real basic roast pork recipe?!
A real basic roast pork recipe?
I think I've got it right about scoring the pork properly and rubbing in butter then 1 part pepper to 4 parts salt to get the crackling lovely and fluffy. Do you raise the heat and start basting it about half an hour before it's about to finish? (I'll work out the time when I buy the meat). Is it red or white wine or maybe sherry? What are the best traditional things to go with it? I reckon sprouts, carrots, parsnips (roast) and roast potatoes and what's the best way to do the roast potatoes so they don't go all mushy?
Answers:
What I normally do is cook it on high for the first 20 minutes, and then reduce the heat a lil bit to finish the cooking, I would serve it with Roast Potatoes (par boiled, shake in the pan to break them up slightly and cook on a high heat), Roast Parsnips, Baby Carrots in a Taragon Butter, Peas and Sweetcorn, and Red Cabbage (cooked slowly with brown sugar a little balsamatic vinegar and raisins) ... Personally I like red wine, but I don't know whether that is the proper wine for pork, but I much prefer red wine to white.
These tips seems quite good:
Allow approximately 8oz/225g pork per person.
Buy your pork from your local butcher and make sure it is free from hair and has a good covering of fat and rind (this keeps the meat basting in the oven).
Check that the flesh is firm, pale pink and free from blood (a sign the meat is old).
If your budget is tight, use the fattier belly instead of shoulder (but extend the cooking time). Wiltshire pork belly is particularly succulent. Loin is also a good substitute.
Score the pork rind before cooking so you can rub salt into it (this will help to make the crackling). Better still, ask your butcher to score it for you.
To save time, peel the potatoes the night before and store in salted water. Make sure they are basted and coated in fat before you roast them.
scoring the skin is correct - butter is optional - don't go crazy with the salt, you don't want it to pull to much moisture from the meat - start in a hot oven 375-400 for 20-30 minutes then reduce to 300-325 for the duration of the cooking depending, of course, on the weight of the roast - the night before preparing you can "brine" the pork roast in coca-cola, I know it sounds crazy but it makes the skin taste yummy - as for a wine pairing I would suggest pinot noir or zinfandel
Buy a joint of LOIN of pork (the best) and make sure the Local butcher 'scores&chines' it for you, then rub loads of sea salt into the crackling before roasting(no oil or butter).. then cook on gas mk 9/highest on Electric for 25 minutes, then turn down to gas mark 5/medium for the duration of the cooking... Bake a Large Peeled Onion in with the potatoes,, delicious...
Part boil the Potatoes, then roll them into white normal flour before roasting, using the meat juices as oil,Basting Regularly. Make sure the Pork is well cooked,it should be lovely and white inside.. serve with broccoli and cabbage, peas carrots, Yorkshire Pudding, Baked Onion, Bisto Gravy & Apple Sauce.. ENJOY! Making me hungry now.. lol!!
I just rub salt into the scored rind and leave it overnight. Cook in a self basting roasting tin at 180 degrees C for about an hour to an hour and a half. If you dont have a self basting tin cover it with foil. Don't baste it as it will make the crackling soggy. Cut the skin off and lat it flat on a warm baking sheet in the hottest part of the oven for about 20mins to half an hour. This will get the crackling good and crunchy.
Not great a fan of roast potatoes but to make good ones use a floury variety such as pinks or queens. Peel and boil for about 15 mins. Drain and shake them about in the pan to loosen the edges to help them go crispy when you roast them. Roast them in goundnut oil as it can get really hot without getting bitter.
Mashed carrot and parsnip is my fave veg to serve with this dinner. Don't forget to use the juices from the pork to make gravy. I cheat a bit by using some chicken bisto (not beef bisto as its too strong a taste for pork).
Don't forget the apple sauce - enjoy!
sorry, I'm vegetarian.
Yummy! Sounds good. I usually don't baste my pork roast. If you roast it with the fatty side on top, it self bastes. Also, I prefer a sweeter wine , (not thick sweet, but tart sweet) with pork. Maybe a Chardonnay, or white zinfandel. Another favorite with pork roast in my house, (besides the obvious roast carrots, onion & potatoes) is mashed butternut squash. Just half, remove seeds, stick in baking dish, sprinkle with salt, pepper & a little brown sugar. Bake/roast in oven until tender. Scrape out of skin, mash with fork, add some butter (and maybe a little more brown sugar). We prefer this over apple sauce...(though baked apples go well too)
To make sure your potatoes don't get mushy, add them when you have about 45 minutes left to cook. I like to use red "new" potatoes scrubbed well, but with skins still on. I coat them with butter or bacon grease before I add them to the roast.
You seem to know the basics for cooking roast pork but I have to disagree with the sides you have been given. Pork should ALWAYS be served with mashed potatoes, mashed squash, and applesauce. That's all you need besides some Sangria. Also apple pie for dessert. My favorite meal for Fall.
Remove the skin from pork reserve and cook separately for crackling after rubbin in salt and a little mustard.
Then stab the pork roast making holes all over and fill those holes with slithers of fresh garlic cover with foil and roast as normal basting the roast frequently.
Google it!
You seem to have lots of good advice here. My only offering is that if your crackling doesn't come out as crispy as you'd like from the oven. Remove crackling from the joint, place on a microwaveable dish, cover with kitchen to well and cook on high for 2-3 mins. The crackling will be perfect.
Enjoy
