Danish Roast Pork with Crackling
Danish roast pork with crackling is one of the most traditional Danish dishes that you can make. Keeping the skin on the pork roast gives the most perfect and delicious cracklings - ask your local butcher to leave the skin on. Can be served all year around and especially if you are having a Nordic Christmas dinner.
Servings: 5 people
Ingredients
- 1 kg Boneless pork roast with rind
- coarse salt
- 5 dried bay leaves (can be omitted)
Instructions
- Use a sharp knife to cut long deep grooves in the rind of the pork roast. The grooves should be about 5 mm (1/5 inch) apart. Make sure to make deep grooves in the rind but do not cut into the actually meat.
- Rub the entire roast thoroughly with coarse salt. Especially, make sure that you get lots of salt in the grooves.
- Place 3-6 dried bay leaves in the grooves - this can be omitted if you do not have any.
- Place the roast on a rack with a roasting pan underneath. In the roasting pan; add 1/2 liter (2 cups) of water and some sliced carrots and onions. This water with the vegetables can later be used to make a nice gravy. Make sure that the roast is lying in a horizontal position. You can use a ball of aluminium foil under the roast to level it. If you do not do this you risk that the rind gets an uneven color or get burned.
- Preheat the oven to 225 C (440 F) and cook the roast for 15 minutes.
- Turn down the heat to 200 C (400 F) and continue cooking.
- When the core temperature is 57 C (135 F) turn on the grill function in the oven. This make sure that the rind gets nice and crisp. Keep an eye on the roast so that you don't burn it.
- The roast is done when the core temperature is 65 C (150 F). It takes about 1.5 hours to reach this temperature. If the water evaporates during the cooking, you should add some extra.
- When the roast is done; take it out of the oven. Let it rest for about 15 minutes or eat it right away. Cut the roast in slices at each groove.
- If you want to make a nice gravy; drain the vegetables form the water and pour it in a sauce pan. Add some heavy cream and some brown gravy coloring. Add salt to taste.