A pork belly roast with crackling is all about dry skin and a hot oven blast at the end. Score Belly Pork Joint 1kg, salt the skin well, and roast until the meat is tender and the crackling blisters. Shop Pork Belly when you want a joint built for crackling, not watery slices.
Ingredients
- 1kg belly pork joint, skin on
- 1–2 tsp fine sea salt for the skin
- Black pepper
- 1 onion + 1 apple, quartered (optional, under the joint)
- 150ml cider or stock for the tin
- Oil for rubbing the skin
Method
- The night before if you can: pat the skin bone-dry, score in lines 1cm apart without cutting into the meat, leave uncovered in the fridge.
- Heat oven to 220°C (fan 200°C). Rub skin with a little oil and a generous salt crust. Season the meat side with pepper.
- Sit joint on onion/apple in a tin. Roast 30 minutes until the skin starts to blister.
- Drop to 160°C (fan 140°C), add cider/stock to the tin (not on the skin), roast about 1 hour 15 minutes more until tender.
- If crackling needs a final push, blast at 230°C for 5–10 minutes — watch closely. Rest 15 minutes before carving.
- Serve with apple sauce, roast potatoes and greens.
Prefer quicker crackling strips? Pork Belly Slices 700g roast faster on a tray. Browse Pork Belly for joints and slices.