The ultimate pork roast, with its crowning glory of perfectly cooked, crisp, golden crackling. Splurge on the best meat you can find for the ultimate porky treat.
Ingredients
- 1.5kg pork loin, boned and rolled (ask your butcher to score along the skin, 1cm apart)
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- For the herb and onion stuffing
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Knob of butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
- 20-25 fresh sage leaves, roughly chopped
- Small bunch of fresh thyme, leaves picked and chopped
- Large bunch of fresh parsley, leaves picked and chopped
- 50g melted butter
- 75g fresh breadcrumbs
- 50g pine nuts, toasted
Method
- 1. Pat the pork dry with kitchen towel and leave uncovered in the fridge for 2 hours to dry. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 240°C/fan220°C/gas 9, or as high as it will go. For the stuffing, heat the oil and butter in a frying pan and gently sauté the onion for 8 minutes until softened. Add the garlic for the last 30 seconds. Set aside to cool.
- 2. Unroll the pork loin onto a chopping board, skin-side down, long side facing you. Starting and finishing about 2cm from each end, cut a pocket into the pork loin about two-thirds of the way through, to hold the stuffing.
- 3. In a bowl, mix the onion and garlic together with the remaining stuffing ingredients and season well. Fill the pocket with the stuffing and roll the loin around, securing at 2cm intervals with kitchen string. Rub the skin with 1 tbsp sea salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper, working it well into the cuts.
- 4. Put the pork on a trivet or rack in a roasting tray and roast in the hot oven for 30 minutes. Turn the heat down to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6 and roast for a further 50 minutes to 1 hour or until the pork is cooked through, basting the pork halfway through with the pan juices.
- 5. Remove the pork from the oven, cover with foil and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Carve into generous slices, discarding the string as you go. Divide among warm plates, drizzling over any resting or pan juices. Serve with seasonal vegetables and roast potatoes.
Nutritional info
Per serving (based on 8): 479kcals, 28.8g fat (9.9g saturated), 46.8g protein, 8.2g carbs (1.2g sugars), 1.2g salt, 0.8g fibre
Chef's tip
A loin of pork is the ideal roasting joint because it has a thick layer of fat under the skin, which keeps the meat tender and moist while roasting. There are two things necessary for great crackling: a nice dry rind and a thick layer of fat underneath.
Wine Recommendation
This is even more special with a glass of ripe, plummy French Grenache, but if you want to stay British, pour a decent, bottled dry West country cider.
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