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Rack of Pork - French trim

How ?

1. Start with a pre-heated oven (205ºC) and leave it for 25mins. Dont open the oven door during this time.
2. By now, the crackling should be almost done, bubbling.
3. Now reduce the temp to 160ºC and leave it for about 50 minutes ... maybe more .... check with a thermometer until the middle reaches 60ºC and thats it.
4. Let it rest for 5 minutes and carve it.

Crisp Chinese Roast Pork

Crisp Chinese Roast Pork

1 x 1.5 kg piece of thick belly pork with the rind

1 tablespoon sichuan peppercorns

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

2 tablespoons maldon sea salt flakes

2 teaspoons five spice powder

2 teaspoons caster sugar

Spike the skin of the pork with a fine skewer or a larding needle as many times as you can, going through into the fat but not so deep that you go into the flesh.

Then pour a kettle full of hot water over the skin, leave it to drain and then dry it off well.

Heat a dry, heavy based frying pan over a high heat.

Add the sichuan & black peppercorns and shake them around for a few seconds until they darken slightly and start to smell aromatic.

Transfer them to a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder.

Tip them into a bowl and stir in the sea salt, five spice powder and sugar.

Turn the pork flesh-side up on a tray and rub the flesh all over with the spice mixture.

Set it aside somewhere cool for 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 180C fan.

Turn the pork skin side up and place it of a rack resting on top of a roasting tin of water.

Roast the pork for 15 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 160C fan and roast it for a further 2 hours, topping up the water in the roasting tin now and then when necessary.

Increase the oven temperature once more to 210C fan and continue to roast the pork for a further 15 minutes.

Then remove it from the oven and leave it to cool. It is best served warm

Cut the pork into bite sized pieces and arrange them on a warmed platter.