Roast pork has shaken off the myth of being dry and is firmly back on the menu as a great choice for a Sunday Roast. Full of flavour and with unbeatable crispy crackling. However it can be hard to know which roasting joint to go for...
This is the second edition of our Roast Club blog series, this time focussing on roast pork. We talk you through the different pork roasting joints, how to get perfect crackling, and some delicious ways to use any up leftovers.
As usual, we recommend you buy the best quality free range, high welfare pork you can afford. You'll notice a huge difference in the flavour. Our pork is as local as can be, sourced from Godstone in Surrey and adhering to the highest animal welfare standards.
The different cuts of pork
Shoulder of Pork (Sparerib) - This is a big hunk of meat with a good layer of skin and fat on top. You'll find it easier to get good crackling from this cut than others. Shoulder can be bought on or off the bone. Bone in has more flavour but it will be harder to carve.
Pork Tenderloin - This is a long thin cut and is very lean. It cooks vey quickly so it's easy to overcook it and it can be served a tiny bit pink in the middle. One tenderloin usually serves two to three people, so you'll need a few if feeding a crowd. Check with your butcher.
Pork Belly - A flat slab of meat with lots of flavoursome fat running through it, which can make it very rich. You can get good crackling from pork belly.
Leg of Pork - Another large joint which can be bought on or off the bone. It's leaner than shoulder so it's easy to overcook it and make it dry. But it does give nice neat slices for a traditional roast.
As always, we'd recommend going with a bigger roasting joint than you think you'll need so that you can plenty of leftovers - your future self will thank you for it!
Top tips for cooking pork
- Let the pork come to room temperature before you cook it.
- For good crackling: make sure the skin is dry before you cook it. Pat it with a paper towel and put the joint in the fridge, uncovered, to help it dry out.
- Score the skin before roasting with a very sharp kitchen knife (or even a Stanley knife) and make shallow incisions 1cm apart, taking care not to go through to the meat.
- Season the skin generously with salt just before you put it into the hot oven. If you salt it too far ahead it will attract moisture - the enemy of the crispy crackling!
- Always start with a really hot even when roasting pork - 240°C/ fan220°C/gas 9 or as high as your oven will go - this helps the crackling to get going.
- After 20 minutes, turn down the temperature to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4 and continue to roast for 25 minutes per 450g.
- To know when it's cooked: there should be no traces of pink left in the juices from the middle of the roasting joint. Clear juices show it's cooked through but not overcooked.
- Always leave meat to rest before carving.
Time for a pork maths example:
If you had a 2kg pork roasting joint you'd roast it for 20 mins at a high temp and then (2000 / 450) x 25 mins = 111 minutes, or 1h 51.
Jamie Oliver's has a fail-safe recipe for slow-cooking a pork shoulder (sparerib of pork).
Jamie's 6-hour slow-roasted pork shoulder
Ideas for leftovers
Pork lends itself really well to strong flavours, so we like to look for inspiration in Mexican cuisine or spicy Asian dishes when planning how to use up our leftover pork.
Photo credit: jamieoliver.com
Not a fan of spice? There's still plenty of choice for leftover pork.
Pork, Tomato and Rosemary Pasta Bake
However for simplicity, I don't think you can beat a roast pork sandwich on a soft roll. I like mine with a nice punchy chutney or some onion marmalade.
How to freeze leftover roast pork:
Slice it up or shred it with two forks, depending on your preference. Wrap it in freezer paper or a good quality freezer bag and don’t forget to label it!
You can leave it frozen for up to three months. When you want to use it, defrost the pork in the fridge for 24 hours. And once defrosted, don't refreeze it.