Step 1

Let the pork come to room temperature before cooking. Pre-heat the oven to its maximum temperature (mine is about 230C).

Step 2

Cut through the pork rind in a square or diamond pattern with a sharp knife, stopping short of reaching the meat.

Step 3

Pat down the rind to make sure it is completely dry. Then rub your chosen dry rub seasoning into the meat all around the joint, except the skin.

Step 4

Rub the skin in olive oil and season the skin with plenty of freshly ground sea salt.

Step 5

Work out the total cooking time for your joint. I use approx. 35 minutes per pound, depending on the shape, as we like the pork well cooked. Or 1 minute per mm of length. My cut was 130mm and about 1,6 kg so I cooked this one for about 130 minutes in total.

Step 6

Place on a roasting pan, skin side up, and put in the oven. Cook for 30 minutes on high heat. After this, the fat under the crackling should have started to render and the crackling should have started to blister and become a bit crunchy already.

Step 7

Then baste the joint in its own juices and reduce the heat to 180C and cook for 60 minutes.

Step 8

Baste again and cook for a further 25 minutes. Then remove from the oven and check the temperature of the meat. (63C (145F) is the safe internal temperature for pork, but I like to cook to at least 68C (155F) to ensure it is fully cooked).

Step 9

If your meat is not yet cooked, put it back in the oven for another 15 minutes with the temperature turned up high and check again. When it is ready the meat should be allowed to rest for 15 minutes before carving and serving.

Step 10

If your crackling is not yet fully crispy when the meat is ready, remove the crackling from the meat and cook it separately in the oven on high heat for 15 minutes, while the pork is resting, to crispen it up.