How to cook great crackling every time is one of the best bits about a roast pork dinner. With so few ingredients, you can turn a piece of fat and skin into a delicious crunchy treat. Served as a side dish or as snacks, I can assure you they will be gone quickly.
So If you’ve ever sat down to a roast dinner and felt a spark of pure joy at the sight of crisp, golden crackling, you’re not alone. That satisfying crunch, the savoury flavour, and the way it perfectly pairs with soft, succulent meat—it’s the highlight of many a Sunday roast. Yet, for all its glory, crackling has a reputation for being temperamental. One week it’s puffed, blistered perfection, and the next it’s chewy, greasy, and oddly disappointing. But here’s the good news: great crackling isn’t magic, it’s method—and once you understand the basics, you’ll be turning out flawless results time after time.
Let’s start with the number one rule of crackling: dryness is everything. Moisture is the arch-enemy of that glorious crunch. Whether it’s pork belly, shoulder, or a joint with the rind on, the skin needs to be bone dry before it even goes near the oven. Many home cooks rush this step, but the skin simply won’t crisp if there’s moisture lingering on the surface. A good pat dry with kitchen paper is obvious, but the real trick is time. Leaving the joint uncovered in the fridge for several hours—or even overnight—lets the skin dry out beautifully. It’s a tiny bit of planning that pays off in texture.
Then there’s the matter of scoring. If the skin hasn’t been scored by your butcher, take the time to do it yourself, but always with a sharp blade and a light hand. You want to cut through the skin and just into the fat, not deeply into the meat. Proper scoring allows heat to penetrate, encourages the fat to render, and gives those distinctive ridges of crackling. Even scoring also helps the flavouring you choose cling to the skin, though it’s important not to over-season. Salt is the undisputed champion here. Not only does it enhance flavour, but it also helps draw out even more moisture from the skin. Some people like to add pepper or herbs, and that’s absolutely fine—but salt is your main player.
Temperature is another deciding factor. Crackling likes confidence in the oven. A blast of high heat at the start helps the skin to puff and blister. After that, the temperature can be lowered so the meat cooks through without drying out. The mistake many make is either cooking too low from the beginning or not giving the skin enough heat to transform. A hot start and a sensible follow-through create that balance of tender meat and perfect crackle.
Now, let’s talk about fat. There needs to be some fat under the skin—too little, and the crackling has nothing to render and crisp. Too much, and it can turn greasy. When fat melts, it bubbles up through the scored skin and helps create that airy crunch. If the skin looks a little thin or sparse in places, don’t expect miracles. Choosing the right cut from the outset is half the battle.
Another underrated tip: don’t cover the skin during cooking. Foil traps steam, and steam is death for crackling. If you’re worried about the meat drying out, cover only the exposed area beneath the skin or around the sides, leaving the top uncovered. Better still, use a roasting tin with high sides, elevating the meat slightly so the heat circulates.
When the roast comes out of the oven, resist the temptation to rest it skin-side down or cover the top. Let the crackling sit exposed so it stays crisp. A few minutes is fine, but let steam escape rather than soften the skin you’ve worked so hard to perfect.
Finally, don’t despair if it doesn’t crisp exactly as you’d like. Even seasoned cooks occasionally need to give the skin an extra blast. If the meat is cooked and the crackling is still shy, remove it carefully and pop it back into a hot oven or under the grill for a few minutes. Just keep a sharp eye on it—perfection can turn to charcoal in no time.
Cooking great crackling isn’t about luck; it’s knowing what the skin needs: dryness, heat, salt, and a bit of patience. With those in place, you’ll soon be the one everyone turns to whenever pork is on the menu. After all, few things impress guests faster than the unmistakable snap of crackling done right.
How to cook great crackling every time
Equipment
- 1 roasting tray deep sided
Ingredients
- 1½ kg pork joint
- 1 tbsp salt
- vegetable oil to rub in
Instructions
- Brush the skin liberally with oil so that as the pork cooks, this will render the fat out and help it to blister1½ kg pork joint, vegetable oil
- Season with salt1 tbsp salt
- Score the skin with a sharp knife to help the fat escape during cooking, but don’t cut all the way into the meat.
- Pat skin dry then rub with salt and oil to help the fat render and the skin to puff and crisp.
- Weigh joint and roast the meat for 25 mins at 240C/fan 220C.
- Then turn the oven down to 190C/fan 170C and roast for 25 mins per 450g/1lb.
- Rest the meat for 10-15 mins before carving.
26 comments
Absolutely love perfect crackling and this recipe creates it every time.
Scoring the skin made the biggest difference for me. The fat escaped cleanly and crisped the top layer evenly.
The fat rendered evenly, and the crackling was crunchy all over—no chewy spots at all.
It looked and tasted amazing.
I always used to overseason, but sticking to just the salt made the crackling taste clean and rich without overpowering the pork.
This is the first time my crackling has blistered all the way across.
I left the skin uncovered in the fridge overnight to dry it, then followed the roasting steps.
I used exactly 1 tbsp of salt on the skin, and the flavour was spot on.
Resting the meat after cooking kept the crackling from going soft. I sliced it after 15 minutes and every piece still had that crunch.
Leaving it to rest without covering kept the skin crisp. When I carved it, the crackling stayed intact instead of softening.
This is simply so good and so easy and adds another texture for the meal.
The salt and oil combo made the skin blister just right. Best I’ve ever made.
Scoring lightly was the key. The fat escaped just as described, and the crackling puffed up in neat little ridges.
I was nervous about the high heat at first, but it really does kickstart the blistering. Once the oven was turned down, the meat stayed juicy underneath.
I followed the high-heat start and the scoring tip, and the crackling puffed up beautifully.
Brushing the skin with oil before roasting made such a difference.
The oil brushing tip was spot on. It helped the salt stick and encouraged the fat to bubble up through the skin. My family said it was the best I’ve cooked.
Weighing the joint and calculating the time properly meant both the crackling and the meat were cooked perfectly.
I used vegetable oil as suggested, and the blistering was gorgeous. The crackling was crunchy but not greasy—everyone at the table commented on it.
The initial blast at 240°C really helped the blisters form quickly before lowering the heat.
Rubbing the salt right into the scored lines made the flavour incredible. The crackling was salty, crisp, and puffed in all the right places.
Starting at 240°C gave the skin that initial blast it needed. The rest of the cooking time kept the meat tender without losing the crispiness on top.
The oil brushing and high-heat start really did the trick. I’ll be using this method every time.
I’d always struggled with soggy skin, but patting it dry and giving it that salt rub before cooking was a game changer.
The timings per 450g were bang on. My joint was just under 1.5kg so I calculated it carefully and it worked a treat.
The combination of patting dry, oil, and salt gave me even crackling across the whole joint. Not a single chewy patch!