Does The Effortless Home Cured Pork Have Crackling?

Our answer

Nigella's Effortless Home-Cured Pork (from NIGELLA CHRISTMAS) soaks a pork loin in brine, which makes the meat moist and juicy after cooking. The recipe actually calls for a boneless loin of pork with the skin removed, so you would not get crackling following the recipe.

However, if you buy a loin with the skin on then you can remove it (or ask the butcher to) and use that to make crackling. Score the skin at 5mm (1/8 inch) intervals with a sharp knife and put it on a rimmed baking sheet. Pat the skin dry, brush with a little vegetable oil and sprinkle it with salt. Cook for around 1 hour on the shelf below the pork loin. Once the loin has cooked, check the crackling and if it is not crispy enough then turn up the oven to 225C (425F) and cook until the crackling is crisp, watching it carefully to make sure that it does not scorch.