Certain dishes do not follow fashion, nor should they, says Simon Hopkinson. Photographs by Jason Lowe.
Roast pork is fast becoming a rarity in the British repertoire. Ever since it was decided that we prefer our pork superlean - and by whom, I would like to know - it has been the very devil to achieve good crackling. There are two simple things necessary for crackling: a nice dry rind, and a good thick layer of fat underneath it. As the fat melts and starts to bubble under the scored rind, it pushes up between the strips, frazzling them. Superlean pigs seem to produce very wet pork, resulting in damp, flabby skin and damp and flabby crackling.
So first, find good pork. To serve five or six people, buy a 2kg piece of pork loin. The piece I bought (from siblings Sid and Rose and father Michael, my local butchers in Blythe Road, west London) was from the end of the loin where the fillet is attached. It had a deep layer of fat under the skin, looked good and dry, the meat dark red and firm. I left all the fat and sinew attached to the fillet in place, as this adds succulence and flavour to the meat and the gravy drippings.
Before you begin, the pork must be well chilled, as cold rind and fat is firm and easier to cut. I chose loin partly because it has just one nice rectangular piece of skin to score. I use a Stanley knife, which does the job with precision, taking great care to cut right through into the fat but not the meat. Cut vertical incisions, at approximately 5mm intervals, from one edge of the rind to the other, from the tips of the ribs towards the flat length of spinal bone, as shown opposite - and do please be careful.
The day before you wish to cook the pork, place it in the sink on a cooling rack suspended over a large pan. Slowly pour boiling water - about 3 litres worth - all over the rind. Tip the spent water away and leave the pork to drain until cool. The strips of rind will have shrunk away from one another revealing the fat beneath. If you have a cool place, such as a larder, hang the loin up to dry overnight. Otherwise, wrap it up tightly in a dry tea towel and store in the fridge. The following day, hang it up in the coolest part of the kitchen until you are ready to roast it.
In the roasting tin, under and around the pork, put a large onion, peeled and thickly sliced, and some belly pork, about 350g with bone, chopped into small pieces. These will make the gravy superb - rich and strong, brown and savoury, sweet and clear. Incidentally, I do the same with lamb or beef, adding scraps of beef or a bit of chopped up breast of lamb. Put 2 tablespoons of dripping or oil over the onion and belly pork.
Half an hour before roasting, rub about 3/4 level tablespoon of salt into the rind, pushing it into the fat with your fingers. Put the roasting tin onto a low flame to melt the dripping, if you're using it, and get the tin hot. Just before putting it into the oven, sprinkle the rest of the salt and a bit of pepper over the belly pork and onto the exposed ends of the joint. Initially, roast for 20 minutes at 450°F/230°C/gas mark 8 (this helps to get the fat bubbling under the skin), then open the door for a few minutes and turn the heat down to 375°F/190°C/gas mark 5. Close the door again and roast for 1 hour, basting occasionally. Remove the pork and turn up the oven to the initial temperature. Put the joint into a clean tin and roast for a final 20 minutes (this final blast helps the crackling).
Now tip off the fat and juices from the first roasting tin into a small bowl and leave to settle. Put this tin, with the shrivelled bits of belly and onion in it, over a medium flame and add a large glass of white wine and a slug of sweet sherry or madeira. Bring to a fast boil, scraping up every scrap of gunk into the liquids, and cook down to a syrup. Add enough cold water to just cover the bits, some sage leaves, a bit of redcurrant jelly and a scant tablespoon of red wine vinegar. Simmer for 30 minutes, at least.
When the pork is cooked, leave it to rest on top of the stove. Carefully spoon off the fat from the small bowl of juices until all that is left is the delicious brown liquid beneath. Add this to the simmering gravy. Now strain the gravy into a small saucepan. Heat and stir in a little slaked arrowroot if you like a lightly thickened gravy. Check the seasoning and keep hot. Using a sharp, flexible knife, neatly detach the fillet and loin from right against the rib bones and put the 2 whole pieces onto a carving board. Scrape up any juices that emerge and put them in the gravy.
I like to serve roast pork with apple sauce (at room temperature), sage and onion stuffing (cooked separately in the pork drippings), and roast potatoes. Any other vegetable just seems to get in the way.