Yes you read it right STANLEY KNIFE! It's just a tip. (But it's the tip that matters!)
When I worked in the butchers shop we generally asked if folk wanted their Pork rind scored. Geoff my grumpy old collegue used to offer this advice to those ladies who declined " Well if you want good crackling ask hubby to get the Stanley Knife out when you get back" - a bit sexist, but he was old!
Why a Stanley Knife? Well in the butchers shop we had the ability to sharped our knives right to the tip. At home you often find that the long edge of your knife is shape but the tip is quite hard to sharpen. A DIY type of knife blade is ground at the right angle for the steel it is made from and although they are intended to be thrown away when they are blunt, a new blaide is excellent for scoring the rind on Pork.
Rub a bit of Mustard powder, salt and oil into the cuts and start your roast off at 220C then turn it down. Fail safe crackling. BUT if your meat has been frozen you might still end up with shoe leather regardless!
When I worked at the butchers many moons ago Pork Loin was the most costly cut. So when the local supermarket have a whole loin at £219, well it would be rude not to really....
Ingredients:-
Complete Pork Loin
Garlic Butter ( Sue make her own Garlic Margarine with Parsley)
Fresh Rosemary ( It's seasonal and there a while hedge of it down the road)
Chilli flakes
Salt & Pepper
Method:-
(1) Lay a good sized sheet of kitchen foil in a roasting try.
(2) Rub the outside of the loin with Garlic Butter, Rosemary, Chilli flakes and season with Salt & Pepper.
(3) Fold the foil over and seal the meat in a pouch.
(4) Roast at 160c for about 30 minutes until cooked. Don't over cook as the meat will dry out.
We served ours with seasonal vegetables, Yorkshire Pudding and lots of gravy.