Roast Pork with Crackling

Ingredients

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• 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) skin-on pork shoulder
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp ground caraway
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 3 garlic cloves
• 3 onions
• 2 carrots
• 100 g (3.5 oz) celery root
• 300 ml (1 1/4 cup) dark beer or broth; alcohol only partly cooks off; for an alcohol-free version use broth with a squeeze of lemon juice
• 300 ml (1 1/4 cup) beef broth
• 1 tbsp cornstarch to thicken the gravy, if needed

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C) for conventional baking, or to 325 °F (160 °C) with convection. Pat the meat dry. Score the rind in a diamond pattern about 3/8 inch (1 cm) apart, cutting only the rind, not into the meat.
2. Mix the salt, pepper, caraway, paprika and crushed garlic and rub the mixture onto the sides of the meat. Rub only salt onto the rind.
3. Coarsely cut the onions, carrots and celery root and spread them in the roasting pan. Set the meat on top, rind side up. Pour the beer and broth in at the side, not over the rind.
4. Roast for about 2 hours. Every 30 minutes baste the meat with the pan juices (not the rind) and add broth if needed.
5. Raise the temperature to 450 °F (230 °C) top heat (or use the broiler) and roast for another 15 to 25 minutes, until the rind is blistered and crisp. Watch it closely: it burns quickly.
6. Remove the roast and let it rest for 15 minutes. Pour the pan juices through a sieve, bring to a boil, then reduce them or thicken with starch stirred into a little cold water, and season with salt and pepper. Slice the roast.

Tip: A meat thermometer takes the guesswork out: for a sliceable roast the center should reach about 175 °F (80 °C).

Tip: A dry rind gets crispier. If you have time, let the meat dry uncovered in the refrigerator for a day.

Food safety: Always cook pork all the way through: the core temperature at the coldest point must reach at least 158 °F (70 °C) and be held there for at least 2 minutes; use a kitchen thermometer.