How to Make Crackling on a Spit Braai or in the Oven

How to Make Crackling: 5 Steps

1. Score the skin in parallel lines about 1 cm apart, through the skin but not into the meat.
2. Pat the skin dry, then leave it uncovered in the fridge overnight.
3. Rub salt into the score lines just before cooking.
4. Cook the pork through at moderate heat.
5. Finish on high heat until the skin bubbles and turns crisp.

Crackling on a Spit Braai

A whole pig on the spit keeps its skin on, scored along the back and sides. The skin gets oil and salt, never a watery marinade. The pig turns over steady coals for five to six hours, and the chef rakes the coals closer in the last hour so the skin blisters. A pork spit braai from Spit Braai Feast is R129 per person, crackling included.

Crackling in the Oven

A rolled pork belly or a leg roast goes into a hot oven at about 220 °C for 30 minutes to start the skin. The heat then drops to about 170 °C until the meat reaches at least 71 °C in the thickest part. A last 10 minutes on high heat crisps any soft patches.

Why Crackling Stays Chewy

• Moisture on the skin: dry it overnight.
• Too little heat at the end: finish hot.
• Scores too shallow: the fat under the skin cannot render.
• Basting the skin with a watery marinade: use oil and salt only.

Pork Crackling at a Spit Braai Function

A whole pig stands as the centrepiece at a large function; the quote sizes it to the guest count. Pork is never cooked on a halaal booking. Rates for every menu are on spit braai prices, and the cooking times for each meat are in how long a spit braai takes.