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Gloucester Old Spot - the king of pork!
posted Monday, 19 September 2005
Sunday Roast - you gotta love it. A loin of Gloucester Old Spot - this has to be the King of Pork!
The Old Spot is a slow-growing pig so out of favour with intensive rearers - it has just the right amount of fat to lean to create meat that is flavoursome, tender and juicy.
This loin was expertly boned (taking out the ribs, leaving in the chine for structure and flavour, but sawn-through for carving), tied (with a strip of fatty belly over the tenderloin (or fillet) to protect it from the intense heat of the oven) and the skin scored to create the crispiest of crackling.
Rubbed with a simple mix of maldon sea salt, crushed black pepper and crushed fennel seeds, the pork was roasted in a pretty hot oven for 20 minutes per pound. It's so crucial then to leave it to rest for 10 minutes - or more! This allows the juices to run riot throughout the meat, making for the juciest of cuts.
Good pork like this doesn't really need gravy, but never being one to miss out, I made a vegetable stock, flavoured with fennel (I have a bag in the freezer and add fennel trimmings to it everytime I use the vegetable) and plenty of mushrooms (dried and fresh). Then the roasting pan (less the fat) was let down with a healthy splash of white wine and then the stock.
My Top Tips for excellent crackling:
The Old Spot is a slow-growing pig so out of favour with intensive rearers - it has just the right amount of fat to lean to create meat that is flavoursome, tender and juicy.
This loin was expertly boned (taking out the ribs, leaving in the chine for structure and flavour, but sawn-through for carving), tied (with a strip of fatty belly over the tenderloin (or fillet) to protect it from the intense heat of the oven) and the skin scored to create the crispiest of crackling.
Rubbed with a simple mix of maldon sea salt, crushed black pepper and crushed fennel seeds, the pork was roasted in a pretty hot oven for 20 minutes per pound. It's so crucial then to leave it to rest for 10 minutes - or more! This allows the juices to run riot throughout the meat, making for the juciest of cuts.
Good pork like this doesn't really need gravy, but never being one to miss out, I made a vegetable stock, flavoured with fennel (I have a bag in the freezer and add fennel trimmings to it everytime I use the vegetable) and plenty of mushrooms (dried and fresh). Then the roasting pan (less the fat) was let down with a healthy splash of white wine and then the stock.
My Top Tips for excellent crackling:
- You won't get great crackling from a second-rate pig
- You need to ensure the skin is well scored (but never through to the meat) with a stanley knife or similar
- The skin has to be as dry as you can get it - plastic wrap is the enemy of crackling - as soon as you can, remove any plastic packaging and let the meat breathe. If necessary, dry the skin with kitchen paper
- Season well with salt and pepper
- Ensure you roast the meat with the skin uppermost and uncovered
Happy crackling!
Update: Check out the Gloucester Old Spots Pig Breeders Club
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