Should I Put Salt On The Skin Of The Slow Roast Pork Belly?

Our answer

Nigella's Slow Roast Pork Belly (from KITCHEN) marinates the flesh of the pork belly in a combination of tahini, soy sauce and citrus juice. The recipe has very specific instructions - the marinade should not touch the skin of the pork as this will stop the skin from transforming into crackling in the oven. Also very loosely covering the meat in the fridge lets some air circulate over the meat, drying out the skin slightly and helping to give a crunchy finish.

Usually rubbing salt on the surface of the skin helps to draw out moisture, giving a crisper crackling. As the skin has dried out a little in the fridge, the salt should be less necessary and the soy sauce in the marinade will season the meat, so there is a risk that adding salt to the skin will make the pork belly too salty. The blast of high heat at the end of the cooking time also helps to give a really crisp skin. However, if after the cooking time you want to cook the skin a little more then cut it away from the meat, put the crackling on a baking sheet and roast it on high heat again for a further 5 minutes, or until done to your liking.