After trying everything from air drying, pouring boiling water over it, burying it salt, rubbing vinegar, blowtorch, Searzall, etc. I’ve finally settled on a favorite way to get the skin super crispy — rubbing just a bit of baking soda over it!
Ideally, it’s done the day before and the pork is left uncovered in the fridge overnight. However, I’ve done it at the last minute many times now and haven’t been disappointed. Halfway through roasting, I’ll baste it with some of the rendered fat just to help it along.
I’ve made Momofuku’s Bo Ssam more times than I can even remember now, but while Chang uses skinless butt, we prefer skin-on picnic. I now rub baking soda on that skin after dry brining it to great success.
We buy thick cut skin-on bacon because all 3 boys love it. I find that the skin is always too tough for me. However, I now rub a touch of baking soda on just the skin before frying and it helps!
If anyone else has a method they swear by, I’d be willing to try it out.
Abstention from pork is forbidden by my religious beliefs, which is much more convenient.
I’ll have to try the baking soda trick, I ate a late lunch but the combination of Christine’s pics and the magical words “baste” and “rendered fat” have made me hungry.
We do a very old Chinese method (of brushing on vinegar and salt slurry the night before and then wiping dry prior to cooking), works pretty well without failure, we always end up with a very crispy and crunchy skin. Just blast it under broiler for the last 10 minutes or so, skin side up. Or just cover completely with a thick layer of salt prior to cooking, and then under broiler, as above. Never fails.
This also works with chicken wings (or any other animal really) - baking soda increases the speed of the maillard reaction which is what we’re looking for when trying to crisp skin or brown meat.
