Sam Gowing’s Festive Recipe: Roast Bangalow Pork

A cracking roast pork with perfect crackling is one of the great foundations of Australian cooking and always a hit, especially with Christmas on its way.

Armed with a rolled loin of pork, a bounty of Byron Farmers’ Market produce and 2 hours up my sleeve, I cooked my first roast pork in years. The trick to good crackle and tender flesh is in the brine, ranging temperatures, a meat thermometer and the all-important 15 minute rest. I whipped up a spiced pineapple pomegranate salad, gravy and roast apples and spuds yet you can add whatever you like.

Do your family a favour before the festive season and have a practice run at a pork roast. Experiment between oven and Weber cooking and a range of different trimmings. Our fabulous Byron Bay butcher Trevor Mead Quality Meats believe in sourcing and showcasing the best of the region’s local produce. For example, local dry aged Binna Burra Beef, succulent Bangalow Sweet Pork and Tenterfield Lamb are some of the best flavours the beautiful Northern Rivers has on offer.

Trevor Mead Quality Meats is a family-owned and operated business established in 1982. They recently relocated to a brand new store on Jonson Street opposite the new Woolworths Mercato development, making this part of town a vibrant shopping strip complete with Palace Cinemas and local favourites Jonsons, Red Ginger and Bell & Ford. You can always pick up a jar of my Black Betty Bam while in store and grab a bag of those tasty Byron Bay Crackers too.

Bangalow Sweet Pork has the very simple aim to produce the best quality & best tasting Pork in Australia. The Bangalow Sweet Pork fat content was tested by the CSRIO and the results indicate it is predominately unsaturated in excess of 60%. This fat profile is the basis of the unique flavour and tenderness that compares favourably with other meats, including most pork generally available in Australia.

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Roast Bangalow sweet pork recipe

Serves 2-3 | Prep 1 hour | Cook 1.5 hours | Rest 15 minutes

500 grams Bangalow sweet pork loin, skin on, scored, room temperature *very important
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon macadamia oil
250 grams small potatoes, halved
100 grams apples, cored, quartered and halved
1 tablespoon fresh herbs
Gravy of your choice

Spiced pineapple pomegranate salsa
½ cup pineapple, finely chopped
½ pomegranate, seeds and juice
Pinch or 2 of chilli
Pinch of salt

1. Combine all ingredients just before serving.
2. Add more chill if desired.

Method

1. Allow the pork to come to room temperature.
2. Rub pork all over with macadamia oil and salt and stand for at least 1 hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 220 C.
4. Line a baking dish with baking paper.
5. Place pork in baking dish skin side up and place in hot oven.
6. Cook for 20 minutes, remove from oven.
   *Do not let the crackle burn! Let it blister and turn light gold colour.
7. Reduce oven to 160 C.
8. Add potatoes and apples to the pork roast.
9. Return to oven, bake 1 hour until cooked to 145 C. in the centre of the meat.
   *You will need to use a meat thermometer for this important step.
10. Remove from oven, rest for 10-15 minutes covered with tin foil to keep warm.
11. Meanwhile make the salsa.
12. Carefully carve rested meat.
13. Either remove the crackle or pierce it with a sharp knife and slice the meat.
14. Arrange on warm plates, serve with vegetables, salsa and gravy.