Learn how to cook a leg of pork in the oven with juicy meat and perfectly crispy crackling. Includes cooking times, temperatures and expert tips.
Wondering how to cook a leg of pork in the oven with perfectly crispy crackling? This easy roast pork method shows you exactly how to prepare, season, and cook a pork leg roast so the meat stays juicy and the crackling turns golden and crunchy every time.
I've been cooking roast pork for years and this is the method I use every time. It's simple, reliable and delivers juicy pork and crispy crackling that disappears quickly at the dinner table.
We serve this at least once a month in our house, getting the whole family around the table to dig into roast pork, roast potatoes, roasted vegetables, cauliflower cheese, apple sauce and topped off with gravy. Delicious!
At a Glance: How to Cook a Leg of Pork in the Oven
- Pat the skin dry and score the crackling.
- Rub generously with salt.
- Roast at 245°C / 475°F for 20 minutes.
- Reduce heat to 190°C / 375°F.
- Continue cooking for 35 minutes per pound (450g).
- Rest uncovered for 10-15 minutes before carving.
Best Cut of Pork for Roasting
The most popular cuts of pork for roasting are the leg, shoulder and loin. These are often boned and rolled ready for roasting. You can usually buy all of these cuts in the supermarket, or of course ask your local butcher.
How to Prepare a Leg of Pork for Roasting
Preparing a pork joint for roasting is super simple. You don't even really need to season a pork roast. I just lay the joint down on a bed of garlic and herbs.
Rosemary is a classic herb for pork, and I often toss in a couple of sprigs of thyme too. Then scatter on some sliced garlic and lay the pork joint on top of it. That's it!
I don't use a wire rack in my roasting tin, as I want all the juices to be absorbed back into the meat for maximum flavor and juicy meat.
The most important preparation when cooking pork roast is the crackling. Read on for all our tips!
How to Make Pork Crackling
Getting the perfect pork crackling on your pork roast is like the icing on a cake. Sure you can have roast pork without crackling, but why would you want to?
Crispy pork crackling is truly one of life's culinary pleasures and luckily making pork crackling is not difficult at all.
But you do need to know a few important tips to make the best pork crackling.
Firstly - you need to make sure that you have a good layer of fat under the skin of your pork.
Secondly, you need to make sure the skin is dried out. To do this, a few hours before you cook it, take it out of its packaging, dry it off with a paper towel, and put it on a plate, uncovered back in the fridge for a couple of hours or more.
Next, you need to make sure you score the skin really well. This means taking a sharp knife and cutting slices into the skin, but be careful not to go all the way through.
The better the skin is scored, the better the crackling will be.
Finally, right before you put the pork in the oven, you need to sprinkle it with a lot of salt. And by a lot, I mean at least 1 tablespoon of salt. More if you are ok with it being salty.
This can be table salt or coarse salt. I have used both over the years and have they have both resulted in epic pork crackling.
A lot of pork crackling recipes will tell you to rub oil into the skin before you sprinkle over the salt. I disagree. I have never put any oil anywhere near my pork crackling and it always turns out perfect.
Now to get the crackling to crackle, you first need to give it a blast of heat in the oven.
So start your oven off super hot - 475 F or 245 C - and cook the pork at this high temperature for the first 20 minutes. After this you can turn it down to continue cooking the rest of the pork.
The final rule for pork crackling is, you have to serve it with apple sauce! See below for more details.
How to Cook a Leg of Pork in the Oven
The best thing about cooking roast pork is that it is pretty much set and forget. Once you have given it that first blast of heat at a high temperature, you can turn the heat down to 375 F / 190 C and just leave it alone.
Once it is cooked, leave it to rest for around 10-15 minutes to allow the meat to relax. Do not cover it with foil during this rest period, or all that hard work you put into that amazing crackling will be ruined!
Pork Roast Cooking Times
The exact cooking time will depend on the size of your pork leg.
As a general rule, roast the pork at 245°C / 475°F for the first 20 minutes to help the crackling crisp up, then reduce the oven temperature to 190°C / 375°F and continue cooking for 35 minutes per pound (450g).
I've created a table below to help you out.
| Weight of Pork Leg | Initial High Heat | Then Cook at 190°C / 375°F | Total Cooking Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1kg | 20 mins | 55 mins | 1 hr 15 mins |
| 1.5kg | 20 mins | 1 hr 50 mins | 2 hrs 10 mins |
| 2kg | 20 mins | 2 hrs 45 mins | 3 hrs 5 mins |
| 2.5kg | 20 mins | 3 hrs 40 mins | 4 hrs |
| 3kg | 20 mins | 4 hrs 35 mins | 4 hrs 55 mins |
You can also use a meat thermometer. Pork is cooked when the internal temperature reaches 63°C (145°F), then rested for at least 10 minutes before carving.
What to Serve with Roast Pork
Firstly, you have to serve apple sauce with your roast pork! Crackling and apple sauce is a salty-sweet match made in Heaven.
You can buy a jar of apple sauce, but it's way better to make it yourself. Just take a couple of apples, peel, core and slice them.
Put the apple slices into a saucepan and cook over a low heat with the lid on for around 15 minutes. Make sure you stir it often. Once the apple slices are really soft you can blend them into a puree.
Other ideas for roast pork accompaniments include:
- Roast potatoes (of course)
- Roast carrots or other root vegetables
- A green vegetable
- Mashed Potato - see my recipe for Thermomix Mashed Potato here.
- Cauliflower cheese
- Yorkshire puddings - see my recipe for Thermomix Yorkshire Puddings here.
- Gravy
Are you hungry yet?!
What to do with leftover roast pork
Leftover roast pork is very versatile to use. Here are some great ideas:
- Make a Roast Pork and Apple Sauce Sandwich
- Chop it up and use it in Fried Rice
- Make Cuban Sandwiches
- Slice it up for using in an Asian Noodle Soup
- Make Pork Rice Paper Rolls
- Chop it up fine for using in Pork and Vegetable Spring Rolls
- Slice it up for Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwiches
- Make Leftover Pork Tacos or Quesadillas
- Use it on Pizza
- Make a Pork Curry
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes you can! Wrap it in foil then place in a freezer bag or airtight container. It will keep for up to 2 months.
Leftover pork can be wrapped in foil, plastic wrap or in an airtight container and will last in the fridge for up to 3 days.
As a general rule, roast pork should be cooked at a high temperature for the first 20 minutes to help the crackling crisp up, then continue cooking for around 35 minutes per pound (450g). This works out to approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes per kilogram, plus the initial 20 minutes. Always check that the pork is cooked through before serving.
No. Covering the crackling with foil traps steam, which can soften the skin and prevent it from becoming crispy. For the best crackling, leave the pork uncovered throughout cooking and during the resting period after it comes out of the oven.
The most common reasons are that the skin wasn't dry enough, it wasn't scored properly, or there wasn't enough salt on the surface. For the crispiest crackling, pat the skin dry, leave it uncovered in the fridge for a few hours before cooking, score the skin well and sprinkle generously with salt before roasting. Starting the pork at a high oven temperature also helps the crackling puff up and crisp.
You can, but I don't. Many recipes suggest rubbing oil into the skin before salting it, but I've always found that thoroughly drying the skin and using plenty of salt produces excellent crackling without any oil. The key is removing as much moisture from the skin as possible before cooking.
The safest way to check if roast pork is cooked is to use a meat thermometer. The internal temperature should reach 63°C (145°F) in the thickest part of the meat, away from the bone. Once cooked, allow the pork to rest for 10-15 minutes before carving.
Yes. In fact, preparing the pork ahead of time can help you achieve better crackling. You can remove the pork from its packaging, pat the skin dry and leave it uncovered in the fridge overnight. This helps dry out the skin, making it easier to achieve crispy crackling when you roast it the next day. Add the salt just before cooking.
Looking for more quick and easy family meals? You may like these recipes:
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Roast Pork with Crackling
Ingredients
- 3 lb / 1.5kg leg shoulder or loin of pork
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 sprigs rosemary
- 2 springs thyme
- 1 tablespoon salt
Instructions
- At least two hours before cooking the pork, remove it from its packaging, dry thoroughly with a paper towel and return it to the fridge, uncovered to dry out.
- Pre-heat the oven to 475F / 245C.
- Take a very sharp knife and score the skin of the pork. You want it to cut the skin but not go all the way through. The better your skin is scored, the better the crackling will be.
- Lay the rosemary and thyme sprigs onto the bottom of a large roasting tin.
- Peel and slice the garlic and lay it on top of the herbs.
- Now place the pork on top of the herbs.
- Right before you put it in the oven, sprinkle the skin of the pork with at least 1 tablespoon of salt.
- Place the roasting tin into the hot oven and cook for 20 minutes at this temperature.
- Then turn the temperature down to 375F / 190C and leave the pork to cook undisturbed for a further 35 minutes per pound (450g) of meat. So for a 3lb / 1.5kg leg of pork, this will be for a further 1 hour and 45 minutes.
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