This pork crackling hack breaks all the pork crackling rules, but it works

One of life’s most simple pleasures, if you ask me, is pork crackling.

My love for the stuff started young: I remember savouring my crackling on our Sunday roasts like it was some sort of eating challenge. I would take a bite, put it carefully to the side, tolerate some vegies and meat, and then go back for my reward. If I got to the end of the dish and could finish it off with a last mouthful of crackling, I was one happy girl.

So, I think it’s fair to say that I take crackling seriously. I don’t like to take risks. For me, it’s just not worth potentially wasting a good crackle.

Which is precisely why this recipe — which breaks every single pork crackling rule — felt like a very large step straight out of my comfort zone.

What makes this roast pork recipe so different?

If you’re someone who is familiar with roasting pork, you’d know that to achieve the best crackle you must keep the skin DRY DRY DRY.

No exceptions.

Except this time.

In this recipe, submitted by Best Recipes member mgarratt75, instead of keeping that skin dry, you are going to rub it all over with an Aussie pantry staple: Vegemite.

Vegemite, you’ve done it again.

It shouldn’t work. It shouldn’t taste amazing.

But it really does.

In this recipe, you dry and score the skin — as per standard pork crackling practice — and then you rub it all over with Vegemite. It is so unusual it almost feels wrong. But let me assure you: you won’t end up with a soggy crackle. It isn’t as big of a risk as it first appears.

The reason it works is because Vegemite is really salty, so it acts as a seasoning. It also brings this deep umami flavour which introduces a whole new flavour profile to pork crackling.

It’s — dare I say it — delicious.

But don’t just take my word for it – Best Recipes member allrose agrees:

“I love love love Vegemite by the spoonful. So was rapt by this suggestion. I was quite liberal with Vegemite but the end result was scrumptious. Crispy, salty, tasty crackling.”