Stephanie Alexander’s roast rack of pork with pears

Score pork skin at 5mm intervals right through into layer of fat just beneath skin using a very sharp knife (see note). Put rack of pork into a large, deep basin or, better still, a very clean kitchen sink (without the plug in). Bring water to a boil, then slowly ladle boiling water over meat. The scored cuts will open up as the skin contracts. When all water has been used, drain meat on a wire rack. Dry very well with a clean tea towel or kitchen paper and refrigerate, uncovered, skin-side uppermost, for at least 2 hours or as long as overnight.

Preheat oven to 250°C (230°C fan-forced). Place pork on board and rub salt into cuts. Put chine bone into a baking dish, scatter around onion, add garlic and herbs and set pork firmly onto bone. Dribble vinegar over skin (the salt will absorb it), then rub skin generously with oil. Add a little water to dish (this helps stop onion from burning). Bake for 20 minutes or until most of the skin has blistered, then lower heat to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Bake for 1 hour, basting every 20 minutes with fat in dish and adding spoonfuls of water to prevent dish burning. Add pears to dish in the last 30 minutes of roasting. Raise oven temperature to 220°C (200°C fan-forced) and bake for a further 10 minutes. Transfer meat to a warm plate and cover loosely with foil while you make a simple sauce. Tip all fat from baking dish (save it for sauteing cabbage or potatoes, or both together for a memorable bubble-and-squeak), then stir in wine over a brisk heat. Remove bones and add stock. Allow it to bubble up and reduce a little, then strain sauce into a jug, pressing hard on onion and garlic to extract maximum flavour.

To serve, cut 8 succulent slices, each with its own cap of crackling, straight through pork rack. Offer sauce separately and accompany with roast pears, roast potatoes and braised fennel.