Crispy pork crackling may help smarten kids
Crispy pork crackling may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you are pregnant but this week it was salty goodness that had me thinking. I need to back up a bit to explain.
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Iodine deficiency
This post does have a recipe I promise you but it is really written to get any readers who may be pregnant or who are thinking about having children to be very aware of the role of iodine in the intellectual development of children. The role of iodine is important from the time of conception when a zygote forms and an embryo implants, through the gestation and then in the early life as a baby and infant.
This post isn’t a physiology lesson but I’d appreciate if you look up the role of iodine and perhaps visit my other blog where I describe a lecture I attended last week on iodine deficiency and the ramifications for the intellectual development of young Australians. The bottom line is that iodine supplementation during pregnancy is something to seriously consider.
Iodised salt
Sources of iodine include dairy products (albeit not as much as previously [see my other blog about that]), bread (because most bread in Australia is made with iodised salt), and iodised salt.
Obviously, too much salt is a problem for heart health, but if you need to add salt, use iodised salt and avoid fancy new age crap like seas salt and rock salt that offer no additional health benefits and may, in fact, be noxious to your health. Iodised table and cooking salt are also usually cheaper.
Saxa iodised table salt
This is not an advertisement for the Saxa brand
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Recipe
Crispy pork crackling
Crispy pork crackling
This is a never fail recipe for getting crispy crunchy pork crackling.
- Pork rashers
- Iodised salt
- Chilli flakes
- Sesame seeds
- Cut the skin off each rasher and lay the skin on some baking paper on a thin oven tray.
- Sprinkle liberally with iodised table salt
- Place into an oven at 200 °C/400 °F for one hour
- Place the skinless rashers into a frying pan lined with baking paper
- Sprinkle on the meat some sesame seeds and chilli flakes
- Place into an oven at 200 °C/400 °F for one hour
- When cooked, pull out the rasher meat and place onto absorbent paper and allow to cool a little. Do the same for the crackling too.
- Cut the rashers into small bite-sized chunks
- Serve on a plate with the crackling
- Eat with chopsticks and serve with a dipping sauce. Rick and Morty’s Sichuan Teriyaki dipping sauce would work a charm here.
Please note I never check the energy values. I use 500 Calories as my default.
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Photograph
The finished product
Crispy pork crackling. This would go well with my Rick and Morty Sichuan Dipping Sauce.
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Questions and answers
What sort of salt do you normally buy?
I usually buy iodised table salt. I have also bought sea salt and rock salt. I reckon the only good use for rock salt is when making something like salted caramel when you want a concentrated hit of salt surrounded by sweetness.
What do you think of Himalayan rock salt?
After listening to Prof. Eastman the other night I’ll never buy it again. He reckons the murky colour is due to impurities like heavy metals which may be noxious to human health. I’ll probably also avoid Murray River salt too for the same reason. I mean have to see the crap in the Murray River.
Are you going to tell your daughters to supplement with iodine when they become pregnant?
Of course, I want bright grandchildren, not idiots.
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Podcasting
I’m thinking of starting a cooking podcast. I’m happy to receive suggestions.
Fortunately, I’m already eating iodized salt.
Ha! I wondered what the link was going to be there Gary! I use iodised salt for making bread and most cooking and flaky sea salt for sprinkling on top of fried eggs and tomato sandwiches and choc chip cookies and stuff where I want distinct bits of salty crunch 🙂
It makes sense to do that I reckon Beck. I see the flaky stuff to be more garnish than substance.
This is really making me re-think my fancy salts! Have you got any further information on Prof Eastman’s lecture?
Unfortunately the lecture wasn’t recorded but he’s been on the ABC and other documentaries. If you search for Creswell Eastman in Google you’ll find a heap of material.
Do you think this recipe could make me smarter too? I’m really just looking for an excuse to eat salty pork crackling, so yummy!
No excuse needed Elissa. Just do it I reckon. You’re already smart enough 😃
Yep, got to get the iodised salt! Thanks for the tip re the coloured salts!!
A pleasure Michele. It’s an important message for our kids and grandkids.
Thank you. This is very interesting. For years I have in fact been using the cheaper table salt from ALDI, choosing the iodized version, yet feeling a bit embarrassed to acknowledge this.
Be proud. There’s nothing wrong with cheap iodised table or cooking salt.