Pork rack in Coke marinade

You know how Nigella is all about that full leg of Christmas ham, marinated in Coke in a bucket overnight and then cooked in Coke and then glazed with it? Yeah, well that intrigues me. I don't know whether I will ever manage to do as she does, but I created a little homage to her Coke ham by doing a pork rack in a light Coke marinade.

It was... delicious! Veeeery tasty and moist. I am quite self-satisfied. Incidentally, the pork rack came from the butcher on Stanley Road at Carina. Excellent quality. We are ordering the turkeys from there this year.

Pork rack in a Coke marinade

• 1 pork rack (mine was a rack of six)
• 1 can of Coke (full-strength only: diet won't work)
• 2 tsps sweet hot paprika
• salt

Make sure the pork fat is scored into strips for crackling. Put the rack, enough Coke to generously almost-cover it, the paprika and a sprinkling of salt into a plastic bag. Smoosh most of the air out. You might want to use two bags in case the rack punctures one. Massage the bags. Try to get the mixture rubbed into the crackling, around the bones and into the meat. Leave the bags in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 190C. Line a baking dish with baking paper (to save washing up!) Drain all the marinade away from the pork and sit the rack in the dish, fat side up. Use paper towels to really dry the fat. Pop the dish in the centre of the oven for about 1 and a half hours. If the fat burns too much, turn it over. When almost ready, crank the heat right up to give the crackle a good crisping. Take the pork out and let it sit unmolested on the bench for at least fifteen minutes to rest. Slice down between the rack bones with a sharp knife to create fat pork chops. Serves 6.

I served mine with a rocket, lettuce and baby tomato salad, and half a jacket potato.