Roasting the pork at a low temperature in a spiced salt mixture amps up the flavor of the meat and makes it extra-tender. After cooking the pork, the rack of bones is cut off and used to hold the roast for easy carving.
Ingredients
Makes 8 servings
Step 1
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 250°F. Sprinkle pork roast all over with 1 teaspoon coarse salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and fennel seeds, patting to adhere. Heat olive oil in heavy large roasting pan over medium-high heat. Place pork, fat side down, in pan. Cook until brown on all sides and on ends, holding pork upright with tongs when necessary, about 12 minutes. Transfer pork to baking sheet and cool completely, about 20 minutes.
Step 2
Combine 8 cups coarse salt, 2/3 cup black pepper, allspice, and juniper berries in same roasting pan. Stir to blend. Add 1 cup water and stir to moisten. Push 2/3 to 3/4 of salt mixture to 1 side of pan, spreading remaining salt in long wide strip (about size of roast) as base for pork. Place pork, bone side down, on salt base. Pack remaining salt over entire roast, enclosing completely.
Step 3
Roast pork in salt crust until instantread thermometer inserted straight down into pork from top center registers 165°F, about 2 1/2 hours.
Step 4
Transfer roasting pan to work surface. Let pork rest 10 to 20 minutes. Remove all salt from around pork. Transfer pork to cutting board, brushing off any remaining salt. Position roast so that bones are vertical. Cut between bones and meat to remove bone slab in 1 piece.
Step 5
Place bone slab on platter. Arrange roast atop bones in original position. Carve roast and serve.
Step 6
- Sold in the spice aisle of most supermarkets.
What to drink:
Step 7
With the pork, pour a Côtes du Rhône. We like the Domaine Rouge-Bleu 2007 "Mistral" (France, $18). Its blackberry and earthy flavors and anise notes complement the meat deliciously.
Nutrition Per Serving
How would you rate Roasted Salt-and Spice-Packed Pork Loin?
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Reviews (16)
Back to TopI notice the nutritional analysis doesn't include the sodium content. Sounds delicious, but risky for us heart patients. I'm too nervous to try it, alas.
cazzieoh
Oberlin, OH
10/27/2017
Love the flavors in this recipe but the recommended internal temperature is too high, it over cooks this yummy pork which I found out the hard way, turned out super dry. Should be 140-145. Don't cook longer to reach 165, check at 2 hrs for 140.
Scalabrini
SF Bay Area
1/1/2015
I've made this for at least 2 Christmas Day dinners for family and have served it to friends at other times. It is delicious and is fun to make. I use my electric spice grinder and pick the juniper berries off of the juniper tree in the back yard. I highly recommend this recipe.
jenlazycook
Acton, MA
12/28/2013
I have made this several times and I must say it is fabulous. A couple of times I wove some bacon into a mat and put it on the top of the pork before covering it with the salt. Amazing.
sharonhoff
Seattle, WA
9/27/2013
New favorite spicing for pork! Yes, the juniper berries make a difference so try and find them if you can. We found ours at a Latin grocery.
AChase
Los Angeles
12/25/2011
Super, duper easy and delicious! I used a pork tenderloin instead and ground the pepper in my Cuisanart. It took forever and was horrifically loud but my arm got a bit tired after attempting to grind it by hand. How's that for lazy? I was terrified of the amount of salt required but the end result was fantastic. Highly, highly recommend this recipe!
jkpick
12/19/2011
这烤食谱是优秀的!我做了这个拉t night and the flavor of the meat was so delicious, not too salty and very moist. I did omit the juniper berries as I could not find them at the store. It still was extremely flavorful. Followed the recipe except for the berries and I used an oven probe. Took it out at 160 and let it sit for 15 mins before slicing. Will definetly make this again.
ghutch8
NJ
12/31/2010
really cannot believe how much time this took. Does everyone have an electric spice grinder because I got quite a workout grinding pepper, allspice, fennel and juniper berries. Then it took an hour longer to cook than the recipe stated. Not worth the work
SfORRESTER
3/7/2010
Delicious! I was very skeptical about all that salt, but it really flakes off and the pork absorbs all those delicious spices. Definitely making this one again!
camillececere
Colonia, NJ
1/1/2010
Oh my goodness! This was fantastic. We served it for a dinner party on New Year's Eve and everyone raved and raved about it. We were skeptical about the amount of salt, but it worked perfect. Our only warning is that it takes longer to cook than the time indicated in recipe. The flavors are delicious and the aroma is unbelievable as it cooks. Definitely will be one of our favorite recipes.
Anonymous
Columbia, SC
1/1/2010
We loved this recipe and are doing it again for New Year's Day! I had a little trouble getting the salt mixture to "stick", but for the most part the roast was covered. My husband cooked it in his smoker (with no smoke) and the guys were drooling over it.
twotreeses01
Florida
12/31/2009
Made this for Christmas dinner and it was very easy to prepare and tasted wonderful. 2 guests were not huge fennel fans, but those that were raved that it was the best. Make sure to scrape off as much of the salt crust as possible. It did take longer to cook than listed, but my roast was over 6 pounds. Worth the wait. Leftovers make great sandwiches.
Anonymous
Washington
12/29/2009
If this could have been easier, I don't know how. Followed it to the letter - it was absolutely perfect. Tender, moist, flavorful, beautiful presentation, easy cleanup, and very aromatic during cooking. Complete winner.
Just_Some_Guy
Seattle, WA
12/25/2009
This was great! I haven't done any salt-packed recipes before and so was a bit dubious of the 8 cups -- but followed the recipe and it was great. I saved some of the extra salt to use on other meals after it was roasted. Smells wonderful, holds the moisture in the roast, and tastes fantastic. Also very easy.
hmmitchell
Ferndale, WA
11/29/2009
I would like to note that the following review is from a collection of six adults... First, we were surprised by the over-abundance of salt required for this recipe. We elected to use 5 cups (a single box) of kosher salt, which seemed to suit the 5+ lb. roast. We also used half the quantity of juniper berries and all-spice (because we only had that amount), but the seasoning seemed well-balanced. The cooking time ran a bit over the 2 1/2 hours... but the end result was FABULOUS! The meat was moist, tender, and very flavorful. We plan to make it again... possibly next year pre-Thanksgiving or for a Christmas meal.
miekep
Redwood City, CA
11/25/2009
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