- 1½kg pork loin joint, boneless
- 6 bay leaves
- 1½ lemon
- 1½ garlic clove
- 1 tbsp coarse sea salt
- Black pepper
- 200ml boiling water
- 1.
Heat your oven to 160°C/Fan 140°C/Gas 3.
- 2.
Remove the pork from its packaging and pat dry. Place in a roasting tin. Allow the pork to come to room temperature.
- 3.
Finely chop 3 of the bay leaves. Put in a mortar. Add 1 tbsp coarse salt and a good crack of pepper. Zest in the lemon. Crush together using the pestle. Alternatively, put the bay leaves, salt, pepper and lemon zest into a spice grinder.
- 4.
Rub the bay salt all over the pork. Place the remaining bay leaf under the pork.
- 5.
Thinly slice the zested lemon. Nestle around the pork loin joint. Peel and thinly slice the garlic clove and scatter over the lemons.
- 6.
Pour 200 ml boiling water over the lemons, taking care not to splash the pork skin. Slide the pork into the oven and roast for 45 mins.
- 7.
After the pork has cooked for 45 mins, crank the temperature up to 220°C/Fan 200°C/Gas 7. Check there’s still a little water in the tray to ensure the lemons don’t burn. Top up if necessary. Cook for a further 25 mins.
- 8.
Crackling not crackled? Pop the pork under the grill till the skin is golden and bubbling.
- 9.
Remove the pork from the oven and rest for at least 30 mins.
- 10.
Slice the pork and serve with shards of bay crackling and the caramelised lemons.
