Herb Crusted Pork Leg Roast
This year for Nathan’s birthday we cooked up a 6 1/2 lbs pork leg roast for dinner with his family. With the help of my daughter, we seasoned it with copious amounts of rosemary, thyme, garlic, lemon zest and fennel seed. It was full of flavor and very juicy. Use this as a guide, as the ingredient amounts are approximations, but the techniques will be the same. This flavor profile is great for leg roast, shoulder roast or even pork belly! Remember to season with plenty of salt and pepper, and the rest of the ingredients will enhance the natural tastiness of our pastured/forested pork. Amounts and cooking times will vary depending on the size of the roast you are cooking. The roasts we provide in our CSA tend to fall in the 3 - 5 lbs range.
Herb Crusted Leg Pork Roast
Prep Time: 30 minutes Total Time: Varies by roast size
Pork Leg Roast - Boneless
Kosher Salt & Pepper - Lots
Rosemary - Good handful
Thyme - About ½ as much as the rosemary used
Garlic - Lots! - Peeled with root ends cut
Lemon Zest - 1 -2 lemons
Fennel Seed - 1 -3 Tsp
Olive Oil - Enough to make a loose paste
Baker’s Twine
These amounts are estimates and should be used as a guide.
Instructions
Prepare the herb rub. Once the herbs have been picked, combine in a pile and roughly chop. Add the garlic, fennel, and lemon zest to the herbs and season with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Continue to chop the herb blend until finely minced.
In a small bowl, combine the herb blend and just enough olive oil to make a loose paste. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. You will want it to be fairly salty. Set aside while you prepare the roast.
Pat roast dry with a paper towel or clean cloth. Place fat-side down on a cutting board and trim any gristly bits off. If there is any silver skin, you will want to remove that using a very sharp pairing knife. The silver skin will not break down while cooking and it is important to remove it as it will become tough and chewy if it is left behind. Starting towards the middle of the meat, place the tip of your knife just beneath the silver skin and gently cut between it and the meat. Once you have lifted some of the silver skin away from the meat you will be able to hold and pull it as you slice under it with the knife. Angle the bade up slightly and away from the meat as you cut under the sliver skin working the knife away from you as you go.
Once the silver skin has been removed, flip roast fat-side up. If there is a good layer of fat on the roast, use a sharp knife to score thin lines in a cross-hatch pattern, roughly ¼” deep into the fat.
Generously, rub the herb blend on both sides of the roast and into the scored parts of the meat.
Tie the roast. This helps ensure even cooking. Depending on the size and shape of the roast you are working with it can be helpful to roll the meat onto itself (with the scored side facing out) to create a “log.” Starting at one end, tie the butcher’s twine around the meat and continue along the length of the roast. This is the method I use for tying roasts.
Place the prepared roast on a sheet pan and place in the refrigerator overnight. Leave meat uncovered to help produce a crispy outer crust when cooked.
Preheat oven to 450℉.
Remove roast from refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for approximately 30 minutes.
Roast pork for 30 - 40 minutes at high heat until a crisp outer crust has formed. Reduce temperature to 325℉ - 350℉. Continue to roast until an internal temperature of 160℉ is reached. Roasting times will vary depending on the size of the roast, plan for 20 - 30 minutes per pound and periodically check the temperature with a meat thermometer.
Allow roast to rest, loosely covered with foil, 15 - 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
*Roasting times and temperatures will vary based on size of roast and individual ovens. Use a meat thermometer to gauge doneness.