Apple-Smoked Rosemary Fennel Pork Loin with Lemon Oil

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A whole pork loin rubbed with crushed fennel, rosemary and garlic, then smoked low and slow over apple wood until it hits 145°F. It comes off the smoker faintly sweet from the wood, juicy in the middle, and gets finished with a bright lemon-olive oil drizzle — Sunday-roast flavour with almost no hands-on work.

Ingredients

• 3 lb boneless pork loin roast
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
• 4 cloves garlic, grated
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 chunks apple wood smoking chunks (or 2 cups apple chips)

• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

1. Pat the pork loin dry and rub it all over with the kosher salt. Set it on a plate, uncovered, in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight — this dry brine seasons the meat through and helps the smoke stick.
2. Crush the fennel seeds under the flat of a knife or in a mortar until roughly cracked. Stir them with the black pepper, red pepper flakes, rosemary, garlic and 3 tbsp olive oil to make a loose paste. Smear it over every side of the loin, including the fat cap.
3. Set up your smoker for indirect cooking at 250°F (120°C) and add 3 chunks of apple wood (or a foil packet of soaked apple chips). Wait until the smoke runs thin and blue rather than thick and white before the meat goes on.
4. Place the loin fat side up on the grate, away from the heat source, and smoke undisturbed for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or roughly 45 minutes per pound. Do not open the lid for the first hour.
5. Start checking with an instant-read thermometer at the 1 hour 45 minute mark. Pull the pork when the thickest part reads 140°F (60°C).
6. Tent loosely with foil and rest on a board for 15 minutes; carryover heat will take it to a safe, juicy 145°F (63°C) with a faint pink smoke ring just under the crust.
7. Whisk the lemon zest, lemon juice and 2 tbsp olive oil with a pinch of salt. Slice the loin 1/2 inch thick against the grain, spoon the lemon oil over the slices and scatter with parsley.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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