Slow-Roasted Salt and Pepper Pulled Pork

Sunday’s for me are all about relaxation. Where I grew up in South Wales Sunday’s always followed a similar structure of roast lunch, board games a long walk and an early night ready for school the next day. Everything for miles was closed and unless you were visiting friends for lunch in a local pub the likelihood of seeing anyone was pretty much zero! However, living in the City, Sunday is as buzzing and busy a day as the rest of the week…if you let it be. Shops, restaurants, hairdressers, bars and cafes are open all day and people pack in as much as they can before heading home late ready to begin their busy lives again on Monday. However, I try my very best to make Sunday as restful as possible, with no trains, no shops and no madness. Rest and recuperation are as important for the mind as they are for the body, sleep in particularly. Statistics say that sleep not only keeps our heart healthy, it also reduces stress, helps reduce chronic inflammation,  reduces the risk of depression, boosts memory, increases energy and activity, helps our body replenish and can also help aid weight loss!  A long walk in followed by a slow cooked roast dinner is my idea of the perfect Sunday. Board games are ingrained in my existence and I love nothing more than it being Ports, Tilly and I and a game of scrabble (Tilly regularly reassuring us she’s still there by waltzing across the scrabble board, lying down and messing up all our words!)… As I say, bliss!!!!

With Sunday lunch comes another Sunday tradition, meat. One of my favourite simple Paleo meat recipes of the moment is my slow-roasted salt and pepper pork. We have tried this recipe with pork belly and loin and although both work well I particularly favour the loin. Cooked for 5 hours on a low heat this method creates the most divine and buttery pulled pork. It is melt in your mouth, shout from the roof tops delicious and well worth heading to your local butcher to collect a good piece of meat for. It’s also amazing for leftovers mixed with some onions, green pepper, ginger, honey and sweet chilli for an Asian twist.

What you need:
Serves 4 people

Preparation: 5-10 mins
Cooking time: 4.5-5 hrs

*1.15kg Pork Loin (shoulder or belly)- feel free to use more or less
*Sea salt
*Cracked black pepper
*Olive Oil

Directions:

• Pre-heat your oven to 200ºc
• Prepare your meat by olive oiling a baking tray. Coat your meat in a generous amount of olive oil also cover the fat/skin (get rubbing) with a generous layer of sea salt and black pepper
• In to the oven place your meat in on high heat for 10 minutes
• Immediately turn oven down to 140°c and cook for approximately 4.5-5 hours, basting with the juices from the tray every hour or so and turning the meat
• 40 minutes before finishing, place whole garlic cloves and your choice of roasted veg in with the pork and allow them to roast
• Remove the crackling carefully and set as side to cool (allow to the meat to rest for at least 15 minutes)
• Using two forks the meat should gently break away by pulling gently
• Serve straight away with large pieces of crackling or cover with foil until needed