Pork Crown Roast Recipe

Name: Pork Crown Roast
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 210 min
Total time: 250 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 1 8-9 pound crown roast of pork (14 to 22 ribs, depending on how meaty the ribs), Frenched and prepped by butcher; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried); 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage (or 1 teaspoon dried); 2 teaspoons kosher salt; 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1 cup water; Stuffing; 2 tablespoons Butter; 4 cups cubed day-old bread (3/4-inch cubes); 1/2 pound Italian sausage meat; 1/2 cup finely chopped onion; 1/2 cup finely chopped celery; 3/4 pound tart Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, chopped (about 2 cups); 1/4 cup fresh parsley; 1 teaspoon fresh chopped sage (or 1/2 teaspoon dry); 1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dry); Salt and freshly ground black pepper

What Is a Pork Crown Roast?

A crown roast of pork is nothing more than a bunch of pork rib chops nicely formed into a circle and tied up by your butcher. The butcher does most of the hard work (which is why this roast must be specially ordered.)

Yes, there is stuffing to be made, and your butcher should give you the little paper hats that go over the exposed rib bones for the final presentation.

You need a minimum of 13 ribs to tie up, and that makes for a rather compacted roast. A better size is 18 to 20 ribs.

The general guideline for planning is 2 ribs chops per person, though we, proud meat eaters, could barely finish one each, so it depends on the size of the ribs.

Use a Meat Thermometer

Because of the variability of the rib sizes and the overall shape of the roast, timing is a bit hard to gauge. You must use a meat thermometer.

We recommend a Chef Alarm, or one like it, where the probe stays in the roast the whole time while the roast is cooking, and the read-out unit is outside of the oven.

To Stuff or Not to Stuff a Crown Roast

We are still having a debate as to whether it is better to cook the roast with the stuffing in or cook it separately. We think most people will want to cook it with at least some of the stuffing in the roast to absorb some of the meat juices as the roast cooks. Cooking the stuffing separately however will allow you to have more evenly roasted meat.

Several sources went into the planning of this roast, The Good Cook series issue on pork (now long out of print, but sometimes available on eBay), Weber grill company, and Gourmet Magazine.

Tips for Cutting a Cooked Crown Pork Roast

Cutting a cooked crown pork roast to serve is not difficult. Place it on a large, sturdy cutting board. Using a meat fork to steady the roast and a sharp chef's knife, slice in between each rib and the ribs will easily separate.

For a roast like this, it's impressive to cut it at the table in front of guests. However, if you're concerned about cutting it in front of guests, present the fully cooked crown roast to guests to wow them, and then take it back to the kitchen to slice.

What to Serve With Crown Pork Roast

More Pork Roast Recipes to Make!

Pork Crown Roast

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 3 hrs 30 mins

Roast resting 20 mins

Total Time 4 hrs 10 mins

Servings 10 to 12 servings

You will need to special order the roast already prepped and tied from your butcher.

Do not rely on cooking time to know when the roast is done. Cooking times vary depending on the size of the roast, how many ribs, your particular oven. Invest in a meat thermometer before attempting a roast like this.

1 (8- to 9-pound) crown roast of pork (14 to 22 ribs, depending on how meaty the ribs), Frenched and prepped by butcher
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage (or 1 teaspoon dried)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup water

Stuffing

2 tablespoons butter
4 cups cubed day-old bread (3/4-inch cubes)
8 ounces Italian sausage meat
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
2 cups peeled, cored, and chopped tart Granny Smith apples
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1 teaspoon fresh chopped sage (or 1/2 teaspoon dry)
1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dry)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Season the pork roast and let it come to temperature:

Mix together the roast seasonings of thyme, sage, salt and pepper. Rub all over the pork roast. Let roast sit (wrapped) at room temperature for an hour before roasting.
Preheat the oven:

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Start the stuffing:

Heat a large sauté pan on medium heat. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in the pan, add the cubed bread, and stir to coat the bread pieces with the melted butter. Let bread cubes toast; only turn them when they have become a little browned on a side.

Elise Bauer
Brown the sausage:

Heat a large (4- to 6-quart) pan on medium heat. Breaking off inch-sized chunks, add the Italian sausage to the pan, taking care not to crowd the bottom of the pan.

Do not stir, just let cook until lightly browned on one side, then flip the sausage over and brown on the other side. When lightly browned, use a slotted spoon to remove, set aside.

Elise Bauer
Cook the onions and apples:

You should have at least a tablespoon of fat in the pan, if not, add some butter. Heat the pan to medium high. Add the onions and celery and cook until onions are translucent, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the chopped apples and cook for a few minutes more.

Elise Bauer

Elise Bauer
Combine the stuffing:

Add back in the browned sausage, the butter toasted bread cubes, parsley, thyme, and sage. Gently mix. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
Prepare the roasting pan and stuff the roast:

Place the crown roast in a shallow roasting pan. Fill the center of the crown loosely with stuffing (do not pack in the stuffing).

Whatever extra stuffing you have, place in a separate, buttered, oven proof pan.

Cover the tips of the ribs with aluminum foil to prevent scorching of the bones.

Add one cup water to the pan.
Roast the pork:

Roast the pork at 350°F on middle rack of oven. Cover the stuffing with foil after about 30 minutes.

Cook until a meat thermometer inserted deep into center of meat (do not touch bones, which are on the outside of the roast) registers 145°F, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours total.

Safe Pork Temperature: What's the Temperature of Cooked Pork?
READ MORE:
Bake extra stuffing:

Add 1/2 cup of water to the remaining stuffing, and bake it (next to or under roast, starting 30 minutes before roast is done, or while the roast is resting), covered with foil for 30 minutes.
Let the pork rest:

Transfer pork to a platter and let stand 20 minutes.
Carve:

To carve the pork, steady the roast with a fork, with a large sharp knife, cut down through each rib to detach the pork chops.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
162	Calories
9g	Fat
11g	Carbs
9g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 10 to 12
Amount per serving
Calories	162
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 9g	12%
Saturated Fat 4g	19%
Cholesterol 27mg	9%
Sodium 470mg	20%
Total Carbohydrate 11g	4%
Dietary Fiber 1g	4%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 9g
Vitamin C 3mg	15%
Calcium 38mg	3%
Iron 1mg	6%
Potassium 187mg	4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.