How to Prepare a Crown Roast
A Crown Roast of Pork is an elegant and impressive dinner to serve family and friends. A Crown Roast usually serves 12 -14 people or more, it is a great choice for a dinner party.
A Crown Roast of Pork is actually a rib roast or rack of pork, that has been "frenched" (meat scraped away to reveal the bone tips) and tied in a round "crown" shape. You will likely need to order your Crown Roast from your butcher or grocery store's meat department in advance, however they may have them on-hand during the holiday season. A handy guide is to count the bones on the Crown Roast, each will give a large serving of pork when sliced, and is an easy way to figure out how many people your Crown Roast will serve.
Cooking a Crown Roast is surprisingly easy.
(1) Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C).
(2) Place the Crown Roast in a large roasting pan.
(3) Pat dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper.
(4) Cover each bone tip with a piece of aluminum foil.
(5) Place a ball of aluminum foil in the cavity of the Crown Roast.
(6) Roast as follows (generally 10-15 minutes per pound/500g):
Small Roasts - under 7 lbs/3 kg
Roast uncovered for ½ - 1 hour. Remove from oven. Drain off any excess fat. Remove foil ball. Fill cavity with your favourite stuffing . Cover with foil to prevent drying. Roast for another 1 ½ hours or until meat thermometer reaches 155°F - 160°F (68°C - 71°C).
Medium Roasts - 7-9 lbs/3-4 kg
Roast uncovered for 1 ½ hours. Remove from oven. Drain off any excess fat. Remove foil ball. Fill cavity with your favourite stuffing. Cover with foil to prevent drying. Roast for another 1 ½ hours or until meat thermometer reaches 155°F - 160°F (68°C - 71°C).
Large Roasts - over 10 lbs/4.5 kg
Roast uncovered for 2 -2 ½ hours. Remove from oven. Drain off any excess fat. Remove foil ball. Fill cavity with your favourite stuffing. Cover with foil to prevent drying. Roast for another 1 ½ hours or until meat thermometer reaches 155°F - 160°F (68°C - 71°C).
(7) Remove from oven. Cover loosely with foil and let rest 10 minutes. Slice between each bone and serve.
A Crown Roast of Pork can be cooked on the BBQ grill as well. Follow this recipe for a smoky, grilled Crown Roast complete with stuffing and glaze (feeds 12)!