Crown Roast of Pork with Cranberries
A crown roast of pork is made from two center racks of ribs connected and formed into a circle. You may be more familiar with a crown roast of lamb, but one made from pork racks is equally succulent and impressive—and less costly. Call well ahead and ask the butcher to form the crown for you. The crown roast with the cranberry stuffing is festive, making it a good choice for the holidays.
Serves8
Cooking Methodroasting
CostSplurge
Total Timeunder 4 hours
OccasionFormal Dinner Party
Recipe Coursemain course
Dietary Considerationegg-free, peanut free, soy free, tree nut free
Mealdinner
Moodfestive
Taste and Texturefruity, herby, meaty
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 8 cups ¼-inch bread cubes (about 12 slices)
- 4 tablespoons grated onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 cups chopped raw cranberries (one 12-ounce bag)
- 1 cup dry white wine
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- One 13- to 14-pound crown roast of pork (about 18 rib chops)
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 325°F.
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In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the bread cubes, onion, and garlic and sauté for about 10 minutes, or until the bread is lightly browned and the butter is absorbed.
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Add the cranberries, wine, sugar, marjoram, thyme, and salt. Season to taste with pepper; I usually give it about 10 turns of the mill. Spoon the stuffing into the center of the roast.
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Cover the tips of the roast with aluminum foil to prevent burning and roast for 1¾ to 2 hours, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the meatiest part of a chop registers 150 to 155 degrees. Begin checking the temperature at 1 hour and 40 minutes; you don’t want to overcook the meat. The stuffing should register about 160 degrees. Remove the aluminum foil about 15 minutes before the roast is done. Let the roast rest for at least 20 minutes, tented with foil to keep it warm. If the stuffing needs further cooking, remove it from the roast during resting and return to the oven until it’s hot in the center. Spoon it back into the roast for serving.
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Serve by slicing between the ribs. Serve each rib chop with a spoonful of stuffing or remove the stuffing and pass it on the side.
2005 Linda and Martha Greenlaw
