Crown of Pork Day is on March 7th, but there’s no reason why you can’t be a couple of days ahead. In Kathey Jo’s Kitchen, fortune favors the prepared. Or – in this case – full bellies favor the prepared! You can’t cut corners and simply eat pork chops for today, it must absolutely be crown roast of pork. Go with your mother or grandmother’s favorite recipe, or prepare it in a style that you’ve never had before. Tell your friends at Kathey Jo’s Kitchen what is your favorite way to prepare your crown roast of pork. I’ve shared a couple ways below, but I know there’s so many ways out there.
Crown Roast of Pork with Lady Apples and Shallots
Ingredients
- 2 8-bone racks of pork (about 4 pounds each), chine bone removed, fat trimmed to ¼-inch thick, rib bones frenched
- 1½ cups (packed) light brown sugar
- 10 ounces kosher salt
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 12 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, plus 8 sprigs
- 1 tablespoon brown mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons whole grain Dijon mustard
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 4 ounces bacon, chopped
- 12 lady apples, halved
- 1½ pounds shallots, peeled, halved lengthwise if large
- 3 cups dry hard cider
Directions
- Lay racks of pork flat on work surface, the inside of the ribs should be facing up. Use a knife to make 3 vertical 3″-long slits (about 1″ deep) into the loins of each rack, 1 slit between every 2 ribs. Place each rack of pork into a 1-gal. resealable plastic bag and chill.
- Heat brown sugar, salt, and 4 cups water in a large saucepan over medium, stirring until sugar and salt are dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add vinegar and 4 cups ice water. Chill brine until cold, about 1 hour.
- Divide brine between bags with pork and seal, squeezing out excess air; chill pork 8–24 hours.
- Remove pork from bags and pat dry. Place on a large rimmed baking sheet; let sit 2 hours to bring to room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 300°. Mix garlic, chopped thyme, mustard seeds, pepper, ¼ cup mustard, and 2 Tbsp. oil in a small bowl. Smear all over pork, working into slits; tuck thyme sprigs into slits. Upend both racks so they’re parallel to one another with bones facing up and slits facing out. Curve racks toward each other so they meet at both ends to form a crown (you may need assistance from a friend). Holding pork in place, encircle racks with string and tie securely in 2 places: around rib bones and around thickest part of loin. If desired, wrap tops of bones individually with foil to keep them from burning.
- Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium. Cook bacon, stirring often, until fat is rendered, and edges are crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer bacon to a roasting pan with a slotted spoon.
- Working in 2–3 batches, add apples, cut side down, and shallots to same skillet and cook over medium-high heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer apples to roasting pan; turn shallots and cook until golden brown on the other side, about 3 minutes. Transfer to roasting pan.
- Remove skillet from heat and carefully add cider, stirring and scraping up any browned bits. Pour liquid into roasting pan and place pork in the center, pushing apples and shallots to the edges; reserve skillet. Roast pork until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of loin registers 135°, 1¾–2¼ hours.
- Remove roast from oven and transfer apples and shallots to a platter; tent with foil. Increase oven temperature to 500°. Transfer pork to a cutting board and pour pan juices into reserved skillet. Return pork to roasting pan; roast until browned and crisp all over, 5–10 minutes. Transfer roast back to cutting board and let rest 30–45 minutes before cutting into chops.
- Just before serving, whisk remaining 2 Tbsp. mustard into pan juices in skillet and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, whisking often, until sauce is reduced to about 1 cup, 7–10 minutes.
- Transfer pork chops to platter with apples and shallots; spoon sauce over.
Italian Crown Roast of Pork
Ingredients
- 1 tsp. dried rosemary leaves
- 1 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 pork rib crown roast
- 3 tbsp. margarine or butter
- dry white wine or chicken broth with less salt
Orzo Stuffing
- 1 can chicken broth with less salt
- 1½ oz. dried tomatoes without salt
- 2 shallots
- 1 small onion
- 3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. dried basil leaves
- ½ tsp. grated lemon peel
Directions
- In cup, mix rosemary, pepper, and garlic. Rub inside and outside of pork rib crown roast with herb mixture. Place roast, rib-ends down, in large roasting pan (about 14″ by 10″). In small saucepan over low heat, melt margarine or butter. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in ½ cup white wine and ½ cup water (or, use 1 cup chicken broth and do not add wine or water). Pour wine mixture over roast. Roast pork in 325 degrees F. oven 1 ½ hours, basting occasionally.
- Meanwhile, prepare Orzo Stuffing (see below).
- When pork has roasted 2 hours, remove from oven and turn rib-ends up; fill cavity with some Orzo Stuffing. Keep remaining stuffing in skillet warm.
- Insert meat thermometer between 2 ribs into thickest part of meat, being careful that pointed end of thermometer does not touch bone. Cover stuffing and ribs loosely with foil; return roast to oven and continue roasting about 15 minutes or until thermometer reaches 160 degrees F. (18 to 20 minutes per pound total cooking time).
- When roast is done, place on warm platter; let stand 15 minutes for easier carving. Set roasting pan aside.
- Meanwhile, prepare dried-tomato sauce: In small saucepan over high heat, heat chicken broth and dried tomatoes to boiling; cook 3 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat. Remove tomatoes from broth, reserving broth. Coarsely chop tomatoes.
- Skim 3 tablespoons fat from drippings in roasting pan (add enough salad oil if necessary to make 3 tablespoons) into 2-quart saucepan. Add 1 cup water to roasting pan, stirring to loosen brown bits. Pour meat-juice mixture through sieve into 2-cup measuring cup. Stir in enough water to equal 2 cups; set aside.
- In fat in saucepan over medium heat, cook shallots or onion until very tender. Stir in flour; cook 1 minute. Stir in chopped dried tomatoes, reserved chicken broth, meat-juice mixture, basil, lemon peel, and ¼ cup white wine or chicken broth. Cook, stirring constantly, until gravy boils and thickens slightly.
- To serve, spoon remaining stuffing in skillet around roast on platter. Serve with gravy.
Orzo Stuffing:
- Prepare three-fourths 16-ounce package orzo (about 1 ¾ cups) as label directs. Drain.
- In small saucepan over high heat, heat one 13 ¾ – to 14 ½ ounce can chicken broth with less salt, and one-half 3-ounce package dried tomatoes without salt to boiling; boil 3 minutes; remove saucepan from heat.
- Remove tomatoes from broth, reserving broth. Coarsely chop tomatoes.
- In 12-inch skillet or 5-quart Dutch oven, over medium-high heat, in 3 tablespoons hot olive or salad oil, cook 1 medium-size onion, chopped, and 2 garlic cloves, minced, until tender but not browned.
- Stir in ½ pound prosciutto or cooked ham, cut into matchstick-thin strips, and 1 bunch escarole (about ¾ pound), chopped, half at a time, until escarole is very tender, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in dried tomatoes, reserved broth, 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves, ½ teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crushed, and ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper. Over high heat, heat to boiling.
- Stir in cooked orzo; heat through.
