Smoked Pork Crown Roast being pulled form the smoker.

I’ve wanted to make a Smoked Pork Crown Roast for a while now, and I figured this was the right time of year to do it! Prepped to look like a crown, we will season with a BBQ rub and smoke on the Oklahoma Joe’s Bronco Drum Smoker till perfect. Finish it with an Old Fashioned-inspired glaze, and you have a feast! It’s a great rack of pork for a holiday party or special occasion.

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Brushing the glaze on the pork crown.

A crown roast is one of my go-to over-the-fire holiday meals because it stands out as the main dish on any decorative table and tastes freakin incredible!

What is a Pork Crown Roast?

A Pork Crown Roast is a bunch of pork ribs tied up with butchers twine to form the shape of a crown, and is made from regular bone-in loins. The only difference is the ribs are manipulated to point skyward, giving your cut of meat that crown shape.

Why You’ll Love Smoked Pork Crown Roast

The beautiful presentation of the Smoked Pork Crown Roast makes it the perfect holiday dinner and gives you that wow factor. Plus, you can’t beat the smoky, tender, melt-in-your-mouth taste. 

One pork crown with multiple slices of pork sitting on a cutting board.

Plop that bad boy on an elegant serving platter, and get that Christmas dinner taken care of! You’ll love how straightforward the recipe is, so don’t let the hefty cook time intimidate you. Anyone can follow this recipe and come out with a delicious crown roast.

For more show stopping recipes, check out my Smoked Arctic Char Wreath, Garlic Herb Lamb Crown and Bourbon Beef Wellington.

How to Make Smoked Pork Crown Roast

Pork Rib Roast Ingredients

Pork:

  • Whole Bone-In Pork Roasts
  • Favorite BBQ Seasoning
  • Yellow Mustard

Old Fashioned Glaze:

  • Maple Syrup
  • Brown Sugar
  • Maraschino Cherry Juice
  • Orange
  • Bourbon
Squeezing orange juice into the glaze mixture.

Cooking Smoked Pork Crown Roast

It’s time to dive into the fun part—cooking!

To start, preheat your Oklahoma Joe’s Bronco for indirect cooking at a low temperature of around 225F. Add some wood chips or chunks into the grill for additional smoke flavor. Now, we’ll prepare the Pork Crown Roast while the smoker is warming up.

Form the Crown

Begin by laying one of your pork roasts with the back of the bones facing you. Next, find the groove at the knuckle of the bone where you would traditionally slice the rack of ribs into single chops. Then, cut in between each bone at that groove, only ½-¾ inch deep. When the pork is done being sliced, it should be able to bend easily because of the slices. 

Repeat this for both pork roasts and then set aside.

The raw pork crowns, assembled and ready to be seasoned.

Next, let’s make the racks into a crown. Set up one of the pork roasts so that the “sliced” side is facing outwards. Bring both ends to meet, so you make a circle, then tie them together using a trussing string. 

This can be done by tying between the grooves in the knuckles and then on the meat at the bottom. Once secure, repeat this for your second Pork Crown Roast. Once it is ready, lather the outside with yellow mustard and season generously with your favorite BBQ seasoning.

The seasoned, raw crowns being set on the smoker.

To make seasoning easier, check out my spiceline with Spiceology. I’d recommend Maple Bourbon or Adobo Honey for this recipe! However, making your own BBQ seasoning is easy. If you’d like a recipe on how to make some dry BBQ seasoning, check out my recipes within these other dishes: Spicy BBQ Ribs or Honey Korean BBQ Chicken Lollipops.

Time to Roast

Add your Pork Crown Roast onto the smoker and cook indirectly for 2.5-3 hours until it reaches around 145F internal for medium. When the pork is at 120F, add a cast iron skillet with all the ingredients for the Old Fashioned Glaze.

The roast after its cooked, but before coating in the glaze.

Let simmer in the smoker, then glaze the outside of the pork roast for the last 10-15 minutes. Once the pork is done, pull it off and let it rest for 15 minutes.

Pouring some of the glaze onto the pork crowns.

When done resting, slice up your Smoked Pork Crown Roast, serve, and enjoy!

The glazed Smoked Pork Crown Roast right before being removed from the smoker.

Serve 

Make this roast the centerpiece of your holiday dinner. It’s best with mashed potatoes, stuffing, and a bunch of other hearty holiday foods! You really can’t go wrong.

Slicing into the Smoked Pork Crown Roast and getting ready to serve.

Storage

If you wind up with some leftovers, place them in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 3-5 days. Alternatively, you can keep your leftovers in a vacuum-sealed bag for up to 3 months.

Reheating/leftovers

To reheat your leftovers, place the pork on a sheet pan and stick it in the oven at 375 degrees F for 15-30 minutes or until warm.

Crown Pork Roasts are sure to be a crowd-pleaser this holiday season! I can’t get enough of the smoky flavor paired with my homemade glaze. It’s so freakin delicious! If you try this recipe, let us know how it turned out in the comments section.

A close up shot of a slice of pork.

FAQs

Is a crown roast the same as a rib roast?

Kinda. A crown roast is just a rib roast formed into the shape of a crown and held together with butcher’s twine. When you order a rib roast, you can ask your butcher shop to do it for you or do it yourself at home, as I did.

For more delicious recipes, check out my second cookbook Flavor X Fire or my first cookbook Food X Fire!

Needing more spice in your life? My spice line can help with that. Check them out here.

Smoked Pork Crown Roast being pulled form the smoker.

Smoked Pork Crown Roast

Smoked Pork Crown Roast for your delicious holiday centerpiece.
Author:Derek Wolf
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 4 hours
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 People

Ingredients 

Pork:

  • 1-2 Whole Bone In Pork Roasts
  • 1 cup Favorite BBQ Seasoning
  • Yellow Mustard for binder

Old Fashioned Glaze:

  • ¼ cup Maple Syrup
  • 2 tbsp Brown Sugar
  • 1 tbsp Maraschino Cherry Juice
  • 1 medium Orange juiced
  • 2 oz Bourbon

Instructions 

  • Begin by laying one of your pork roasts with the back of the bones facing your. Find the groove at the knuckle of the bone where you would traditionally slice the rack into single chops. Make a cut in between each bone at that groove going only ½-¾ inch deep. When the pork is done being sliced, it should be able to bend easily because of the slices. Repeat this for both pork roasts and then set aside.
  • Next, let’s make the racks into a crown. Set up one of the pork roasts so that the “sliced” side is facing outwards. Bring both ends to meet so you make a circle, then tie them together using a trussing string. This can be done by tying between the grooves in the knuckles and on the meat at the bottom. Once secure, repeat this for your second pork roast. Once it is ready, lather the outside with yellow mustard and season generously with your favorite BBQ seasoning.
  • Preheat your Oklahoma Joe’s Bronco for indirect cooking at a low temperature around 225F. Add some wood chips or chunks into the grill for additional smoke flavor.
  • Add your Pork Crown onto the smoker and cook indirectly for 2.5-3 hours until it reaches around 145F internal for medium. When the pork is at 120F, add a cast iron skillet with all the ingredients for the Old Fashioned Glaze. Let simmer in the smoker, then glaze the outside of the pork roast for the last 10-15 minutes. Once the pork is done, pull it off and let it rest for 15 minutes.
  • When done resting, slice up your Smoked Pork Crown Roast, serve and enjoy!

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 155kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 0.1mg | Sodium: 10mg | Potassium: 262mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 815IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 315mg | Iron: 11mg

Derek Wolf

Derek is the driving force behind Over the Fire Cooking. He started cooking with live fire in 2016 and decided to start a social media page so his friends and family could follow the journey. Fast forward to today and Over the Fire Cooking has spread across multiple platforms with millions now following Derek’s fire cooking journey. He’s a southern fellow who enjoys everything from classic BBQ to Central and South American inspired dishes. Whatever he’s cooking up, it’s guaranteed to be so freakin’ delicious!

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