If you’re looking for a great recipe and showstopper for your next Christmas dinner or holiday meal, Pork Crown Roast fits the bill! The crown pork roast looks like an absolute masterpiece after the bone-in pork loin is smoked and glazed on the Oklahoma Joe’s Bronco Drum Smoker.
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Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love the Smoked Pork Crown Roast
- Pork Rib Roast Ingredients
- How to Make the Pork Loin Roast
- Warm up the Oklahoma Joe’s bronco
- Prepare the Pork Roasts
- Shape the Crown
- Season
- Smoke
- Old Fashioned Glaze
- Serve and Enjoy!
- take the temperature!
- What to Serve with a Pork Loin Roast
- Leftovers and Reheating
- Flavor X Fire & FOOD X Fire
- Pork Crown Roast Recipe
Why You’ll Love the Smoked Pork Crown Roast
While you could just serve roast pork ribs in all their succulent, juicy glory loose on a platter, a special occasion like Christmas Eve or New Year’s calls for a leveled-up presentation. Bone-in loins tied up with butcher twine form the shape of a crown that dresses up any holiday feast.
The best part of this recipe might be the Old Fashioned-inspired glaze that brings a retro vibe to your holiday party. The maple syrup and bourbon combo is enhanced by brown sugar and freshly squeezed orange juice. Maraschino cherry juice then adds sweetness and vibrancy to the rack of pork and creates one delicious cut of meat.
For more show-stopping crown rib recipes, check out my Garlic Herb Lamb Crown and Crown Rack of Ribs.
Pork Rib Roast Ingredients
Pork
- Whole Bone-In Pork Roasts – Look for a pork crown roast with even, well-trimmed bones and also a reasonable amount of meat between the bones. The meat should be nice and pink and the fat should be creamy white.
- Favorite BBQ Seasoning – If you haven’t tried my BBQ rubs yet, then go ahead and grab some over at Spiceology.
- Yellow Mustard – This classic hot dog condiment will serve as a binder for our pork rib bones recipe.
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Old Fashioned Glaze
- Maple Syrup – The sweetness of maple helps balance the savory and slightly salty flavors of the pork.
- Brown Sugar – You can use light or dark brown sugar for the glaze, all depending on how deep you want the molasses flavor to go.
- Maraschino Cherry Juice – True to the classic Old Fashioned cocktail recipe, the sweet and vibrant cherry juice from the jar of cherries is the perfect companion to the bourbon and orange juice.
- Orange – A freshly squeezed orange is always preferable but, in a pinch, you can always use store-bought orange juice.
- Bourbon – My romance with this spirit never ends. It imparts a warmth and depth that perfectly complements the sweetness of the glaze.
It always amazes me how such simple ingredients can create such a visually stunning centerpiece that tastes as incredible as it looks. This Pork Crown Roast is just that. It’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser this holiday season!
I can never 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.
How to Make the Pork Loin Roast
It’s time to dive into my favorite part of our delicious crown roast, which is smoking it on my Oklahoma Joe’s. It’s my favorite smoker because of how it reliably holds heat at a steady temperature.
Warm up the Oklahoma Joe‘s bronco
First, you’ll want to preheat your Oklahoma Joe’s Bronco for indirect cooking at a low temperature of around 225 degrees F. Then add some aromatic wood chips or chunks to the grill for additional smoke flavor.
Prepare the Pork Roasts
While the smoker is warming up, it’s time to prepare the pork crown roast. Start by positioning one of your pork roasts with the bone side facing you. Locate the groove at the knuckle of each bone, the place where you would normally separate the ribs into individual chops.
Carefully cut between each bone at that groove, ensuring your cuts are only ½ to ¾ inch deep. This will allow the sliced pork to become pliable and easy to shape. Repeat this process for each pork roast you plan to prepare, and then set them aside.
Shape the Crown
Now, it’s time to create the signature crown for the crown roast of pork recipe. Take one of the sliced pork roasts, all while making sure the cut side faces outward. Bend it into a circular shape by bringing both ends together to form the distinctive crown. We need to secure this shape, so break out some butcher’s twine.
Tie the twine between the grooves in the knuckles and around the meat at the bottom of the crown. Then repeat this process for your second pork roast to form its crown shape.
Season
With the pork crowns shaped, it’s now the time to add some flavor. Coat the outside of the crowns with a layer of yellow mustard. Then, generously season the pork crowns with your favorite BBQ seasoning for a delicious and savory taste.
Smoke
Add your pork crown roast onto the smoker and cook indirectly for 2.5-3 hours until an instant-read thermometer shows an internal temperature of around 145 degrees F for medium.
Old Fashioned Glaze
When the meat thermometer says your pork is at 120 degrees F, add to a large skillet all the ingredients, which you have premixed with a wooden spoon in a small bowl. After the glaze simmers and thickens slightly over medium heat, brush it onto the pork roast for the last 10-15 minutes of the cooking time.
Serve and Enjoy!
Once done, place roast in a shallow roasting pan or cutting board to rest for 15 minutes. Next, with a sharp knife, carve the slices for your guests, and then serve and enjoy! Remember to serve your pork crown roast while it’s still warm to fully enjoy its flavor and juiciness.
take the temperature!
When it comes to cooking pork, accordingly make sure to insert the thermometer probe into the thickest part of pork without touching the bone. An accurate reading is essential for food safety, especially while you are hosting guests around your holiday table!
What to Serve with a Pork Loin Roast
This roast is the perfect main course and centerpiece of your holiday dinner, which you can serve with mashed potatoes, stuffing, and some roasted root vegetables.
Leftovers and Reheating
If you wind up with some leftovers, wrap them in aluminum foil and then place them in an airtight container for up to 3-5 days in the fridge. Alternatively, you can keep your leftovers in a vacuum-sealed bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat your leftovers, place the pork on a sheet pan and then stick it in the oven at 375 degrees F for 15-30 minutes or until warm.
A crown roast is just a rib roast formed into the shape of a crown, which is then 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 this recipe demonstrates.
Look for a pork crown roast with even, well-trimmed bones and a reasonable amount of meat between the bones. The meat should be pink and moist, while the fat should be creamy white.
Absolutely, so feel free to experiment with other variations. Try mixing 1/4 cup bourbon with 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon of fresh rosemary chopped, 2 cloves garlic crushed and minced, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper, and about 2 tablespoons of beef broth. For a little stickiness to the glaze, then add some honey.
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Pork Crown Roast
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 you. Find the groove at the knuckle of the bone where you would traditionally slice the rack into single chops.
- 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 225 degrees F. 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!
Amazing so delicious thank you
I have made this rack of pork twice now, and it was outstanding, and all my guests absolutely loved it I will be making it many many more times wouldn’t change a thing. Thanks, Don Jennings