is a crown roast pork or lamb

For Even Cooking, Start Low and Slow

So, with a crown roast, the key is to get the entire piece of meat to around 140°F from edge to center, while simultaneously crisping the exterior.

Luckily, we already studied this very same engineering problem when we applied it to prime rib a couple years ago. The key is to realize that the hotter your oven temperature, the more uneven your roasting will be.

So, for example, roast a crown roast in a 400°F (200°C) oven, and by the time the very center is at 140°F, the outer layers of the pork will be well past the 165 to 180°F (74 to 82°C) mark. Roast it in a 250°F (120°C) oven, on the other hand, and you can get the entire thing pretty much exactly at 140°F from edge to center.**

** Okay, so the meat between the ribs will actually get hotter, as will some of the fat cap surrounding the loin, but those are composed mainly of fat and connective tissue, so they can handle the extra heat.

Thats good news for us. All it takes after roasting is a rest, then a quick bang into a 500°F (260°C) oven to crisp up the fat on the exterior.

If you want to be all fancy-pants about it, you can add other seasonings to the exterior besides the kosher salt and black pepper I opt for. Any herbs stuffed into the center would be nice, as would garlic, shallots, citrus fruit—whatever tickles your fancy (pants).

Want to get even fancy-pantsier? Go ahead and put cute little paper hats over the ends of your bones to cover up the charring they get (or, if you prefer, foil hats while the roast cooks, to prevent them from charring). Personally, I like the primal look of the charred ribs.

What Is a Crown Roast?

A crown roast is made by forming a regular bone-in pork loin—thats the big muscle that runs along the back of the pig—into a circle, with the ribs pointed skyward.

In order to do this with a single rack (about 10 ribs), you need to cut into the spaces between the ribs so that they can splay out a bit. However, by doing this, you end up increasing the surface area of the pork, which can cause it to dry out more than it would if it was still completely intact. For this reason, I dont recommend buying single-rack crown roasts. Youre better off roasting a single rack as a standing roast instead of curving it into a crown.

Better is to buy a crown roast formed by both bone-in loins, attached end to end, making them large enough to form a circle without any additional cutting.

When purchasing a crown roast, youll usually have to ask your butcher to form it for you—only very dedicated butchers are likely to have them pre-formed and ready to go, though you might have luck at a high-end supermarket. Aim to have about a rib and a half per person, or two per person if you want leftovers.

For the record, the “crown” in a crown roast serves about as much purpose as the crown on a king: Its purely aesthetic, and your pork will be no more or less tasty because of the shape its roasted in.

How to Make Martha Stewart’s Crown Roast of Pork | Martha’s Cooking School | Martha Stewart

FAQ

What kind of meat is a crown roast made of?

What part of the pig does the crown roast come from?

Is a rack of pork the same as a crown roast?

Is crown roast of pork expensive?

What is a crown roast of pork?

Crown roast of pork is both elegant and easy, making it a perfect entrée for your next dinner party. What Is a Crown Roast? A crown roast is the best pork option for those who prefer their pork a little leaner and who like meat with a distinct chew and texture. Cooking the roast at a low temperature first ensures juicy meat from edge to edge.

How do you cook a crown roast?

Pork, lamb and veal are the most common meats used for crown roast. To prepare a crown roast, preheat an oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (160 degrees Celsius). Dress or marinate the meat as desired; a simple dressing might include olive oil, salt, pepper, and herbs de Provence.

What is a crown rib roast?

A crown roast is pork loin rib roasts formed into a circle, ribs up. It makes for a really beautiful presentation. You can form the crown yourself, but since you probably have to call ahead for pork loin rib roasts anyway, ask your butcher to do it for you.

What kind of meat is used for a crown roast?

Pork, lamb, and veal are the typical choices of meats for crown roast. The loin cut comes from the rear portion of the upper back, and the tips of the ribs are typically trimmed so that they jut out from the roast. A smaller roast may be made by using part of a loin, and larger versions are made by joining multiple loins together.