It arrives tied in a circle, the rib bones arched like a chapel, the eye of the roast hollow and waiting. The butcher scores the skin in a crosshatch—shallow cuts, just enough to let the fat render and the salt reach in. This is pork as architecture. The bones create even cooking, the shape allows for stuffing, the fat cap bastes the meat as it renders.

Salt goes on the night before. It dries in the fridge. In the morning, it smells faintly of cured meat and cold air. The skin tightens and will crackle in the oven’s heat.

Stuffing is optional. If it goes in, it stays simple: breadcrumbs, sage, a diced apple for sweetness, butter to bind it. Packed lightly into the center—not to fill, just to hold the shape. Nothing that competes with the pork.

The oven sits at 350°F. The skin crackles slowly, first soft, then tight, then brittle. You hear it before you see it—a faint pop, then another. The internal temperature climbs. 145°F in the thickest part, away from bone. At that temperature, pork is still pink in the center, still juicy. Then rest. Always rest.

Carving is easy—cut between the bones, each chop standing upright on the plate, the meat pale and juicy, the fat translucent. The bones make their own serving suggestion.

Crown Roast of Pork

Serves 8–10
Time: 30 minutes active, 12–24 hours dry brine, 2–2½ hours roasting, 20 minutes resting

Ingredients

  • 1 crown roast of pork (7–8 ribs, about 6–7 lb / 2.7–3.2 kg), skin scored in a crosshatch
  • 2 tbsp coarse kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper

For the optional stuffing:

  • 2 cups (about 120 g) fresh breadcrumbs
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh sage
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 medium apple, diced
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper

Instructions

  1. Pat roast dry. Rub salt evenly over all surfaces, pressing into the scored skin. Place on a wire rack over a baking sheet. Refrigerate uncovered 12–24 hours.
  2. Remove from fridge 1 hour before roasting. Pat dry again. Season all over with black pepper.
  3. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
  4. If using stuffing, combine breadcrumbs, sage, parsley, melted butter, diced apple, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Toss to coat. Fill center cavity of the roast loosely with stuffing.
  5. Cover bone tips with small pieces of foil to prevent burning.
  6. Place roast on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast until internal temperature reaches 145°F (63°C) in the thickest part of the meat (not touching bone), about 2–2½ hours.
  7. Remove from oven. Tent loosely with foil. Rest for at least 20 minutes.
  8. Carve by cutting straight down between ribs into individual chops.

Equipment

  • Roasting pan
  • Wire rack
  • Meat thermometer
  • Aluminum foil
  • Sharp carving knife

The first chop is placed on a plate without ceremony. Someone pours more wine. The fire crackles.