To form a crown, you need two bone-in pork loin roast with the ribs still attached. They are bent into a circle and tied with kitchen twine. The butcher charges you an arm and a leg for a crown so it works out cheaper when you do it yourself. It is not difficult to make the crown and after watching some youtube videos (links below), I mastered it and you will too.
Request the butcher to remove the chine bone from the bone-in pork loin roast. He will try to keep the chine bone though you paid for it but ask and use it for stock. The feather bones can be felt and easily removed at home. Trim off the excess meat all over and use it for mincing, sausages or stuffing. French the bones by cutting off the excess meat 1 1/2" from the top of the rib bones. Tie the two loins with kitchen twine on top and at the bottom to form a crown with the meatiest portion of the ribs forming the bottom and facing inward with the flat side of the ribs on the outside. The crown is now ready for marination.
The green masala is ground with vinegar and olive oil, no water is used. Brush the crown liberally with the ground paste and refrigerate overnight. Roasted upside down at 350 F or 180 C for even cooking to allow air to circulate through the thick centre of the crown simultaneously, exposing the bottom thickest part of the crown to direct heat for 1 1/2 hours. Then, the crown is turned with the ribs facing upwards, temperature raised to 400 F or 200 C for the meat to brown for 30 minutes. Allowed to rest, covered loosely with aluminum foil for 30 minutes before carving. The aroma that filled the entire house while the crown roasted was divine.
Roasting the crown with stuffing hinders free flow of heat, even cooking leaving the centre raw. It is better to roast the crown by itself and prepare the stuffing separately. When presenting, the crown can be stuffed. I have filled it with saffron pulao garnished with raisins and cashewnuts. The crown looked spectacular, a real show stopper and tasted heavenly. Perfect for a special occasion, holiday party or a memorable event. Wow your family and friends with this impressive, stunning, aromatic and delectable crown roast of pork.
Request the butcher to remove the chine bone from the bone-in pork loin roast. He will try to keep the chine bone though you paid for it but ask and use it for stock. The feather bones can be felt and easily removed at home. Trim off the excess meat all over and use it for mincing, sausages or stuffing. French the bones by cutting off the excess meat 1 1/2" from the top of the rib bones. Tie the two loins with kitchen twine on top and at the bottom to form a crown with the meatiest portion of the ribs forming the bottom and facing inward with the flat side of the ribs on the outside. The crown is now ready for marination.
The green masala is ground with vinegar and olive oil, no water is used. Brush the crown liberally with the ground paste and refrigerate overnight. Roasted upside down at 350 F or 180 C for even cooking to allow air to circulate through the thick centre of the crown simultaneously, exposing the bottom thickest part of the crown to direct heat for 1 1/2 hours. Then, the crown is turned with the ribs facing upwards, temperature raised to 400 F or 200 C for the meat to brown for 30 minutes. Allowed to rest, covered loosely with aluminum foil for 30 minutes before carving. The aroma that filled the entire house while the crown roasted was divine.
Roasting the crown with stuffing hinders free flow of heat, even cooking leaving the centre raw. It is better to roast the crown by itself and prepare the stuffing separately. When presenting, the crown can be stuffed. I have filled it with saffron pulao garnished with raisins and cashewnuts. The crown looked spectacular, a real show stopper and tasted heavenly. Perfect for a special occasion, holiday party or a memorable event. Wow your family and friends with this impressive, stunning, aromatic and delectable crown roast of pork.
Goan Style Crown Roast Of Pork
(Serves 10 to 12)
Ingredients:
1 (8 to 9 pound) crown roast of pork (20 ribs) made from two bone-in pork loins
5 cups water
1 bouillon cube
a pinch of sugar
salt
Marinade (Grind to a paste with vinegar and olive oil indicated, no water to be added)
1 cup mint leaves
2 cups coriander leves
6 long green chillies
6 large cloves of garlic
1” piece of ginger
10 whole black peppercorns
4 cinnamon sticks (1.5” each)
8 cloves
4 green cardamoms
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 cup vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
Method:
Season the crown with salt. Pour 1 cup ground paste in a bowl and with a silicone brush, coat the crown with the marinade. Avoid contaminating the balance marinade. Cover and refrigerate to be used later for brushing the bottom of the crown just before roasting with the balance for the gravy.
Refrigerate the crown to marinate overnight.
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 350 F or 180 C.
Place V-rack inside large roasting pan and the crown upside down with rib bones facing down in the V-rack (see pic above). Brush the bottom with 1/2 cup marinade. Add the water indicated in the list of ingredients into the roasting pan. Roast until meat is well browned and a meat thermometer registers 110 degrees, about 1 hour 30 minutes. (Note: If water dries out, add some more in the pan.)
Remove crown from oven and increase oven temperature to 400 F or 200 C. Using paper towels, flip crown rib side up and roast until a meat thermometer inserted into centre of meat (without touching the bone) registers 150 F, around 30 minutes. Place roast on a carving board, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let it rest for 30 minutes. While resting, the internal temperature will rise to 160 F.
Strain drippings through a fine-mesh strainer into a saucepan. Stir in reserved marinade, add bouillon cube and simmer till gravy has reduced. Check for seasoning, add a pinch of sugar and salt if required.
Remove twine and stuff crown with saffron rice. When ready to serve, slice meat between bones.
Serve chops with a drizzle of gravy and rice.
Note:
(Serves 10 to 12)
Ingredients:
1 (8 to 9 pound) crown roast of pork (20 ribs) made from two bone-in pork loins
5 cups water
1 bouillon cube
a pinch of sugar
salt
Marinade (Grind to a paste with vinegar and olive oil indicated, no water to be added)
1 cup mint leaves
2 cups coriander leves
6 long green chillies
6 large cloves of garlic
1” piece of ginger
10 whole black peppercorns
4 cinnamon sticks (1.5” each)
8 cloves
4 green cardamoms
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 cup vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
Method:
Season the crown with salt. Pour 1 cup ground paste in a bowl and with a silicone brush, coat the crown with the marinade. Avoid contaminating the balance marinade. Cover and refrigerate to be used later for brushing the bottom of the crown just before roasting with the balance for the gravy.
Refrigerate the crown to marinate overnight.
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 350 F or 180 C.
Place V-rack inside large roasting pan and the crown upside down with rib bones facing down in the V-rack (see pic above). Brush the bottom with 1/2 cup marinade. Add the water indicated in the list of ingredients into the roasting pan. Roast until meat is well browned and a meat thermometer registers 110 degrees, about 1 hour 30 minutes. (Note: If water dries out, add some more in the pan.)
Remove crown from oven and increase oven temperature to 400 F or 200 C. Using paper towels, flip crown rib side up and roast until a meat thermometer inserted into centre of meat (without touching the bone) registers 150 F, around 30 minutes. Place roast on a carving board, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let it rest for 30 minutes. While resting, the internal temperature will rise to 160 F.
Strain drippings through a fine-mesh strainer into a saucepan. Stir in reserved marinade, add bouillon cube and simmer till gravy has reduced. Check for seasoning, add a pinch of sugar and salt if required.
Remove twine and stuff crown with saffron rice. When ready to serve, slice meat between bones.
Serve chops with a drizzle of gravy and rice.
Note:
- For saffron rice recipe, use pea pulao or prawn pulao recipes. Omit the peas and prawns, replace with some raisins and cashewnuts, a pinch of saffron and 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder for colour.
- Bone-in pork loin available at Highland Farms, Canada. Request butcher to trim off the chine bone. (Read info indicated at the start of the post.)
- Plan a rib and a half per person or two for leftovers.
- Do not opt for a single rack crown as the ribs are cut in between to space them out. This ends up exposing the surface area of the pork causing it to dry out more than if it was completely intact.
- A crown roast is usually done with lamb, veal, or pork. Packaged lamb racks already frenched are readily available at the supermarkets. Costco carries them. Making a crown with two lamb racks is much easy.
- Once the crown is roasted, the rib bones can be covered with frills to enhance the appearance of the crown.
- Leftover chops can be dipped in beaten eggs, coated with breadcrumbs and shallow fried.
- Got 2 kg excess meat from the pork loins and made sausages (pics below). For Goa sausages recipe, click here.
- YouTube video links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_rXxawB6Og