recipe Blog - Feature - Crown Roast Pork

Crown Roast of Pork Recipe on the Grill

By: Andrea Alden

The holidays are important. Whether you are celebrating with friends or family, making memorable moments is easy with a fantastic holiday meal. Celebrate by cooking a divine Crown Roast Of Pork On the Grill. While this meal may look insanely fancy, it’s actually as easy to make as any other roast. You can ask your butcher to help you tie it up into that beautiful shape or do it yourself. And, when you use the Napoleon Bluetooth Wireless Digital BBQ Thermometer, your Crown Roast Of Pork will be cooked to perfection.

Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
120 min
Yield
12+
Difficulty
Medium

Crown Roast of Pork Recipe on the Grill

Print

Ingredients

Method

Photos

Ingredients

2

8-bone racks of pork - frenched,
chine bone removed, fat trimmed

½ cup

light brown sugar

12 cloves

garlic, finely grated

3 tsp.

thyme

1 tsp.

freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup 

whole-grain Dijon mustard

6 strips

bacon, chopped

8

apples, halved

8

shallots, peeled and halved

3 cups

dry hard cider (2 bottles / 1.5 cans)

2 tbsp.

Dijon mustard

Applewood, cherry, or maple wood chips - optional

Method
  1. Start by prepping the roast itself. You can request that your butcher do this for you, it may be a service that they offer. Place the two roasts end to end, fat-side-down, and, using the trussing needle and butcher’s twine, tie the ends together. Flip the roast over and fold the two open ends together. Use the trussing needle and butcher’s twine to tie the open end closed in two places. Now the roast should resemble a crown shape.
    PRO TIP: If you don’t have a trussing needle, the smallest blade you have will work. Use a tiny paring knife to cut a small hole and push the butcher’s twine through. Just be careful to keep the hole as small as possible. 
  2. In a bowl, combine the brown sugar, garlic, thyme, black pepper, and mustard together. Using a basting brush, brush the roast with the rub. If the rub is too thick, add a splash or two of cider. Set aside. 
  3. If you want to add a little bit of smoke to this recipe, remove the cooking grids and place the Napoleon Smoker Box filled with your favorite sweet wood chips, like applewood, onto the sear plates. Replace the cooking grids and preheat the grill to 250°F, preparing to use indirect heat. 
  4. In a large skillet, fry the bacon until crisp. Remove from the skillet and add the apples, face down, and shallots. Cook them undisturbed until golden in color. This could take a batch or two. After the apples and shallots are cooked, transfer them and the bacon to the center of the pork crown. Add the cider to the skillet and scrape up any of the browned bits before pouring that into the roasting pan.
  5. Set the Napoleon Bluetooth Wireless Digital BBQ Thermometer to 135°F and insert it into the meat. Place your roast – rack and all – onto the grill over the unlit burners. Roast for about 2 hours at 250°F.
    PRO TIP: If you are concerned about the bones burning, cover them with foil during cooking.
  6. When the crown roast of pork reaches an internal temperature of 135°F or nearly there, it is time to crank up the heat. Carefully remove the pork from the roasting rack and place it directly onto the cooking grids. Remove the roasting pan, it should be full of delicious drippings. Turn the burners up to full blast and crisp up the roast. Keep an eye on it, this will only take about 10 minutes. 
  7. Remove the pork to a board and rest under foil until you are ready to slice and serve. 
  8. While the pork is resting, you can make a sauce from the drippings. Whisk 2 tbsp. Of Dijon mustard into the cider and drippings over medium heat. Bring to a simmer to reduce until thickened.
  9. Finally, slice between each rib. Serve with your favorite seasonal vegetables and roasted potatoes. Don’t forget the stuffing!


PRO TIP:
Many recipes call for stuffing the center of the roast when making a Crown Roast Of Pork. While I do love a delicious stuffing, it significantly changes the cooking time and can directly impact the final product – the same reason I don’t stuff turkeys. There are a couple of pluses to cooking stuffing separately, you can have more crispy bits by using a shallower pan and you don’t have to worry that it will be undercooked when it comes time to serve. 

Crown Roast Of Pork On the Grill is the penultimate in fancy holiday dining. It looks like a million bucks but is actually on the easier side of things to prepare. It takes about as much time as a turkey on your rotisserie and it’s a break from the ordinary. So, create a memorable meal (and then some) and feed the whole family – seriously you can feed nearly 20 with this ONE roast! What is your favorite holiday BBQ dinner? Share your recipes, stories, and photos to our social pages like Grills Facebook and Instagram using the hashtags #HolidayBBQ and #NapoleonGrills.

Happy Grilling!

recipe Blog - Crown Roast Pork - tie

Use a trussing needle and butcher’s twine, tie the ends together. Flip the roast over and fold the two open ends together, tying them too

recipe Blog - Crown Roast Pork - ingredients

Combine wet rub ingredients in a bowl, add a splash of cider if it's too thick

recipe Blog - Crown Roast Pork - bacon

Fry the bacon

recipe Blog - Crown Roast Pork - fry apples

Fry the apples and shallots

recipe Blog - Crown Roast Pork - grill

Cook slowly using indirect heat

recipe Blog - Crown Roast Pork - nearly done

Roast until 135°F interior temp

recipe Blog - Crown Roast Pork - serve1

Serve with roasted potatoes, seasonal vegetables, and stuffing

recipe Blog - Crown Roast Pork - serve2

Use roast drippings for a sauce

recipe Blog - Crown Roast Pork - serve3

Slice between bones to serve

AndreaAlden
Andrea Alden

I used to be the Sultana of Sizzle, but you can call me Andrea. I have always been passionate about food. Even though I was majoring in Art and Graphic Design, I would frequently be found cooking for my friends and family.

Read More
recipe Blog - Crown Roast Pork - tie

Use a trussing needle and butcher’s twine, tie the ends together. Flip the roast over and fold the two open ends together, tying them too

recipe Blog - Crown Roast Pork - ingredients

Combine wet rub ingredients in a bowl, add a splash of cider if it's too thick

recipe Blog - Crown Roast Pork - bacon

Fry the bacon

recipe Blog - Crown Roast Pork - fry apples

Fry the apples and shallots

recipe Blog - Crown Roast Pork - grill

Cook slowly using indirect heat

recipe Blog - Crown Roast Pork - nearly done

Roast until 135°F interior temp

recipe Blog - Crown Roast Pork - serve1

Serve with roasted potatoes, seasonal vegetables, and stuffing

recipe Blog - Crown Roast Pork - serve2

Use roast drippings for a sauce

recipe Blog - Crown Roast Pork - serve3

Slice between bones to serve