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This crown pork roast earns its place at the center of the table. Brining keeps the pork juicy and seasoned all the way through. The sausage cornbread stuffing bakes right in the center, soaking up the drippings and turning the whole roast into one rich, savory dinner.
This is the holiday roast you make when you want a meal that brings everyone to the table.
Here’s Why This Crown Pork Roast Recipe Works
Overnight brine: Salt, vinegar, peppercorns, and brown sugar season the pork all the way through, keeping it juicy and tender.
Two-in-one stuffing: Some of the sausage cornbread bakes inside the roast for presentation, while the rest goes into a separate dish to develop a crisp top.
Low heat, high finish: The pork roasts gently at a low temperature for even cooking, then gets a blast of high heat to brown and crisp without drying out.
Make-ahead friendly: The brine, stuffing prep, and even the side stuffing can all be done ahead.
Recipe Tips
Let the butcher do the hard part: Ask them to french and tie the roast into a crown.
Weigh it down while brining: A Dutch oven lid or heavy plate keeps the pork submerged so it brines evenly.
Stuff lightly, not tightly: Packing it in leads to soggy stuffing. Spoon it in gently and let the heat do the work.
Foil the bones before the high-heat finish: This keeps them golden instead of scorched.
Don’t skip the rest: That 30–45 minute break before carving isn’t optional. It locks in juices and makes slicing much easier.
Dry the pork thoroughly after brining: Any surface moisture will steam instead of brown. Pat it dry and let it air-dry briefly before rubbing.
Use a probe thermometer: A crown roast cooks unevenly by nature. A leave-in probe takes the guesswork out and prevents overcooking.
Keep the stuffing below the rim: Mound it, don’t dome it. This helps it heat through evenly and keeps it from drying out during the final blast.
Season the stuffing independently: The pork drippings help, but the stuffing should taste good before it ever goes into the roast.
Carve between the bones: Follow the natural separations for cleaner slices and less wrestling at the table.
Ingredient Notes
Pork crown roast should be butcher-prepared from a bone-in pork loin and tied into a crown; it looks dramatic but cooks lean, which is why the brine matters.
Kosher salt is essential for the brine. Skip table salt, which can over-season the pork.
Red wine vinegar adds just enough acidity to keep the pork tasting clean and balanced after a long roast.
Dijon mustard acts as both seasoning and binder, helping the garlic and herbs cling and mellow as the pork cooks.
Pork sausage should be well-seasoned and fairly fatty; avoid spicy sausage, which overpowers the stuffing and throws off the balance.
Cornbread stuffing mix works best when it’s dry and neutral, so it can absorb the pork drippings without turning mushy.
Dried cranberries add contrast and cut through the richness without pushing the stuffing into dessert territory.
The stuffing is a familiar one if you’ve cooked with us before. It’s the same stuffing we used for our Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash and it works just as well here, soaking up the pan juices and adding another layer of flavor to the roast.
This is the ultimate pork roast and it makes an unforgettable dinner. Our crown roast rack of lamb makes a beautiful presentation as well but pork is a more budget cut of meat.
Preparing the Crown Roast
The collage above shows the main prep steps that happen before the roast goes into the oven. The pork is first brined to help it stay juicy, then coated with a mustard-based seasoning that forms a flavorful crust as it roasts.
The center is filled with stuffing, which cooks alongside the pork and absorbs the pan juices. The full measurements and timing are in the recipe card below.
Stuffed Crown Pork Roast
This crown roast of pork is made for meals where the table matters, but the prep doesn’t need to spiral out of control. With savory stuffing tucked right into the center most of the dinner is already done.
Add a simple salad and roasted veggies, and dinner is handled. Carve it at the table, enjoy the moment, and let the roast carry the meal without needing a lineup of extra sides.
Since the roast already includes the stuffing, you don’t need to do much more to round out the meal. A pan of Roasted Root Vegetables and a basket of Oatmeal Dinner Rolls will round out the meal.
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Crown Pork Roast
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Ingredients
For the Brine:
- 8 cups water, divided
- 1½ cups brown sugar
- 1½ cups Kosher salt
- 1 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 bay leaves
- 10 pounds Pork Crown Roast, butcher-ready tied, 16-ribs
For the Pork Rub:
- 12 garlic cloves, grated or minced
- 3 tablespoons Fresh thyme, plus 8-10 thyme sprigs
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
For the Stuffing:
- 1 package dry cornbread stuffing mix, 12 ounce package
- 16 ounces ground pork sausage
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 to 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
- 1 tablespoon ground sage
- 1 teaspoon ground fennel seed
- 1½ cups dried cranberries
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups chicken broth
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 8 tablespoons butter
Instructions
For the Brine:
- In a saucepan, bring 1 quart of water, brown sugar and salt to a boil, stirring until dissolved.
- Pour the brine into a container large enough to fit the pork roast comfortably. Add the remaining water, the red wine vinegar, peppercorns, red pepper flakes and bay leaves. Place the container in the refrigerator and cool. About 1 hour. Alternatively, to cool the brine faster, place a few cups of ice cubes in the hot brine.
- Set the pork roast into the cooled brine so the pork is submerged with the brine. It is not necessary to submerge the bones. The roast will want to ‘float’ so weigh it down with a plate or a heavy lid to keep it submerged. I used the cast iron lid to my Dutch oven to weigh it down and keep submerged. Transfer the container/pork roast to the refrigerator and brine the pork for 12-24 hours.
- Remove the pork from the brine and discard the brine and aromatics. Pat the pork with paper towels until completely dry.
For the Pork Rub:
- In a small dish, combine the garlic, thyme leaves, Dijon mustard, black pepper and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Using (clean) hands, rub the mixture over the surface of the pork working into the expansion cuts and the inner area of the roast. Insert a meat probe thermometer into the thickest portion of the roast without touching a bone.
- Place the roast on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet and let rest for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, Prepare the Stuffing:
- Place the cornbread stuffing into a large bowl.
- In a skillet set over medium-high, cook the sausage, breaking it up with a fork as it cooks, about 5 minutes.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the skillet and add the onion and celery. Sauté until the onion is translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to the bowl with the stuffing mix.
- Add the chopped sage, dried sage, cranberries, salt and pepper to the bowl. toss to combine.
- Whisk the egg lightly and pour over the stuffing mix, tossing to combine.
- In a small saucepan, heat the chicken broth and butter to a boil; then pour over the dry stuffing and toss to combine. Let the mixture sit for 2-5 minutes to absorb, stirring occasionally.
- Spoon a portion of the stuffing mixture lightly into the center cavity of the pork roast. Mound it up nicely but do not pack it in. Brush the top of the stuffing with melted butter.
- Add the remaining stuffing to an oiled baking dish, cover with foil and refrigerate, cook separately at 350°F covered with the foil for 30 minutes; then remove the foil and bake until the top is brown and crisp.
Roast the Pork:
- Preheat the oven to 250°F and adjust the oven rack to the lower 3rd position so the roast will be sitting in the middle of the oven.
- Transfer the roast to the oven and roast until the thermometer reaches 135°F. Remove from the oven, tent with foil and allow to rest for 30-45 minutes and the internal temperature reaches 145° on the meat thermometer.
- Increase the oven to 500°F
- Cover the stuffing with a little foil and wrap each bone with foil to prevent charring under the hot blast of the oven. Transfer the roasted pork back to the oven. Roast until brown and crisp, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven, place on a large platter, re-tent with foil and rest for another 10-15 minutes.
To serve the roast:
- Remove and discard the foil caps from the pork bones and the foil covering the stuffing. Cut, remove and discard the twine around the crown. Arrange any vegetables around the edge of the pork roast. Transfer the roast to the table and carve between the bones into servings accompanied with a spoonful of the stuffing.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
This is a stunner! Really impressive…You are a star cook, my friend.
Thank you, Angie! This was so moist, juicy and delicious! It was actually pretty easy to put together and anyone can do this! I hope you are having a great Christmas season!