splay out. 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 were completely intact, and I don’t
recommend buying single-rack crown roasts for this reason.
Better to buy a crown roast formed by two bone-in loins
attached end to end, which are large enough to form a circle
without unnecessary scoring.
When purchasing a crown roast, you will usually have to
ask your butcher to form it for you—only very dedicated
butchers are likely to have them formed and ready to go.
You may have luck finding a ready-to-roast crown at a
high-end supermarket, particularly around the holidays.
Q: How big a roast will I need?
Aim for about a rib and a half per person, or two per person
if you’re big eaters or looking for leftovers.
Q: I’ve got my crown roast home (and boy, was that
heavy!). Now, how the heck do I cook this thing?
Well, remember—a crown roast is nothing more than a
series of connected pork chops, fast-twitch muscle (see
here). Like all fast-twitch muscles (say chicken breast, New
York strip steak, or tuna loin), it has plenty of fine-textured
muscle and not much connective tissue or fat. This means
that internal temperature is the most important factor when it
comes to cooking it. With little to no connective tissue to
break down, as soon as it reaches its final temperature, it’s
done. Holding it at that temperature for an extended period
of time will change it very little. The key is to get the entire
roast, from edges to center, to around 140°F (medium,