Pork Rib Roast with Cranberry-Apricot Stuffing
We made this succulent rib roast for a dinner party and everybody loved it. It’s easy to make and elegant, and so delicious you will no doubt pick up the bone and feel like Fred or Wilma Flintstone!
In an effort to put our own spin on it and keep our kitchen cool from oven heat we grilled the entire rack on our flat iron grill, (see Alternate Cooking Method). Although the mustard sauce is amazing we served an alternate sauce of spicy mango chutney. Don’t be surprised if your guest’s mix the two sauces.
Pork Rib Roast with Cranberry-Apricot Stuffing
Alternate Cooking Method: We seared our entire roast at a medium-high temperature on our outdoor EVO Flattop Grill creating a super crispy crust. Then we placed a roasting rack under the pork and lowered the grill to low under the pork and left it on medium around the pork creating indirect heat. We then placed a lid on the pork and allowed it to come to an internal temp of 150 degrees. Depending on your grill you may be able to turn the burner under the pork off all together. Make sure to keep a good meat thermometer on hand. We allowed it to rest loosely covered with foil for 15 minutes which brought the internal temperature up to 162 degrees making it juicy, moist and flavorful.
Know-How: Roasting meat on the bone keeps meat moist and improves its flavor. Pan-searing before roasting is the way to get a great burnished crust on lean meats that would otherwise dry out if left to brown solely in the oven.
Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Ingredients
Pork
- 3 tablespoons cognac or other brandy
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup whole almonds, toasted and chopped
- 1 medium shallot, minced
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, toasted and crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus additional for seasoning
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 (6-rib) center-cut pork roast, backbone removed and ribs Frenched, about 4 pounds after trimming)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Sauce
- 1 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
- 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
- Alternate Sauce
- Spicy Mango or Fruit Chutney
Instructions
Pork
- Warm the cognac and water in a small saucepan, add the cranberries and apricots, and set aside until plump, about 10 minutes.
- In a small food processor, pulse the fruit and any unabsorbed liquid with the almonds, shallot, butter, fennel seeds, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper, to taste, until the fruit and nuts are coarsely chopped.
- With a boning knife or other long, thin knife, make a cut 3 inches across in the center of one end of the roast.
- Gently push and work the blade in and straight through the roast to the other end. (If your knife isn’t long enough, make a cut at either end and work your way to the center, making sure that the cuts meet.)
- Insert the narrow end of a wooden spoon into the opening to widen it a bit all the way through.
- Push the stuffing into the loin, working first from 1 end and then the other, filling to the center.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Pat the loin dry and season all over with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the roast, holding the bones up so that the bottom gets well browned, then turn the roast to brown the meaty side, about 6 minutes total.
- Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the pork meat side down for 30 minutes.
- Turn the roast over so it sits on the bones and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the meat registers 155 degrees F, about 1 hour more.
- Transfer the roast to a carving board, tent loosely with foil, and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving.
Sauce
- Whisk the creme fraiche or sour cream with the mustard in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Slice roast between the bones to make individual chops, arrange them on a platter, and serve, passing the mustard sauce.
Notes
Adapted From | Food Network Kitchens Cookbook