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    Home » Recipes » Pork Recipes

    Oven Roasted Rack of Pork {Pork Rib Roast}

    Published: Nov 5, 2020 · Modified: Dec 10, 2021 by Chef Dennis Littley

    12.5K shares
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    4.78 from 324 votes
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    Pinterest image for rack of pork

    When you want to cook up deliciousness in your kitchen for the holidays or a special Sunday Dinner, my Oven Roasted Rack of Pork will definitely be a crowd-pleaser. It’s easy to make and can be in your oven roasting to perfection in less than 10 minutes. It will actually take longer to preheat your oven than it will to prep this lovely pork rib roast.

    roasted rack of pork with a montreal seasoning crust on a white cutting board

    Cooking pork is really pretty easy, and since the days of overcooking pork to make sure it’s safe to eat are behind us, you can now cook your pork a little less, serving it pink, juicy and delicious.

    Of course, my recipe keeps your well-done pork roast just as tasty.

    Ingredients for Roasted Rack of Pork

    ingredients for recipe

    Other than the pork rib roast, the ingredient list is short. Here we have the ingredients (mise en place) for the roasted rack of pork which includes the vegetables for the bottom of the pan and my favorite seasoning for meats, Montreal Beef Seasoning.

    I prefer to use mustard with my rack of pork and for this roast, I’m using stone ground mustard; Dijon mustard or olive oil can be used instead.

    How do I season a Pork Rib Roast?

    step one preparing recipe

    Rub meat down with extra virgin olive oil and crushed garlic. Sprinkle liberally with Sea Salt and Cracked Black Pepper (or use Montreal Beef Seasoning)

    step two preparing recipe

    Coat the top of the roast with Dijon or Stone Ground Mustard. Sprinkle liberally with Montreal Beef Seasoning.

    final step preparing recipe
    • Place rough-cut onion, celery and carrots (including skins and leaves) in the bottom of your roasting pan.
    • Add a cup of water to the bottom of the pan before roasting. You can use stock or a combination of stock, wine or water.
    • Add roast to a baking pan (the rough-cut vegetables underneath the pork will keep the roast off the bottom of the dish to allow air to circulate more freely around the roast).

    The veggies add flavor to the pan drippings.

    How do you cook a pork rib roast?

    There are a few simple rules for roasting meats.

    • Let the roast come to room temperature for about 30 minutes.
    • Roast at a high temp 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes (30 minutes for roasts larger than 10 pounds)
    • Reduce oven temp to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and cook approximately 15 minutes per pound till the desired doneness.
    • Cook meat uncovered in your roasting pan
    • Always roast fat side up
    • Use a meat thermometer to make sure the roast is at the temperature you desire. Remember your roast will increase in temperature by approximately 10 degrees after removing from the oven.
    • Medium Rare 145 degrees F; Well Done 160 degrees F.
    bone in roasted rack of pork on a white cutting board with a  romaine leaf and cooked carrots on the side

    Should I cover my roast when cooking?

    The answer is no. And the reason is the coating of seasonings will help keep the roast moist. If you feel better covering the roast do it only for the first 45 minutes of cooking, uncovering for the rest of the cooking process.

    What Should I serve with a Pork Rib Roast?

    I was in the mood for garlic mashed potatoes, and although Lisa does like garlic, it has to be worked into the dish and not overpowering.

    I thought that roasting the garlic would be the best choice to add flavor while still keeping it from getting too strong or overpowering the mashed potatoes.

    The garlic worked perfectly, with its creamy butter-like pieces blending into the mashed potatoes perfectly. And to add even more flavor to this dish, we needed gravy. Okay, no one really needs gravy, but it makes things so much more delicious.

    close up of bone in roasted rack of pork with the end cut off

    Serve your favorite vegetable and don’t forget the applesauce for those friends that can’t eat pork without it.

    Important Tips for Roasting:

    Years ago, I use to serve 2 bone racks of pork in my restaurant. I would cook the larger full rack and then cut them to order later in the evening after they were cooled. You have to think of these delicious pieces of roasted pork more along the lines of Prime Rib of Pork,  and when you serve them, they don’t have to be steaming hot. You want them to be fairly hot, but then serve them with the almost boiling pan gravy to give it that little bump. The pork will be tender and juicier than you have ever had before.

    The other important factor in having this pork come out so tender and juicy is in the roasting.

    Using very high temperatures for a short time will sear and seal the meat, keeping the juices inside. You just want to make sure to reduce the heat of the oven to finish the slow roasting process, which not only ensures a juicy cut of meat but also helps reduce the shrinkage of the product.

    You also want to remember to cook the meat with the fat side up so the fat runs through the meat as it roasts rather than just into the pan. Don’t worry about trimming any extra fat away before roasting. You can always remove it before serving. The fat does add flavor!

    This was the most flavorful, tender piece of pork I think I have ever had. It even surprised me. I hope you do try this if you can find a good rack of pork. Believe it or not, I found this rack at Costco and Sams Club for under $25.00. Who knew? I can’t wait to cook this again, but I will definitely invite some friends over to enjoy this magnificent piece of pork!

    This post includes affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    I absolutely love my Meater Plus | Smart Meat Thermometer It takes all the guesswork out of cooking meats in the oven, on the grill, or in a smoker.

    Recipe FAQ’s

    What cut of pork is the rack of pork?

    Rack of Pork is also referred to as a pork rib roast (it may also be labeled center-cut pork loin). This cut comes from the rib area of the loin, so it contains a little more fat which helps make it more flavorful.

    What temperature should I cook the rack of pork to?

    The safe internal pork cooking temperature for fresh cuts is 145° F. To check doneness properly, use a digital cooking thermometer.

    Can the pork be a little pink?

    Pork can be a little pink. The U.S. Department of Agriculture lowered the recommended cooking temperature of pork to 145 degrees Fahrenheit. That may leave some pork looking pink, but the meat is still safe to eat

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    rack of pork with end cut off
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    4.78 from 324 votes

    Oven Roasted Rack of Pork {Pork rib Roast}

    This pork roast is so easy to make it almost cooks itself.  But you can take all the credit when your guests start to moan after tasting this deliciously seasoned Rack of Pork!
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time1 hr 45 mins
    resting time20 mins
    Total Time2 hrs 10 mins
    Course: Entree
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 395kcal
    Author: Chef Dennis Littley

    Ingredients

    • 1 7-8 bone center cut rack of pork the weight on this roast will vary. Using a meat thermometer will ensure its cooked properly.
    • ¼ cup dijon mustard, stone ground mustard or olive oil
    • ¼ cup sea salt & black pepper I used Montreal Steak Seasoning
    • 2 carrots -rough cut
    • 1 small onion-rough cut and include skins
    • 2 stalks of celery- rough cut
    • 6 cloves garlic peeled

    Copycat Montreal Seasoning

    • 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
    • 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
    • 1 tablespoon dill seeds
    • 1 tablespoon granulated onion
    • 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
    • 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
    • 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
    • 1 tablespoon paprika
    • 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
    US Customary – Metric
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • preheat oven to 450 degrees
    • In a roasting pan add your rough cut vegetables and garlic
    • rinse the rack of pork well and pat dry
    • place rack fat side up, on top of cut veggies
    • apply a liberal amount of mustard (or olive oil) rubbing it into the top of the roast
    • sprinkle entire rack with sea salt, pepper, garlic, and onion or just use my personal favorite Montreal Steak Seasoning instead of the other seasonings.
      **Add one cup of water to the bottom of the pan before roasting.
    • place pan in preheated 450 degrees F oven for 15 minutes.
    • after 15 minutes reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F and continue to roast for 1½ – 2 hours or until internal temperature has reached 160 degrees for well done or 145 degrees for medium.
    • Remove the Rack from the oven placing on a cutting board and allow to rest for 10- 20 minutes before slicing the meat. This will allow all the juices to remain in the rack, rather than have them run all over the plate, making the meat dry.
    • While the rack is resting, place 2 cups of water in the roasting pan and place on the stovetop on medium heat (or back in the oven) and with a spoon loosen all the baked-in meat scraps from the pan, making your pan gravy.
    • Strain out all of the vegetable pieces and any residue
    • Cut the rack along the bones, making even portions of the pork, serve with your pan gravy and your favorite sides!

    Video

    Notes

    There are a few simple rules for roasting meets.
    • Let the roast come to room temperature for about 30 minutes.
    • Roast at high temp 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes (30 minutes for roasts larger than 10 pounds)
    • Reduce oven temp to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and cook approximately 15 minutes per pound till the desired doneness.
    • Cook meat uncovered in your roasting pan
    • Always roast fat side up
    • Use a meat thermometer to make sure the roast is at the temperature you desire.
    • Remember your roast will increase in temperature approximately 10 degrees after removing from oven.
    • Medium Rare 145 degrees F; Well Done 160 degrees F.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 120g | Calories: 395kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 1103mg | Potassium: 860mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 3350IU | Vitamin C: 3.5mg | Calcium: 105mg | Iron: 2.3mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @askChefDennis or tag #askChefDennis!

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    About Chef Dennis

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    Chef Dennis Littley is a classically trained chef with over 40 years of experience working in the food service industry. In his second career as a food blogger he has made it his mission to demistify cooking by sharing his time-tested recipes, knowledge, and chef tips to help you create easy-to-make restaurant-quality meals in your home kitchen. Let Chef Dennis help you bring the joy of cooking into your home. For more details, check out his About page.

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    1. David Bradburn

      March 26, 2023 at 7:14 pm

      5 stars
      Tried this for the first time today, using a 9-pound rib roast (10 ribs).
      Turned out perfect. Family loved it! I was initially concerned about the amount of mustard, fearing it would make the meat taste mustardy. But that did not happen. The crust on top was delicious.

      Reply
    2. Judy

      March 23, 2023 at 9:09 am

      5 stars
      Loved it! Took a bit longer per pound to cook in my oven but it was perfect! Flavorful with the pan juices and really tender. I’ve never used that cut before but will again.

      Reply
    3. Doug

      March 18, 2023 at 8:42 pm

      5 stars
      Wow! What a great recipe. The combination of ease of prepare / cook, controlled outcome of high taste, and wow factor makes this recipe huge for entertaining family or friends. Thank you!
      I have a couple of questions for next time: I did the mustard and Montreal seasoning South fat cap face up. Cook to 135F for maybe 45 min using Thermoworks Chef Alarm therm. We noticed that the fat didn’t totally render and wonder if that precludes the seasoning from working its way into the meat? We did place the fat cap side up as recommended and I didn’t find the fat very thick but it should be called out my oven only turns up to 428F (220C) for the recommended first 15 min of intense eat. The other question is about the vegetables and gravy: There was not a lot of drippings afterwards and so the sauce was thin (but tasty – we used a splash of the Rioja we paired it with). This may relate to the fat not rendering? Would it make sense to continue cooking the vegetables and serving them and if so how? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        March 18, 2023 at 9:14 pm

        The fat will not all render in that short of time, the roasts I buy are not very fatty so I haven’t had this problem. I like to add a little water to the pan and when the roast is done, add more water to the pan to release what has dried into the pan. As for the vegetables, you can definitely eat them and add your side to the pan before cooking. As a note the veggies will suck up more of the pan juices.

        Reply
    4. Mary

      March 08, 2023 at 10:35 am

      5 stars
      The final result was so very good. I’ll be making this again for sure. The recipe is easy to follow, it smelled delicious the whole time roasting, it was easy to slice and so moist.
      Thank you Chef Dennis!

      Reply
    5. Sonja

      February 22, 2023 at 10:01 pm

      5 stars
      Hi Chef Dennis,
      We originally purchased this roast by mistake but decided to try it. I found your recipe and I was drawn to it because you use mustard and Montreal Steak Spice – a savory sauce instead of a sweet sauce.
      This was very simple to make and tasted amazing!
      The only thing we struggled with is how to carve the roast. How thick should the slices be? Are we supposed to leave the bone on or take it off before slicing?
      Thank you again for a great recipe. We look forward to trying it again!

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        February 22, 2023 at 10:06 pm

        The roast is cut in between the bones making fairly thick slices. I would leave the bone on, serving it like a chop.

        Reply
    6. Tamara

      January 21, 2023 at 6:49 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious! With this easy to follow, detailed recipe you can’t go wrong. I’m a novice cook and was delighted with how this turned out. I will be trying out another recipe tomorrow evening. I’m so happy to have found your website Chef Dennis!

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        January 21, 2023 at 6:51 pm

        I’m so happy that you enjoyed my favorite pork roast! Thanks for the great comment, and I’m glad you found my website too!

        Reply
    7. Nancy Ruppert

      January 08, 2023 at 6:18 pm

      5 stars
      This was PERFECT. Will definitely be making again.

      Reply
    8. JoAnn

      January 08, 2023 at 2:02 pm

      5 stars
      Purchased the rack of pork at Costco and followed your cooking instructions. Many happy faces and tummies at the table. Best juicy, tender roast ever. Enjoy your blog and amazing recipes. Happy New Year.

      Reply
    9. Diana

      December 29, 2022 at 11:44 am

      5 stars
      This was the best pork any of us has ever had, even with the Mangalitsa craze going on. I took a chance on the cut from Costco then found your recipe. I was thrilled I could prepare it from ingredients on hand, I used Trader Joe’s grainy Dijon, and Penzey’s Galena rub plus a few more ingredients from your Montreal mix. To die for. Even the leftovers warmed up just as tender and amazing. Thank you for this highlight to our holiday week!

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        December 29, 2022 at 12:13 pm

        Happy to hear you enjoyed the pork roast; we had it for Christmas and it’s always a hit! I hope you find more recipes on my blog to enjoy!

        Reply
      • Natalie

        January 02, 2023 at 10:06 am

        5 stars
        I tried this recipe yesterday and my dinner guests were very happy. This is definitely a keeper! The pork was tender and tasty. I used a digital meat thermometer and the time was just a few minutes short of 1.5 hours. Thank you, Chef Dennis!

        Reply
    10. Ann Palmer

      December 25, 2022 at 3:18 pm

      5 stars
      Can this recipe be used for beef rib roast? IE: the high temp first then the lower temp? For med-rare?

      Reply
      • Ann Palmer

        December 25, 2022 at 3:41 pm

        5 stars
        I made this recipe for Easter Sunday. It came out perfectly!

        Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        December 25, 2022 at 5:16 pm

        You can use the same recipe, but the times will be different. I would use my recipe for prime rib https://www.askchefdennis.com/prime-rib-roast/

        Reply
    11. Rocco

      December 18, 2022 at 8:49 pm

      5 stars
      I’m a former chef, but I’ve never prepared this cut, prior to this occasion. When I found this recipe, I had already rubbed my roast with a heavy dose of a seasoning blend, which contained ample amounts of rosemary and garlic, and it had been sitting in the frig for 48 hours. So I created the bed of veggies, as suggested, added 1.5 c. of Sauvignon Blanc to the glass baking dish, and covered the seasonings and roast with (bland – flavored) coconut oil. I inserted the probe from a meat thermometer/alarm, and set the alarm to 135 degrees F. The roast was about 7 pounds, so I did 450 degrees for 25 minutes, then reduced the temp to 325F and went to do chores. When the alarm sounded, I removed the roast from the oven and set it on the counter to rest. Just as Chef Dennis said, the temp climbed until it hit 146 degrees, then stopped. My family bowed down and called me, “Blessed”! Whoa! This was absolutely succulent! On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d definitely give it a solid “12”. Thank you, Dennis. This is fantastic!

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        December 18, 2022 at 8:51 pm

        Thanks for leaving the comment and for your detailed account of how you cooked the pork! I love seeing how my readers adjust the recipe to their likes. This is one of my favorite ways to serve pork!

        Reply
    12. Becky C.

      December 12, 2022 at 12:04 pm

      5 stars
      I’ve made this twice with racks of pork from Costco. It’s absolutely delicious. My family loves this dinner. I just wish that rack of pork was available at Costco all the time

      Reply
    13. Cathy&chris

      December 02, 2022 at 4:23 pm

      5 stars
      We also got our rack of pork roast at Costco.
      The recipe was so easy to follow, using the olive oil and the Montreal seasoning,It was so flavorful and the best we’ve had!
      Thank you Chef Dennis.
      Look forward to trying some of your other recipes.

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        December 02, 2022 at 5:30 pm

        I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the pork roast, I hope you find more recipes to try!

        Reply
        • Lindsay

          December 30, 2022 at 11:27 pm

          Can I prepare the rack of pork with the mustard and seasoning earlier in the day? If so, should I then let it come sit out for 30min before putting in the oven?

        • Chef Dennis Littley

          December 30, 2022 at 11:29 pm

          Yes you can prepare it ahead of time. And allowing it to come close to room temperature before roasting is definitely a good idea.

      • Ed

        January 25, 2023 at 7:14 pm

        Are the temps stated before you take out or after the 10 degrees sitting?

        Reply
        • Chef Dennis Littley

          January 25, 2023 at 9:10 pm

          Temps stated are before the resting period.

    14. Anonoymous

      November 24, 2022 at 3:15 pm

      Delicious but cooking time was off by 50%:

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        November 24, 2022 at 3:17 pm

        Everyone’s oven is different and it also depends on the weight of the roast. This is why it’s really important to have a meat thermometer so you can monitor the internal temperature.

        Reply
        • Dianne

          January 01, 2023 at 5:59 pm

          Do you have a meat thermometer that you recommend? I have two and they never seem to reach the same temperature when I put them in a piece of meat.

        • Chef Dennis Littley

          January 01, 2023 at 9:41 pm

          I’ve been using MEATER Plus | Smart Meat Thermometer and I also have a KIZEN Digital Meat Thermometer with probe that is considerably less expensive. They are both on Amazon

    15. Robert H

      November 20, 2022 at 2:48 pm

      5 stars
      you are so cool

      Reply
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    My name is Dennis Littley or "Chef Dennis" as I'm known both at work and across the blogosphere. As a classically trained chef with 40+ years of experience in the kitchen, I share my time-tested recipes, knowledge, and chef tips to help you create easy-to-make restaurant-quality meals in your home kitchen.

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