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.
How do you cook a pork rib roast?
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.
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.
How do I season a Pork Rib Roast?
I have two tried and true methods for roasting meats.
- 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)
- Coat the top of the roast with Dijon or Stone Ground Mustard. Sprinkle liberally with Montreal Beef Seasoning.
- 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.
Ingredients for Roasted Rack of Pork
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.
Coat the top of the pork rib roast (fat side) liberally with mustard (or olive oil).
Coast the top of the pork rib roast with seasonings. I used Montreal Beef Seasoning. Feel free to use sea salt and cracked black pepper, or make your own Montreal Seasoning. I’ve included a recipe for this seasoning in the recipe box.
Add roast to a baking pan with the rough-cut vegetables underneath to keep the roast off the bottom of the dish to allow air to circulate more freely around the roast. The veggies also add flavor to the pan drippings. Add one cup of water to the bottom of the pan before placing it in the oven.
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.
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 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 temperature 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 shrinkage of the product.
You also want to remember to always 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.oo, 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!
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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
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.
The safe internal pork cooking temperature for fresh cuts is 145° F. To check doneness properly, use a digital cooking thermometer.
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
More Pork Recipes You’ll Love!
Oven Roasted Rack of Pork {Pork rib Roast}
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
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
- 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.
John D
I followed your recipe carefully, and it is the best pork roast I’ve ever made. This was like a pork prime rib roast.
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m very happy to hear you enjoyed the pork roast! I hope you find more delicious recipes to try on my website.
Kathy
Made this for the first time for a Christmas Party circa 2019 – like others, got my rack of pork at Costco – have a cousin who does this meat a lot, and had it at her home. Wanted to have my own when I got home to Atlanta from our road trip – it didn’t happen right then, but, when it did, I looked up recipes and Chef Dennis’ sounded easy and delicious – followed the directions and have made it 3 or 4 times since with one alteration – I puree the pan vegetables in the food processor and they become the sauce with the rest of the drippings and juices. The veggies actually get finely chopped, not exactly pureed. Delish!!!!!!! Haven’t made it more often cuz I’m not happy with the racks lately!!
Drew
Omg!! Spot on recipie! It was PERFECT!
Susan Hunt
First of all, thank you Chef Dennis! Here’s my story. My husband purchased a package of Costco pork ribs (like for barbecue) – imagine our surprise when we defrosted the package and found a mysterious hunk of meat – the rack of pork (roast). I was flummoxed, confused & overwhelmed. Talk about switching mental gears – the rib rub was made, the rib marinade/sauce was ready and waiting in the fridge…. You saved the day. Your instructions are clear, flavors perfect (homemade Montreal seasoning), technique restaurant quality, the video cleared up all of my overthinking of details (yes, I used the glass 9×13 instead of my large metal roasting pan) and the roast turned out tender, succulent and perfect (forget about prime rib of beef forever – this surpassed), all thanks to you!
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m happy to hear you found my pork roast recipe and enjoyed that delicious cut of meat! It’s one of our favorite pork dishes and a very nice change from ribs.
Denise
My first time cooking a pork loin rib roast. I followed the instructions adjusting cooktime for a 3.25 lb roast and seasoned with dijon and the copycat Montreal seasoning (minus garlic due to food allergy). Was very pleased with result and hubby enjoyed it too. Served with rice and gravy and green beans.
bobinatl
How about some help with making the gravy for this dish?
Chef Dennis Littley
the gravy I use for the pork is simply the juices from roasting. Add a little water to the roasting pan to get all of the bits stuck to it, strain and reheat. If you want a thicker gravy melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a pan, add 1 tablespoon of flour and let it cook on low for 3-4 minutes then add the strained pan juices from above. If it’s too thick add a little chicken stock or beef stock to the pan, letting it simmer for a few minutes. Reseason to taste and serve with the pork.
Mark
We made this and it is excellent!!!!! So juicy it’s unbelievable. Flavor is perfect! Anybody not giving this 5 stars made it wrong- just sayin’.
I used a six bone pork rack and used McCormick Montreal seasoning and Sierra Nevada Stout stoneground mustard and no celery. Cooked for 1:50 + 15 minutes-perfect!!!
Cathy
I made this last night and it was delicious!! My husband is still raving about it today. I’m going to make carnitas with the leftovers. Thanks for an easy, delicious recipe!
Sue S
Thank you for posting this recipe, it was delicious! I kept it simple, olive oil, salt, pepper, and a little garlic powder. The meat was tender and juicy, and the gravy was amazing. I had to turn up the heat a bit and cook it a little longer (total 2 hours for a 6 lb pork rib roast), but I think my oven’s off a bit. Didn’t matter, the end result was incredible. Definitely will use this method again!
alexandra
This turned out so good ! I skipped the mustard and just did olive oil and a lot of Montreal seasoning.
Georgia
Hi,
I am also cooking this tomorrow! My question: Can I use this same technique on my pellet grill (high heat sear, then low heat)? I might cook it a bit longer to get closer to 160 – my husband is still weird about pork that isn’t well done.
Thank you, this looks amazing.
Chef Dennis Littley
that should work the same way on your pellet grill. My wife is the same way with pork.
Greg Cupples
Pork is so easy to overcook, but this came out great — will make this again!
Ann
Hi! I am making this Saturday (New Year’s day) for my husband’s birthday. It looks amazing! Silly question, probably, but I usually use my oven’s probe setting/thermometer to roast to correct temp. Where would I insert the probe? Across the top part horizontally across the roast or vertically between the middle ribs? (Hope that make sense!)
Thank you.
Chef Dennis Littley
I would place the probe in the end of the roast, going through the loin. This will give you more well-done pieces at the end and less well-done in the middle.
Ann
Thanks!
kathe
This recipe is without a doubt the very best I’ve ever made. The pork was tender and juicy and beautiful. Thank you for a perfect Christmas dinner!
Beck
I don’t usually comment/review. But… I made this tonight after looking for recipes to use my Tomahawk chops. My husband rated it 8.5/10 which is almost unheard of! Served it with steamed baby potatoes, carrots and cavolo nero with lemon garlic butter.
John
Perfect. First time I’ve cooked this and it was a big hit with the entire family. Had sides of cheesy yellow grits, garlic/green beans, cranberry sauce and a nice salad.
Julie Ann Delekta
Im trying this for Christmas dinner Thanks for the great directions
Tyson
Absolutely perfect! I left it at 450 degrees for 20 minutes to get it a little more brown then reduced to 325 degrees. Let it rest for 20 minutes and sliced. Unreal!
janelynn
I am 83 years old; we had a gas stove and I remember my mother always roasting (any) meat @400 degrees for the first hour. Never knew why back then.
Jihn
That was mouth watering delicious. Thank you. Difficult to find a full rack these days. Created my own Montreal rub. It was a perfect meal with roasted carrots, green beans, cranberry sauce, and cheesy grits.
Brandon
This was a great recipe! I do a lot of cooking and am very pleased to have a new dish to add to my recipe book. I used a prime rib rub and loaded it with fresh vegetables, easy dinner. Can’t wait to play around with this one. Thank you for the recipe sir. I will definitely be trying some more of your dishes. 👍