Published: · Modified: by Chef Dennis Littley
4.83 from 430 votes
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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.
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.
Table of Contents:
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.
How do I season a Pork Rib Roast?
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.
- 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 Fahrenheitfor 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. All ovens are different, and this is an estimate. Use a meat thermometer to ensure cooking to the desired temperature.
- 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.
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 who can’t eat pork without it.
Important Tips for Roasting:
Years ago, I used to serve two 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 Sam’s 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 thismagnificentpiece of pork!
Chef's Choice
MEATER Plus: Wireless Smart Meat Thermometer
I love this thermometer and actually have a set of four that I use for oven roasting, grilling, and smoking. The phone app makes it easy to check on the temperatures of what you're cooking.
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Chef's Choice
Digital Meat Thermometer with Probe - Instant Read
This inexpensive thermometer is a great choice and will let you test foods you cook to ensure you've reached the correct safe cooking temperature. I have one of these thermometers and use it often.
This post includes affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
This post includes affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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?
The safe internal pork cooking temperature for fresh cuts is145° 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, butthe meat is still safe to eat
More Pork Recipes You’ll Love!
- Peppered Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Chili Pecan-Fruit Sauce
- Restaurant Style Stuffed Pork Chops Recipe
- Restaurant Style Pork Osso Bucco Recipe
- Tomato Braised Sicilian Pork Chops
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 seasonedRack of Pork!
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time1 hour hr 45 minutes mins
resting time20 minutes mins
Total Time2 hours hrs 10 minutes 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
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
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About Chef Dennis
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.
Reader Interactions
Comments
Lizy
WOW… perfect!! Thank you.Reply
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the roast!
Reply
Kathy Reeves
Excellent recipe! Rack of pork came out beautifully! Usually my husband cooks, but I did this rack of pork and he was impressed!Reply
Chef Dennis Littley
Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed my pork roast recipe. It’s one of our favorite dishes!
Reply
Hunter
Thanks for the recipe Chef Dennis. Question: Should the rack of pork be on a roasting grate sitting up above the liquid or sitting down in the liquid and veggies? Also, should I use a full size roasting pan like I would use for a Turkey where one cup of water is really spread out or should I use a smaller (like 9″ x 9″) pan where the cup of water provides a little depth of liquid?
Much thanks!
Reply
Chef Dennis Littley
I would use the smaller pan and if you have a grate that fits the pan you can use that. It will help the air circulate around the roast.
Reply
P.Nicholson
This recipe looks great! I’ve always brined my pork to be sure it tender and juicy. Would you recommend doing so with a rack of pork?
Reply
Chef Dennis Littley
I have never brined the pork rack before cooking, but you can definitely brine it before roasting. You may want to cut back on the Montreal seasoning, otherwise it may be too salty.
Reply
RAK
This is the BEST ever! Everything about it is perfect. I have made several times and shared the recipe with anyone who will listen!
It will be the centerpiece of my Easter dinner tomorrow.
Endless thanks.Chef Dennis Littley
You are very welcome and thank you for taking the time to leave such a wonderful comment and review!
Roger P Snyder
Made it yesterday using the Montreal Seasoning and found the crust of the seasoning way too salty. The pork was good and not salty but next time I’ll make the alternate recipe and limit any salt.
Thanks for the recipe.Reply
Andy
I made this recently, and it was delicious! My husband couldn’t wait to have the leftovers the next day. I had never heard of Montreal seasoning and didn’t have any so I used the recipe you had for it. It was fantastic. Not sure I want to try the store-bought version 🙂
One question, How do you make the gravy? You mention adding water and straining the vegetables, but are you adding butter and flour? Or is it supposed to be more au jus?Reply
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the pork roast. As for gravy, I usually serve it with the au jus. If you want to gravy out of the drippings, melt a tablespoon of butter in a pan, then add a tablespoon of flour, stir and let it simmer over low heat for 2 minutes. Then add the drippings from the pan and a little extra beef or chicken broth if needed. Whisk and bring the temperature to medium heat and let the gravy thicken.
Reply
DiAnne
Made this recipe many times. Thank you for publishing your recipe. Never disappointed, comes out perfect every time.Reply
Chef Dennis Littley
Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed my pork roast recipe, it’s a family favorite.
Reply
Steve wood
My roast was 6 1/4 lb I’m goin on 2 1/2 hr cooking time I’m at 120 f what’s up I’m on 325 is my oven off it’s fairly new.🤷🏻♂️
Reply
Chef Dennis Littley
Every oven is different, I’ve had roasts take longer and others less time. Did you let the roast sit for 30 minutes before roasting to let it come to room temperature, and did you start it at 450 for 15 minutes?
Reply
Edie
Do you use all of the ‘copycat Montreal Seasoning’ on your 7-8 bone rack of pork or just 1/4 cup. In #6, if you use sea salt, pepper, garlic and onion rather than the Montreal Steak Spice, how much of each do you use?
Thank you.Reply
Chef Dennis Littley
Use just a quarter cup of either seasoning. I buy my Montreal seasoning which is what I prefer to use
Reply
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