This roasted rack of pork is a juicy and flavorful dinner. It is quick to make and ready to go in the oven after only 10 minutes of prep. A homemade pork seasoning and Dijon mustard combination adds the perfect amount of flavor to the meat.
Pair it with some green bean casserole and roasted red potato wedges for a complete dinner.
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If you're in the mood to make a special dinner for your family then this recipe for a roasted rack of pork is going to be a real winner. It is juicy, flavorful, and simple to prepare.
This cut of meat is also referred to as a pork rib roast and is cut from the rib area of the loin (which is extremely juicy and flavorful!) It's the perfect set-it-and-forget-it dish that will impress your guests without you having to spend hours preparing food in the kitchen.
🥘 Ingredients
The actual weight of your rib roast can vary, so just aim for one that has 7-8 bones. I also recommend trying out my easy, homemade pork seasoning.
- Rack of Pork - 4½-pound rack of pork (7-8 bone rib roast, center cut).
- Dijon Mustard - ¼ cup of Dijon mustard (or German mustard, or olive oil).
- Carrots - 4 medium carrots, chopped.
- Celery - 3 ribs of celery, chopped.
- Onion - 1 medium yellow onion, chopped.
- Apple - 1 large Braeburn apple (or another semi-sweet, firm variety).
- Garlic - 6 cloves of garlic.
- Chicken Broth - 1 cup of chicken broth (or water).
- Pork Seasoning - 2½ tablespoons of pork seasoning (½ of my recipe, or use your favorite brand).
Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!
🔪 How To Roast Rack Of Pork
This recipe is straightforward as most of the time is simply spent in the oven. Get out your roasting pan, knife, and meat thermometer and you're ready to get started.
The bigger your pork rib roast, the more people you can feed (or the more leftovers you will have!) An 8-bone rack will give you 8 tasty servings.
- Preheat. To get started, preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C).
- Chop your veggies. Roughly chop your carrots, celery, onion, and apple and place them into a roasting pan alongside the whole, peeled garlic cloves. Then pour in the chicken broth (or water) and place your roasting rack on top.
- Season the pork. To prepare your pork, rinse it with cool water and pat it dry. Next, coat all of the sides with Dijon mustard and then generously season it with pork seasoning before placing it onto the roasting rack fat side up.
- Roast. Once your oven is preheated, place the rack of pork into the oven and cook it for 15 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 325°F (165°C) and continue to roast the pork for 1½-2 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 145°F (65°C) (*see note).
- Rest. After your rack is done cooking, remove it from the oven and transfer it to a large platter or cutting board. Cover the cooked roast loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil, and allow it to rest for 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving (*see note).
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- The actual weight of your rack can vary, thus leading to different cook times. The average weight for a 7-8 bone pork rack is 4 ½ pounds/2 kilograms.
- The best way to know when your pork is done cooking is by using a meat thermometer and checking the internal temperature in multiple places. You want the temperature to read 145°F (65°C) for medium.
- It is incredibly important to let your meat rest for the full 15-20 minutes. If you don't the juices will all run out, leaving you with dry meat.
- Don't trim any excess fat away before cooking as it adds flavor! You always want to roast your pork with the fat side up so that all of the juices and flavor runs through the meat while it cooks, instead of straight into the pan.
🥡 Storing & Reheating
Slice your rack to make storage easier, and place the meat into an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Alternatively, leftovers can be tightly wrapped in heavy-duty aluminum foil.
If you want to freeze it for later, place your fully cooked rack into a freezer-safe, sealed container for up to 3 months. Allow it to thaw completely in the fridge before reheating.
Reheating
Bake your leftovers in a preheated oven at 350° (175°C) for 30 minutes and then allow it to rest for 15 minutes before serving. Add broth as needed to keep your reheated leftovers juicy.
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❓ Recipe FAQs
A rack of pork (or pork rib roast) is cut from the loin of the pig. Specifically, it comes from the rib area of the loin, which contains a lot of fat (adding tons of flavor).
At a temperature of 325°F (165°C), you should cook your bone-in roast for about 20-25 minutes per pound. This, of course, is after the initial 15 minutes that should be spent at a higher temperature of 450°F (230°C), regardless of weight.
You may have heard all of your life that pork must be cooked all the way through and that there could not be any pink remaining. However, what many people aren't aware of, is that the USDA actually revised its pork cooking recommendations in 2011.
Specifically, the current recommendations lowered the internal temperature guideline for pork from 160°F - 145°F (70°C - 65°C). If you have a larger cut of meat, an internal temperature of 145°F (65°C) could still have some pink meat on the inside (or even pink juices), but it is still fully cooked and completely safe to eat!
The only exception to this rule is ground pork, which must be cooked to 160°F (70°C).
NOTE: This answer applies specifically to pork raised in the United States that undergoes an irradiation process to kill microorganisms.
🐷 More Pork Recipes
- Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops
- Brown Sugar Dijon Crusted Pork Roast
- Butterfly Stuffed Pork Chops
- Honey Garlic Baked Pork Chops
- BBQ Baked Pork Spareribs
- Smoked Pork Belly
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📖 Recipe Card
Roasted Rack of Pork
Ingredients
- 4½ lbs rack of pork (7-8 bone rib roast, center cut)
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard (or German mustard, or olive oil)
- 4 medium carrots (chopped)
- 3 ribs celery (chopped)
- 1 medium yellow onion (chopped)
- 1 large apple (Braeburn, or another semi-sweet firm variety)
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 cup chicken broth (or water)
- 2½ tablespoon pork seasoning (½ recipe, or use your favorite brand)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- To get started, preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C).
- Roughly chop your carrots, celery, onion, and apple and place them into a roasting pan alongside the whole, peeled garlic cloves. Then pour in the chicken broth (or water) and place your roasting rack on top.
- To prepare your pork, rinse it with cool water and pat it dry. Next, coat all of the sides with Dijon mustard and then generously season it with pork seasoning before placing it onto the roasting rack fat side up.
- Once your oven is preheated, place the rack of pork into the oven and cook it for 15 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 325°F (165°C) and continue to roast the pork for 1½-2 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 145°F (65°C) (*see note).
- After your rack is done cooking, remove it from the oven and transfer it to a large platter or cutting board. Cover the cooked roast loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil, and allow it to rest for 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving (*see note).
Notes
- The actual weight of your rack can vary, thus leading to different cook times. The average weight for a 7-8 bone pork rack is 4 ½ pounds/2 kilograms.
- The best way to know when your pork is done cooking is by using a meat thermometer and checking the internal temperature in multiple places. You want the temperature to read 145°F (65°C) for medium.
- It is incredibly important to let your meat rest for the full 15-20 minutes. If you don't the juices will all run out, leaving you with dry meat.
- Don't trim any excess fat away before cooking as it adds flavor! You always want to roast your pork with the fat side up so that all of the juices and flavor runs through the meat while it cooks, instead of straight into the pan.
- To store: Slice your rack to make storage easier, and place the meat into an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Alternatively, leftovers can be tightly wrapped in heavy duty aluminum foil.
- To freeze: Place your fully cooked rack into a freezer-safe, sealed container for up to 3 months. Allow it to thaw completely in the fridge before reheating.
- To reheat: Bake your leftovers in a preheated oven at 350° (180°C) for 30 minutes, and then allow it to rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Annette Linfante says
We made this roast for Easter and everyone loved it! It was so delicious and moist. Had about three chops leftover, a few days later threw them in a roasting pan with a little more broth and heated on 350 deg for 40 minutes, even better then the original roast! Omg so so good. Definitely making this again!
Laurel Miller says
Do you recommend eating the vegetables you used to cook the meat?
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Yes, you most definitely can eat the vegetables the roast is cooked with. Add your favorite veggies and/or use what you have on hand. Thanks for asking!