Recipe: Rice-Stuffed Pork Crown Roast with Orange-Honey Glaze (using dried apricots and pecans)

RICE-STUFFED PORK CROWN ROAST

Impress your family with this dish for your holiday meal. The rice stuffing can be cooked in a separate dish. Serve with your family's favorite holiday side dishes and fresh baked dinner rolls.

1 (16 rib) pork rib crown roast (about 8 pounds)
2 cups uncooked rice
1 cup uncooked wild and long grain rice
1 (4 ounce) package dried apricots
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1/2 of a (6 ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
TO SERVE:
Orange slices (optional)
Fresh cranberries (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place roast, bone tips up, on rack in a shallow roasting pan. Cover ends of bones with a strip of foil.

Bake in a 350 degree F. oven for 1 1/2-2 hours.

While roast is baking, cook rice according to package directions, adding apricots the last 10 minutes and cinnamon during the last 5 minutes of cooking time.

Combine rice mixture and chopped pecans; mix well.

Combine orange juice concentrate and honey, mixing well.

Fill roast cavity with rice mixture. Place the remaining rice mixture in a small baking dish. Dot the rice stuffing with butter. Brush roast with some of the orange juice mixture.

Continue baking roast and rice for 30 minutes or until meat thermometer registers 155 degrees F. (Allow about 20 minutes per pound total cooking time). Brush occasionally with the orange juice mixture. Let roast stand for 10-15 minutes to allow juices to set.

TO SERVE:
Carefully transfer roast to a warm serving platter. Garnish with orange slices and cranberries, if desired.

Servings: 16
Source: National Pork Board