This recipe comes from my brother-inlaw John Duyn who owns Carlton Farms, one of the best meat purveyors in the business (his black pepper bacon is amazing). It has become a holiday tradition I look forward to every Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Ingredients:
Pork:
1 16-rib Carlton Farms Crown Rib Roast (about 8 lbs)
1 1/4 teaspoons ground thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
Cranberry Stuffing (see recipe below)
Grapes & grape leaves (optional)
1 10-ounce jar Apple Jelly
1/3 cup Brandy

Cranberry Stuffing:
1/2 cup butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 large apple, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 cup cranberries
1 8-ounce package cornbread stuffing
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons water
1 egg, well-beaten
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage

Directions:
Pork Instructions:
Combine thyme, salt, garlic salt, pepper, and sage; mix well and rub into roast. Place in shallow roasting pan, bone tips up. Insert meat thermometer into thickest part of roast, not touching bone or fat. Cover ends of bones with a strip of foil. Bake at 325 degrees for 35-40 mins. per pound or until meat thermometer registers 170 degrees.

Fill roast cavity with Cranberry Stuffing about one hour before end of cooking time.

Place roast on serving platter and garnish with grapes and grape leaves, if desired. For glaze, melt Apple Jelly over low heat, stirring frequently. Quickly heat Brandy over medium heat (do NOT boil). Pour Brandy into melted Apply Jelly and ignite immediately with a long match. Pour or ladle glaze over roast & stuffing.

Cranberry Stuffing Instructions:
Melt butter in a large skillet over low heat. Add onion, apple, and celery; cook over medium high heat for 5 to 10- minutes, stirring frequently. Add cranberries and cook over low heat for 5 minutes.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add cranberry mixture and mix well. Stuff into roast cavity about 1 hour before end of cooking time. Spoon leftover stuffing into a lightly greased 1-quart casserole dish, and bake along with roast. If stuffing begins to look dry on top, cover loosely with foil.

Serves: 8 – 12
Active: 30 min. Total time: 4 hrs. + (depends on weight of roast)

Wine: Serve with Bedford Carignane or Syrah