Pit Boss Pork Loin

Looking for a easy yet delicious Pit Boss pork loin recipe? This one is perfect for feeding a large crowd and is super simple to master.

Some people think attempting to smoke a whole pork loin roast can be daunting. But my easy-to-follow method below will help you serve up a juicy and succulent pork loin every time

What You’ll Need for Smoked Pork Loin

• Pork Loin Roast
• BBQ Rub of your choice
• Olive Oil

Pit Boss Smoked Pork Loin Recipe

Step 1 – Prepare the Pork Loin

If your roast is frozen, thaw it completely before preparing. With a sharp knife, score the fat cap in a criss-cross pattern. Leave about an inch between each cut.

Most cuts of pork loin will come trimmed and tidy. If necessary, trim off the extra fat and any silver skin and connective tissue.

Leave enough intact to score it to help the fat render down while smoking. This helps stop the meat from drying out while cooking. It also helps the seasoning penetrate the meat.

Step 2 – Season the Pork Loin

Pat the roast dry with a paper towel. Drizzle the roast with olive oil or mustard to give the dry rub something to stick to Cover the entire surface with the rub. Make sure to get it into the gaps of the scoring cuts. Then place in the fridge for 15-30 minutes or overnight if you have the time.

Step 3 – Preheat the Pellet Grill

Choose your preferred pellets and load up the grill hopper, for this recipe, we used Applewood pellets.Preheat the pellet grill to 165°F. Close the lid and run for 15 minutes.

Step 4 – Smoke the Pork Loin

Place the pork, with the fat cap side up, directly on the grill grates. Insert the meat temperature probe at this point, to check the internal temps. Close the lid. Smoke at 165°F for the first 1½ to 2 hours then up to 250F until internal temp hits 150F (about 2-3 more hours).

Step 5 – Serving the Loin

Leave the roast to rest for 15- 30 minutes. Using a sharp knife, slice against the grain. Serve and enjoy!

Wood Pellet Recommendations

Pork works well with milder flavors like the fruit and nut woods. Subtle flavors like apple, pecan, maple, beech, and cherry give great results with pork. They will give a sweeter, smokier flavor without taking over the taste of the pork roasts.

But, if you want to beef up the flavor a little, try a blend of the fruity pellets with a little of the stronger flavors.

You can’t go wrong with an applewood pellet for pork. The mild fruity sweetness of apple and pork is a fantastic combination.  

Pellets like mesquite and hickory have a heavy smoke flavor. The flavor has strong bacon-type undertones. They are a little overwhelming for light meats like pork or poultry.

What Temp To Smoke At?

The recommended temp is to set the Pit Boss to cook pork loin at 165°F for the first 2 hours then 250°F.

This is the perfect temperature to permeate with a good level of smoke. And you won’t have to worry about overcooking and drying out the pork. It also creates a nice crisp bark without burring the outside.

How Long Should You Cook Pork Loin?

Your pork loin will be cooked at should be at 150°F before you pull it from the smoker. This will take about 2 to 3 hours.

The cooking time for pork loin with vary depending on several factors. The size of the loin, the type of grill you’re using, and the outside weather temperatures all affect the time. The more accurate way to check for doneness is the check the internal temperature. Use a good quality, reliable meat thermometer to check.

The internal temperature should reach 145°F to be safe. The meat will continue to rise about 5-10°F in temperature while it’s resting.

What’s The Difference Between Pork Loin and Pork Tenderloins?

Often confused, pork loin and pork tenderloins are two very different cuts of pork. Pork loin comes from along the backbone, whereas pork tenderloins come from the rib cage. Tenderloins are a much smaller, thinner cut with very little fat.

Tenderloins are best cooked over high heat. Loin roasts respond better to low and slow-style cooking or roasting. Both are mild-flavored lean cuts.

How To Store Leftovers

You can store for 2-3 days in the fridge after cooking it. Then you can use the leftovers for lots of yummy recipes. You can slice it thinly to use in sandwiches and with some salad or coleslaw. You can also dice it up and warm it up in the pan with some diced tomatoes, onions and potatoes for a really hearty warming meal.

What’s the Best Way to Cook Pork Loin?

Pork loin is a lean cut, but with a nice fat cap over the top. It doesn’t have the tougher muscle structure like the pork shoulder or pork butt.

So it doesn’t need long, slow cooking. But a little time invested in it will give a better result. Searing in a pan, then oven roasting or smoking on a pellet grill will give you a gorgeously tender and juicy roast. 

Brining the Pork

You can brine pork before cooking it, however in this recipe we don’t use this method. Using brine adds flavor and tenderizes the meat. It doesn’t need to be a major process, 6-12 hours is the perfect time for the magic to happen.

You can wet brine, by soaking it in a solution of salt, sugar, and flavourings. Or dry brine by coating it in a mix of salt, sugar, and seasonings.  

Stuffing the Pork

Another great way to add flavor is to stuff it with herbs and stuffing mix. However in this recipe we don’t stuff the pork, we just a rub. If you decide you want to stuff the pork you’ll need to butterfly the pork. Slice down the pork lengthwise along the center. Fold-out flat.

Cover with heavy plastic wrap and flatten with a meat mallet. Spread the stuffing mix out evenly over the pork. You can use breadcrumbs, herbs, crushed nuts, and spices as a stuffing mix. Experiment a little!

Roll up and secure with string or toothpicks. Smoke as normal. See my porchetta recipe here for more instructions

What To Serve With It

Pork loin goes well with many sides however here are a few of my favorites

Smoked Broccoli

Mash Potatoes

Potato Salad With Wasabi

Smoked Zucchini

Cooking a pork loin on a Pit Boss grill is such a simple process. Season, smoke, and get the temperatures spot on and you have a winning meal every time.

Let it rest and settle the juices so you’ll have a moist piece of juicy pork, with some delicious smoky flavors

Smoke On!

Charlie

Hungry For More?

Smoke On!

Charlie

Hungry For More?