Looking for an easy yet delicious Pit Boss pork loin recipe? This one is perfect for feeding a large crowd, a family get-together, or a weeknight dinner. You will surely have leftovers perfect for sandwiches, salads, and wraps. a
Some find attempting to smoke a pork loin roast daunting. But my easy-to-follow method below will help you serve 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
How to Smoke Pork Loin on a Pit Boss
Step 1 – Prepare the Pork Loin
If your pork 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. Trim off the extra fat, silver skin, and connective tissue if necessary.
Leave enough intact to score it to help the fat render down while smoking. This helps stop the meat from drying out while cooking and helps the seasoning penetrate the meat.
Step 2 – Season the Pork Loin
Pat the pork 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, making 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; we used Applewood pellets for this recipe. Preheat the pellet grill to 165°F. Close the lid and run for 15 minutes.
Step 4 – Smoke the Pork Loin
Place the pork fat cap side up directly on the grill grates. At this point, insert the meat temperature probe to check the internal temperatures. Close the lid. Smoke at 165°F for the first 1½ to 2 hours, then up to 250°F until the internal temperature hits 150°F (about 2-3 more hours).
Step 5 – Rest and Serve
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 fruit and nut woods, such as apple, pecan, maple, beech, and cherry. These woods will give pork a sweeter, smokier flavor without overpowering them.
Mesquite and hickory have a heavy smoke flavor; they can be a little overwhelming for light meats like pork or poultry. But if you want to beef up the flavor, try blending the fruity pellets with some more robust flavors.
What Temp To Smoke At?
The recommended temperature is to set the Pit Boss to cook pork loin at 165°F for the first 2 hours and 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 burning the outside.
How Long Should You Cook Pork Loin?
Your pork loin should be cooked at 150°F before you pull it from the smoker, which will take about 2 to 3 hours.
The cooking time for pork loin will vary depending on several factors. The loin size, the type of grill you’re using, and the outside weather temperatures all affect the time.
Some people ask me how to tell when pork tenderloin is done without a thermometer; there isn’t one! The only accurate way to check for doneness is to check the internal temperature using a thermometer. Use a good quality, reliable meat thermometer to check.
To be safe, the internal temperature should reach 145°F. While resting, the meat will continue to rise about 5-10°F in temperature.
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 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
After cooking, you can store the leftovers in the fridge for 2-3 days. Then, you can use them for lots of yummy recipes. You can slice it thinly in sandwiches and with 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 hearty, warming meal.
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 rub it. If you want to stuff the pork, you’ll need to butterfly it. 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.
Pit Boss Smoked Pork Loin
Equipment
- Pit Boss Grill
- Digital Thermometer
Ingredients
- 4 pound Pork Loin Roast
- 1/4 cup of rub of your choice we used Pit Boss Pulled BBQ Pork Rub in this recipe
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil as a binder
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
- Once the pork reaches 150°F, remove it from the grill.
- Place on a cutting board or platter and let the pork loin rest for 15-20 minutes.
Cooking pork loin on a Pit Boss grill is simple. Season, smoke, and get the temperatures spot on, and you’ll have a winning meal every time.
Let it rest and settle the juices, and you’ll have a moist, juicy piece of pork with delicious smoky flavors.
Smoke On!
Charlie
Author: Charlie Reeves
Hi, I’m Charlie, I have been meat-smoking and grilling for the past 15 years. I have an array of different smokers, thermometers, and have a love for finding the right wood and charcoal combo My favourite recipes are my EXTRA CRISPY smoked pork belly, juicy pulled pork, smoked brisket, duck poppers, and ANY SEAFOOD I grill).
I loves sharing his tips with beginners, helping them navigate the world of smoking. I find it’s not just about cooking; it’s a quest for that perfect smoky flavor.
You will usually find me playing with the kids, perfecting my brisket bark, or sipping beers with boys around the fire. Can’t wait to share all my delicious smoking and grilling recipes with you!
You can read more about me on our About Us page.
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