How To Make A Juicy Oven-Roasted Pork Loin
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This delicious roasted pork loin comes out of the oven juicy and tasty! Easy to prep covered in flavorful herbs like garlic and rosemary, this pork roast is perfect for a Sunday family meal or even a holiday.
Pork loin always makes me think of Sunday dinner at my Great Aunt’s house, she had a great recipe. When I visited as a kid, which was always on a Sunday or holiday, she would make big Italian Sunday feasts for the family.
I won’t forget her big platters of pasta and Italian sausages or sometimes the sausages sat on a platter of saurkraut. One of her amazing specialties was Pork Loin with fresh garden green beans (or try my fresh green bean casserole with bacon!), creamy garlic mashed potatoes, and fresh bread. Sometimes she would make roasted potatoes, homemade sausage stuffing or mashed sweet potatoes, a fresh green salad (try this apple cranberry salad!) or even homemade applesauce as the side dishes.
Are you smacking your lips yet? Cause I am… Often she made a recipe similar to my Amazing Pork Loin In The Crock Pot. Cooking pork loin low and slow makes it melt in your mouth tender (you should try it Hawaiian style with this Pork Loin and Pineapple In The Slow Cooker!) She would also make the most amazing Honey Orange Ham Glaze on holiday hams, yum.
But last time I tried this, I made an oven variety that the family loved. It’s a little different variation of spices than my crockpot version, and it’s absolutely delicious.
Table of Contents
What is a Pork Loin?
Pork loin is a wide cut of meat, and is often sliced into a large slice that is more similar to the size of a steak. Pork loin is sold with bones and also boneless.
Pork loins are usually 3-5 pounds each. This cut of meat becomes tender when cooked low and slow.
Is there a difference between pork loin and pork tenderloin?
Yes, pork tenderloin is a different cut of meat than pork loin and they are often mistaken for each other and are slightly different.
What Is A Pork Tenderloin?
Pork tenderloin is a smaller cut of meat that is thinner, and when sliced it makes more of a medallion.
Pork tenderloins are usually 1-2 pounds each, but are sometimes sold in packs of 2. This cut of meat can be cooked quicker at a higher temperature.
When it’s easy to confuse pork loin and pork tenderloin…
It gets tricky when you buy a boneless pork loin which is around 3 pounds because it seems like a smaller cut of meat and is often even kept very close to the pork tenderloin in the store!
But if you try to cook a pork loin with a pork tenderloin recipe, it likely won’t be tender enough. So read the label carefully!
How To Cook Roasted Pork Loin
I think sometimes with a big piece of meat, we want to make double sure everything is just right. The meat is in the oven for a long time, and we cant’ slice into it to check if it’s done because we will lose some of the flavors. Here are some tips and tricks for how to cook pork loin so your first try is delicious.
Do you cook Pork Loin Fat Side Up Or Down?
With a pork loin you want to place the meet with the fat side facing up. This allows the fat to slowly drip over the meat as it roasts making it more delicious and tender. If you put the fat facing down, most of the flavor falls into the roasting pan.
Do You Need To Brown Pork Loin Before Roasting It?
I think browning the pork loin before roasting it is a matter of preference. Browning the pork loin can add a lot more flavor on the outside, creating a sear crust. This will help to seal in the meat’s natural juices, and make your end result more flavorful
How Long Do I Cook Boneless Pork Loin?
Pork loin should read 145 degrees when you insert a meat thermometer. This is the best way to know the meat is properly cooked.
In general, boneless pork loin needs to cook for 20-25 minutes per pound of meat.
Pork Loin Cooking Times
Here are some estimates of how long to expect your pork loin will be in the oven depending on how big your pork loin is and the temperature of your oven. You should set your oven to 375 degrees for this recipe.
- 3-pound pork loin- 60-75 minutes
- 3 1/2 pound pork loin- 70- 85 minutes
- 4-pound pork loin– 80-100 minutes
If your pork loin is smaller then 3 pounds it is very likely it is pork tenderloin and not pork loin, see above for more info on the difference.
Make sure to rest your meat for at least 15 minutes after cooking. The roast will continue to cook a little, but if you cut it too fast you will loose some of the juiciness in this recipe.
Note On The Pink Color Of Cooked Pork Loin
Pork loin should have a slight blush of pink on the inside. This is not the same as raw pork. When the meat reaches 145 degrees, the slight pink color means your pork is juicy. If you cook the pork until there is no pink left, the meat will end up dry.
How do I make this Pork Loin recipe with gravy?
Sometimes I just drizzle the pan juices over this pork loin and call dinner done.
But if it’s a holiday or we are in the mood for gravy we use my super simple pork gravy recipe. It uses the drippings from the pan, can be whipped up while the meat is resting, and is super delicious!
Can I Cook Vegetables In The Same Pan?
You can cook vegetables like potatoes, carrots, apples, and onions underneath the pork loin. But be aware that your dish may need to cook a little longer if you add veggies to the pan. Using the meat thermometer and measuring that the inside of the pork loin is 145 degrees is the best way to know if your pork loin is done.
You can also throw these crispy-skinned baked potatoes in the oven at the same time. While the pork loin cooks at a temperature that is 25 degrees less than I usually recommend for potatoes since you are likely already cooking the pork loin for over an hour the potatoes can cook a little longer at a slightly lower temperature too. Or the recipe also includes air fryer instructions.
Can I turn this into pulled pork?
Yes, you can turn this into pulled pork, but I recommend using any leftovers for pulled pork. A full pork loin will make a LOT of shredded pork!
To make pulled pork, portion off the pork you want to make into pulled pork. Use two forks turned backward to shred the pork by pulling the meat apart.
- Spray a baking pan with oil and add the shredded pork.
- For every cup of shredded meat add 1/2 cup of broth or pan drippings to the pork.
- For every pound of shredded meat add about 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce.
- Stir well, then slide back into the oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the entire dish is bubbling. Enjoy!
How Do I Store Leftover Pork?
Leftovers can be kept in the fridge for up about 3 days. You can also freeze leftover pork into portions and it keeps for about 3 months well. Beyond 3 months you start to risk your meat developing freezer burn.
Reheat with a little broth to ensure the meat doesn’t dry out. Or make into pulled pork and freeze already pulled to help keep it juicy.
More Pork Recipes You’ll Love
Stuffed Pork Tenderloin (With Balsamic Glaze)
Amazing Pork Loin In The Crock Pot Every Time
Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper Ribs
Oven Roasted Pork Loin
Equipment
- Paper towel
- Large roasting pan or casserole dish
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Large cutting board
- Medium sized bowl
- Spoon
- Aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 3 pound pork loin roast
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ tsp paprika
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon rosemary
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F degrees
- Add pork loin to a roasting dish with the fat side up. Pat the meat dry with a paper towel.
- Pour 2 tablespoons of oil over the pork loin evenly and spread it evenly over the top of the meat.
- Mix the salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, rosemary and ground mustard together in a small bowl. Sprinkle the spice mix all over the pork, then give it a generous rub with a clean hand to ensure the spices are evenly distributed.
- Cook the pork loin for about 60-75 minutes for a 3lb. Use a meat thermometer to make sure the inside of the pork loin reaches an internal temperature of 145.
- Remove the pan from the oven. Transfer the pork to a clean cutting board and allow the meat to rest for 15 minutes. You can add a clean piece of foil over the meat to help keep the outside warm while the inside of the meat rests. Don't cut into the meat before letting it rest, it can make the meat dry! Pork loin will have a slight blush of pink color inside.
- Slice the pork loin into ¾ to 1 inch thick slicees. Serve with a drizzle of the pan juices over all the slices or make my pork gravy with the drippings and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This?
I would love to see it! Share your thoughts with me in the comments below!
Did you make this recipe? Leave a star rating and tell me about it in the comments!
Great flavor, and the bark comes out beautifully. Thanks for a sugarless, flavorful meal the whole family enjoys!
Glad it was delicious Laura, and that the whole family loved it too!
I have used this recipe for oven roasted pork loin a number of times and it always comes out terrific. One note you might add to your recipe is I made some slits in the top of the pork loin and put some slice garlic in the slits. It really increased the juiciness.
Thanks for the tip Mike, I’ll have to give that a try!
I just made this & it was fantastic!!! My husband really enjoyed it too! The pork was juicy, tender & full of flavor. I tented the meat with foil halfway through baking time to help retain the juiciness.
So glad it was delicious for you Ann!
If I have 2 pork loin roasts about the same size and want to cook them at the same time should I allow time as one roast or do I need to allow more time since there are 2 pieces?
The general rule of thumb I go by is to expect everything to take about 15% more time for each piece of meat or dish you add to the oven. This can vary depending on things like how large the meat is, how often you open the oven (can drop the temperature inside), and how many other dishes you add to the oven. I would calculate whatever the done time is, then calculate the done + 15% time. Then I would give myself even a little extra beyond that if I was serving to a large group. If the meat is done early you can always tent it with some foil and let it rest, but better to have the extra time built into the plan. Hope that helps!
I’m hosting a large dinner party and have four 3 lb roasts. Should I calculate the time for 12 pounds if I plan to cook them all together in a large roaster in the oven?
Hi Kelly- I have not cooked pork loin this way. The general rule of thumb when you space things evenly in the oven but have multiple dishes is that each dish adds about 15% in time. So if we assume a minimum cook time of 60-75 minutes for one roast and about 9-11 minutes is 15%, I would assumefour of pork loins evenly spaced will take between 96 minutes and 119 minutes. That’s a starting point though, and with four it may take even a little longer. Having a dinner party, I would allow for extra cooking time, and tent the pork loin with foil after it is done cooking to let it rest rather then have to wait while you have guests. Hope that helps and your party is a sucess, four roasts together in a home kitchen is a large undertaking. I wish you the best!
I’ve made it twice and it turned out great both times. Thank you
Followed the recipe exactly as written with my 4 lb pork loin roast. It turned out soooo tasty and tender. Let it rest as directed and the roast was very juicy. Thank you!
This was an excellent recipe. I cooked a 3.5 lb pork loin roast for 75 minutes and it was perfect. Added potatoes, carrots and onions to the pan. At the end of cooking time, put the pan drippings in a frying pan along with some butter and chicken broth and made a nice gravy to go along with the meal. It was a hit with the family. Will be my go to recipe for pork roast.
It was great I cooked it too 160 in the middle to be safe. The gravy is what makes it. Thank you
You’re so welcome, I’m glad it was delicious Andy!
Simple and easy to make. I added 1 T. of light brown sugar to the rub mixture and I also under-cooked it to 140 instead of 145 and it continued to cook while resting and it was just right. Tender and juicy and fork tinder. This will be my go to recipe in the future.
Sounds delicious, so glad you enjoyed the recipe Sharron!
I am so upset! I did exactly the recipe said for 4 pound pork loin. To the time and everything. It’s tougher than shoe leather! I have 6 people waiting to eat
Hi there,
I’m sorry this didn’t work out for you. A couple of common issues, it’s possible with pork loin you actually need to cook it longer. The more that fat inside the pork cooks and renders, the more the meat becomes tender. So with pork loin if it’s still tough, often you need to cook it a little longer to render the fat more.
If you had pork tenderloin and not pork loin, then the cooking time would be way too long and would cause the meat to dry out. The two cuts of meat are often confused, and I’ve explained them further in the post. I’m sorry your dinner didn’t turn out as you hoped, and I hope this helps. -Kristy
also you forgot that suppose to put little water into the roasting pan to help steam the pork so that does not dry out as well should about half way cover your pork roast to prevent the top portions from over browning and or drying out as well … my mother was a chef and this is one of the dishes she loved to cook as well and you hit the basic rules on the recipe of the do and don’ts … per style of roast you are cooking main rule is to brown the top, cover, and during entire process add little bit of water here and there so help form juice into the roasting pan that thence causes the meat to be steamed while cooking and thence not “dry” (covering as well helps creating steam and prevent the top from burning when the amount being cooked will take a little bit longer due to size) (per browning as well my mom about 15 minutes prior to completion if felt she wanted little bit more browning would simply remove the cover) … also good cook learns to play with “any” recipe thence making it their own and to their taste 🙂
Chef’s add water to keep the meat from burning on the bottom not to steam the meat. As a chef I can assure you it is so.
There are NO exact times for roasting meat. That’s why it says 20-25 minutes per pound. and to check the temperature with a meat thermometer.
This recipe sound like exact!y what I need for the 3.5 lb pork loin I got on sale! One question
though… Should I rub on seasonings before searing, or will searing compromise or burn any of the spices? Thanks!
Hi Paula- Experience has taught me with a good sprinkle of salt and pepper before searing, and then add any additional seasonings after searing but before cooking in the oven. This particular seasoning rub mix doesn’t have sugar in it, but it becomes even more important if you have a rub that has sugar in it, as the sugar will almost without fail burn while I am searing the meat. Your instincts are right though, for best results after searing I now add these extra spcies after searing. Hope that helps, and you enjoy! -Kristy
Thanks, Kristy! I made this recipe, and it was easy, delicious, and provided several dinners and lunches. My husband especially liked it, and was so happy for the leftovers! He enjoyed a hot sandwich for lunch one day, and a cold sandwich the next. I added some cold roast to a green salad (yum), and discovered it was really delicious to top garlicky avocado toast. I’ll definitely make this recipe again!
Where does it say to sear it! My pork has been in there 20 minutes and has reach the temperature of 145. It can’t be done!
In the text of the article it talks about optionally searing the meat. You don’t have to sear it for this recipe, but it can lock in flavor. I have no idea how large your meat is. Typically with pork loin just because it has reached temperature doesn’t mean that it is done cooking, it just means it has come to temperature. Follow the estimate for poundage versus the size of your piece of meat, which allows the meat time to render the fat inside of this piece of meat. While you do need a minimum temperature, allowing the meat to cook lower and slower is what allows the meat to become tender, something many home cooks don’t realize when they take it out too early. Almost every time I have had a piece of pork loin that was “too dry” cooking it low and slow more “fixed it” by allowing the fat to render more in the meat.
I bought a 5lb. pork tenderloin for Easter dinner, but I forgot to defrost it. I put the sealed roast under hot water for a few minutes to soften the outside, then I cut it in half (that was the hardest part!) to fit in the pan for searing. After that I followed the recipe exactly, except I upped the temperature to 400 for two hours. (because it was frozen solid). I put cut up organic sweet potatoes and white onions in the roasting pan and put the seasoned meat on top. We put in a two hour movie, and the roast was cooked to perfection and the potatoes and onions just right when the movie was over. I served it with steamed green beans. Best pork roast I ever had! Thank you for a great recipe.
So glad it was delicious!
I have 5 and a half pork loin, do I use double your spices, how long would I cook it?
Also can I cook this in a cooking bag, what do you consider a roasting or baking dish?? Always.com my roasts in a bag in a 9x13pan!!
In general pork loin will take 20-25 minutes to cook per pound as I mentioned in the recipe notes and you are welcome to calculate that for the size of pork loin you have. I have not cooked this in a cooking bag, so I can’t give any advice on that, you’ll have to let me know how it goes.
Baking dishes and roasting pans come in a variety of sizes, you can use whatever fits the meat you have best. A 9×13 pan usually works just fine, but there are heavier bottom roasting pans and even aluminum pans of many different sizes. As long as your meat properly fits in the pan and the pan has some kind of edge to catch the drippings as the meat is cooked, you will be fine.
You could also add more of the spice mix and oil if you like, it’s a rub so you just want enough to cover the outside of the pork well. Hope it is delicious! -Kristy
So, for some reason, when I ordered a pork tenderloin via Instacart, the shopper decided to grab me a NINE POUND pork LOIN instead. This thing took up half my freezer, it’s HUGE! Any suggestions on what to do now that it’s thawed? Should I cut it in half and cook one half in the crockpot while the other half’s in the oven, then freeze the cooked meat? There are only two adults and a nine-year-old here, and I’m just at a loss with how to not waste this half a pig I’ve got!
Oh my goodness, that’s a large pork loin they sent you! That’s exactly what I would do as well, cut it in half and cook half in the oven and half in the slow cooker. Then I would shred at least half and freeze it in portions for on top of other meals like burritos, nachos or mac and cheese. Reheat with BBQ sauce. You could also try my pineapple pork loin for some of it to mix things up, it’s great over rice. I sent you an email as well, hope that helps!
Please post the pineapple pork roast recipe, can you use chicken breast for this recipe? Thank you!
Here is the pineapple pork loin recipe https://onmykidsplate.com/slow-cooker-pineapple-pork-loin/
I have not used chicken breast for this recipe before. It would cook much quicker then pork loin would, and may need additional seasoning as the pork has a lot of flavor. Let me know if you try it!
How do I reheat left over pork loin?