Grilled Pork Loin

Grilled pork loin is exceptionally lean and flavorful, making it ideal to cook up on a gas or charcoal grill. With a few simple tricks, you will find it is easy to grill pork loin to perfection over an open flame!

I have a thing for pork loin. I always have. It is cheap, flavorful, and did I mention cheap? Back when I was young, broke, and single I used to survive on $50 a week for groceries. Pork loin was my 'indulgence purchase'. This lean cut of meat tasted way better than chicken breasts and I could stretch a pork roast into multiple meals. It's the poor man's tenderloin.

Pork Loin vs Pork Tenderloin

Just to clarify, pork loin and pork tenderloin are not the same things. Pork loin comes from the back of the pig, is considerably larger and not quite as tender as the tenderloin. The tenderloin is the muscle that runs along the backbone. Though they are both lean, their size difference makes them poorly suited to substitute for each other in recipes.

If you mistakenly came here looking for tenderloin recipes, don't fret. Just check out my Herb-Crusted Pork Tenderloin, BBQ Glazed Pork Tenderloin, or my Breaded Pork Tenderloin Sandwich recipes.

Grilled Pork Loin

The mild flavor of pork loins makes it ideal for grilling. Like my Grilled Country Style Ribs, the meat really soaks in the flavor of the grill, making it infinitely better than anything roasted in your oven. However, since pork loin is fairly lean, you have to be careful not to overcook it, or it will dry out. Also, since it is such a large cut of meat avoiding high temperatures is best or the exterior will dry out before the interior is cooked.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Pork loin - As stated above, a pork loin roast is different than a pork tenderloin. Since the loin is larger it is important to buy the right cut of meat.
• Seasoning - I enjoy the robust flavors of paprika, black pepper, onion, garlic, and mustard powder blended together. However, if there is another recipe you find that sounds better to you, you can still follow my cooking process even if you aren't using the same seasoning.  

I love this recipe because you can use the seasonings I list, or your favorite dry rub. Either will work great. However, I would avoid using a rub with too much brown sugar, as it tends to burn quickly.

How to Grill Pork Loin

If there is any silver skin on the pork loin, this can be trimmed off with a sharp knife prior to cooking. Next, pat the meat dry with a paper towel and rub the loin with oil. The oil helps the seasoning stick when you dust it liberally with your seasoning mixture.

The best way to grill pork loin is to use indirect cooking. The basic premise of indirect cooking is to have your heat source on the opposite side of the grill from where you place your meat. This creates a more gentle heat around the pork loin, allowing it to more slowly come to temperature. If you set the pork loin directly over the heat source, the exterior would be dry, blackened, and burnt by the time the interior was safe to eat.

How Long to Grill Pork Loin

A 4-pound pork loin takes me 1 hour and 45 minutes to grill with a grilling temperature around 325 degrees. However, this isn't an exact science since the size of your pork loin and grill temperature fluctuations will cause your grill time to vary.

Grilling Hack: My secret weapon when grilling roasts is this double probe digital thermometer. Seriously the best thing ever. I stick one probe into the thickest part of the pork loin to monitor the internal temperature and rest the second probe on the grill grate next to the roast to monitor the grilling temperature.

What sauce to Serve with this dish?

This pork loin is very flavorful on its own, however, if you want a sauce to pair with it I recommend my Homemade BBQ Sauce or my Honey Mustard recipe.

Storing Leftovers

Leftover grill pork loin should be stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator and enjoyed within five days. It will be best to reheat it in individual slices gently in a skillet set to medium or medium-low heat. My personal recommendation is to use leftovers to make an incredible pork loin sandwich.

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This recipe was originally published on FoxValleyFoodie.com July 27, 2018.