Pork loin is a common item to see on sale at my local store, and it makes for both a great meal, as well as some yummy leftovers.
The trick to cooking pork is to cook it until done, but not until it is dry. This recipe should give you a perfectly seasoned pork loin that moist and juicy.
I suggest pairing this with my easy scalloped potatoes that you can start prepping when the pork loin goes in the oven and cook at the same time.
INGREDIENTS FOR PERFECTLY MOIST PORK LOIN
When it comes to ingredients, you don’t need much to make an awesome pork loin
- Boneless pork loin roast
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
The key part to this is to use good quality seasoning and to not under-season your pork loin. You should use virtually all of this on a 4-5 pound pork loin. For salt, I typically use sea salt, but if you really want to really step up your seasoning, you should give Redmond Real Salt a shot. I can’t explain just how much better this salt is than table salt.
How Long to Cook Pork Loin
Pork loin is a long-term project, so plan on cooking it when you have time.
Allow 10 minutes at 425° F to get your initial crust on your loin, then lower the temperature to 350° F and cook for an additional 15 minutes per pound. Checking with your instant-read thermometer, pull the loin when it hits an internal temperature of 145°. Cover loosely with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before cutting and serving. This rest time will allow the juices in the meat to settle and redistribute, so they won’t just run out all over the plate when you cut it, making your roast dry.
Tools For Cooking Your Pork Loin
You don’t need much to make an amazing pork loin. Here are the tools I use for making mine along with Amazon affiliate links to them in case you need to pick them up.
Large Sheet Pan – These sheet pans barely ever make it back into their spot in the cabinet, they get used so much. Solid aluminum, these are pretty hard pans to hurt, and won’t leech toxic chemicals into your food like non-stick coated pans can do.
Instant Read Thermometer – An invaluable tool in any kitchen, these affordable, accurate thermometers ensure that you won’t overcook your meat. Provided of course that you use them!
Cooking Your Pork Loin
- Start by preheating your oven to 425° F.
- Mix your seasonings, salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder
- Pat your pork loin down with paper towels then rub all over with the olive oil
- Sprinkle your seasoning all over your pork loin not missing any spots
- Place your pork loin on a sheet pan fat side up. This is very important, the fat will render out keeping your loin moist.
- Cook the loin for 10 minutes at 425°. This will help crust up the loin and make it super yummy.
- After 10 minutes lower the temperature to 350° and continue to cook for 15 minutes per pound of meat. I start checking early and some roasts will sometimes cook faster than planned.
- Remove your loin from the oven once your pork loin has reached an internal temperature of 145°. Cover loosely with foil and let rest for 10 minutes. This will let the juices in the loin redistribute and settle, so it won’t all flood out when you cut it.
Super Moist Oven Roasted Pork Loin
Equipment
- Sheet pan
Ingredients
- 4-5 pounds pork loin roast
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Rub the entire pork roast down with oil.
- Mix the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder
- Sprinkle entire pork loin down with the seasoning mix.
- Place pork in roasting pan fat side up.
- Cook for 10 minutes.
- Lower heat to 350 degrees F and cook for 15 minutes per pound until the internal temperature reads 145 degrees F. Test the temperature as it gets close to time as some roasts cook quicker than others.
- Remove pan from oven, and put a piece of foil loosely on top of the roast. Let meat rest for 10 minutes.
- If you want an extra crispy pork loin, pop your loin back in under the broiler for a couple og minutes, watching it closely to not burn it.
- Transfer roast to a cutting board to slice for serving.
