This simple recipe will show you exactly how to cook a boneless pork loin roast. Did you know that we no longer have to cook pork roasts until they are shoe leather as our Moms and grandparents did? Yup. We now get to cook pork roasts to 145°F.
How to Cook a Boneless Pork Loin Roast
It does take some getting used to, the fact that your pork roast will be slightly pink in the middle. The first time I made it my Mom was appalled. APPALLED. That’s the only word I can use. She couldn’t believe that I was trying to kill my family by feeding them undercooked pork.
That’s why I’m writing up this quick how-to post, because this is the NEW how to cook a boneless pork loin roast method. No shoe leather. Gravy is a delicious addition if wanted, not a necessity so that you don’t choke on a bone dry roast. Trust me, once you start treating pork more like a beef roast instead of chicken ( we all freak when chicken is pink!) you are going to love pork roasts again!
How Many Minutes Per Pound for Pork Loin?
The rule of thumb is usually 25 minutes per pound at 350 °F. This method that I use is the high-heat method: you start the roast off at 450 °F for 15 minutes, sear in the juices, and then turn down the oven to 300 °F. With my method, you can also count on a good 20 minutes per pound AFTER the initial roasting at 450°F, as the oven will have residual high heat for a while after you turn the oven down.
The only exception is when you have a thinner pork loin roast or a thicker one. I had a huge Costco pork loin for the photos (you have seen those suckers, right? What giant pig those came from, I don’t want to know!), so my roast in these photos took 120 minutes on the low heat to cook. If you have a thinner pork loin roast, adjust accordingly. A trick, by the way, for those Costco pork loins is to cut them in half and freeze them separately. Or in thirds. They are so big and so cheap!
What’s the Difference Between Pork Loin and Pork Tenderloin?
Pork loin is round and flat, think of the meat as looking like a boneless pork chop. It is still round but is wide. Pork tenderloin is very round, smaller and is a literal circle when you cook it up. Tenderloin is very tender but if you cook this pork loin roast correctly it’s also an amazing dinner!
Is Pork Loin a Good Cut of Meat?
Pork loin can be overcooked and dried out easily but if you get a good roast with a fat cap on the top, that fat will help! Always choose a pork loin roast that has a lot of fat on the top, I will literally dig through those Costco roasts until I find one! I’m that person lol. Then you have to make sure that you cook it properly – using this recipe.
Tips for Roasting a Tender, Juicy Pork Loin
- Searing the juices at 450°F to start makes this the best pork loin recipe around.Once you sear those in, you don’t lose the moisture as badly in the oven. You then turn down the oven and cook it lower than usual, which also helps to make it a moist roast pork.
- The butter and olive oil crust on top is essential. It helps to form a barrier on the top fat that helps keep the roast moist. Once melted, it also provides moisture to the vegetables and the bottom of the roast.
- Always roast a roast FAT SIDE ON TOP. Any other way is losing out on that natural, fantastic-tasting juiciness that the fat cap provides. You need that fat to be dripping down the pork; why would you want to lose that?
The recipe is plain, simple, and one of my favorite ways to cook a roast. The ends will be well cooked—better for those people who are still having a hard time eating pink pork—but the center?
Perfection. I will never go back to eating shoe leather pork again! So, who else has hopped on board? Did you find it a mental challenge to eat pink pork?
If you are looking for other pork recipes, try my recipes for:
Love,
Karlynn
How to Cook a Boneless Pork Loin Roast
Ingredients
- one 4-5 pounds boneless pork loin roast
- 1/4 cup butter softened
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 7 large garlic cloves minced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons coarse sea salt
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1-2 pounds of chopped carrots.potatoes and onions see notes for sized
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450° F.
- In a small bowl, combine the butter, oil, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper, and mix until a paste forms.
- Pat the pork roast with a paper towel to remove excess moisture and then rub 2/3 of the seasoning mixture onto the roast, covering the top and sides.
- Place the roast in the bottom of a large roaster.
- Place desired vegetables around the roast. Dab the remaining seasoning mixture over the vegetables.
- Roast uncovered in the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes, then turn the oven temperature down to 300° F. Do not open the oven!
- Let the roast continue to roast for another 20-25 minutes per pound of meat, around 100 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 140° F when a meat thermometer is inserted into the middle.
- Remove the roast from the oven and cover it with foil. Let it rest 10 minutes, then slice and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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Mary says
The best pork roast I have had in a really really long time. I found this recipe this morning made it for dinner and it was great. 3.5lb roast took 1hour 20 min.
Gary Day says
Your times are way off/ I did 15 then 15. Still red veg still hard. Keeping on going, Hope I get to eat tonight.
Julie says
Do you think I could do the sear and prep the day before, refrigerate overnight, then bake in the morning for a noon dinner? Or does that break food safety rules?
Lynn says
Would this work for a bone-in as well?
Thank you!
Kathy Wood says
You say cook the mean for an additional 20-25 minutes per pound, and you cooked yours 90 minutes because it was 6 pounds? that would be 15 minutes per pound.
Sandra Bramham says
Cooked The pork loin for my 2 grandsons & our son it was a very big hit. The meat was very moist
,tender, & flavourful although it wasn’t really pink in the middle. (that’s fine with me).
I now have a go to recipe for when they come another time.
Thanks!
Sandra
Laurie says
The best!! I just put a pork loin in the oven, with tons of potatoes and carrots and doubled up on the sauce because it’s just that good! Pork loin has become a food group for us rather than anevery now and then dinner.
Keep these winners coming,
It’s cold up here in Canada, need to keep cooking! Not that I didn’t make this in August.
You rock dear! My husband made your lemon pudding cake with lemon butter cream icing this week and it was gone in 24 hours. You are going to make us chubby or fluffy and I prefer that term to fat!
Carol Balkcom says
I made this recipe last night and it was delicious—juicy, and not at all dry. My roast was smaller, but I stayed with the recipe amounts for the paste that you use for the meat and vegetables so I would have plenty. Highly recommended.
Kim says
Would have loved to have had gravy with it
ERIN BOWERS says
HAVE TO COMMENT ON YOUR COMMENT OF “LIKE SHOW LEATHER”…………………I HEAR YOU……BUT IT WAS A ROAST AND THE COMMENT WAS “BUT THERE IS BLOOD”…….AND YES MY PARENTS WERE HORRIFIED……………………PRETTY FUNNY BUT NOT WHEN THEY WENT HOME HUNGRY….LOL
HAPPY NEW YEAR AND THANKS FOR ALL YOUR GREAT RECEIPES AND TIPS AND TRICKS