This Smoked Pork Loin Roast is an easy-to-make main dish that is perfect for your next BBQ or holiday meal. This smoked pork roast is SO tender, juicy, flavorful, and perfectly seasoned with just the right amount of pork spice rub. With only 15 minutes of prep time and no marinating required, this means less time in the kitchen and more time to spend with your friends and family! Cooking a pork loin on the smoker is our favorite way to cook a pork roast, and it tastes AMAZING! It also makes the BEST leftovers, so be sure to cook lots!
There are so many different recipes you can cook on the smoker. Try Smoked Burgers and Smoked Salmon. Another of our favorite recipes is this smoked pork loin.
Typically, pork dries out when cooked, and you end up with a dry, chewy piece of meat, but those days are gone! If you want to impress your friends and family, you have to try this recipe! It's easy to make and your guests will be asking for more!
When you put this pork loin roast on the smoker, something magical happens. The meat is juicy and tender with a delightful flavor that will make your taste buds sing! Ready to get started? Let's get grillin'!
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Recipe Features
EASY: Smoked pork loin roast is an incredibly delicious dish that can be served for lunch or dinner. It's a great meal to have when you are hosting guests because it is so easy to make and everyone will love it!
JUICY MEAT: Did you know that pork can be cooked on the smoker and it will be tender and juicy? It's true! That's why I love the smoker so much!
GREAT FOR MEAL PREP: If you have lots of leftovers, slice up the pork loin and place it in a Ziploc bag, then pop it in the fridge or freezer for meal prep for school or work lunches
VERSATILE: Use sliced smoked pork roast in fajitas, stir fry, breakfast casserole, or as the protein on egg sandwiches. The options are virtually endless!
Ingredients
You only need a handful of ingredients to make this delicious smoked pork loin. I'm sure you have everything on hand in your pantry already!
- 4-5 pound pork loin roast. Make sure the pork roast is completely thawed before smoking.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- Homemade spice rub.
Pork loin roast spice rub ingredients:
- ½ teaspoon paprika (smoked paprika is the best if you have it)
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon raw sugar (or brown sugar)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon chili powder
- ⅛ teaspoon mustard powder
How to smoke a pork loin roast
- Preheat the smoker. My smoker, which I love, is this Pit Boss 8-in-1 grill and smoker. Set the temperature to 225 degrees F. Make sure you have topped it up with wood pellets of your choice. We like the Competition blend..
- Trim the pork. Very carefully, cut off the layer of fat on the roast. My roast had a very thick layer. Inspect the roast and remove any thick silver skin. Next, score the pork in a diagonal pattern about ¼-inch deep across the top where you just cut the fat off. This helps get the seasoning down into the meat as this is very thick meat.
- Season. Mix the ingredients for the spice rub (paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, raw sugar, sea salt, chili powder, and mustard powder) in a small bowl. Apply olive oil to the roast and rub it on evenly (this helps the seasoning stick to the roast). Sprinkle the spice rub over the roast and ensure it covers the entire roast on the top, bottom, and sides. Use your fingers to push the rub into the meat.
How long to smoke pork roast
- Smoke. Place the pork roast directly on the preheated grill and put your thermometer probe in. Close the lid and smoke until the internal temperature of the roast is 145 degrees F. This will take about 2-½ hours.
- Rest and slice. Remove the pork roast from the grill and place it on a plate or platter. Cover the roast with foil for 10-15 minutes so its meat will continue to cook without drying out too much, then slice the roast against the grain, and sit back and let your guests enjoy slicing into this succulent meat! Serve alongside some side dishes like potatoes or vegetables if desired.
Top Tips
- Make sure you cut off the layer of fat on the pork. This cut of meat is so thick we want to get the seasoning down into the meat. That's why it is important to score the meat before you smoke it.
- Check and make sure your wood pellets are all topped up. Check periodically through the cooking process to ensure you don't run out and top up if necessary.
- Most importantly, and I know I keep saying this, but use a temperature probe for your meat. The temperature probe beeps when the meat reaches the appropriate temperature. It is not advisable to keep opening up the smoker's lid to check the meat, so invest in a good meat probe.
Variations
Change the flavor of the pork by changing the ingredients in the spice rub. Have some fun with it! To make it spicy, add cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes.
Storage
Fridge: Leftover smoked pork loin will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freezer: Leftover smoked pork loin will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months in an airtight container or Ziploc bag. We love using a Foodsaver to freeze our food, it keeps so much longer!
If you have lots of leftovers, slice up the pork roast and place it in a Ziploc bag, and pop it in the freezer for meal prep for school or work lunches.
Equipment
Smoker: Our smoker is an electric Pit Boss smoker 8-1 grill that uses 100% wood pellets as fuel instead of gas or propane.
Wood pellets: We like the Competition Blend, Hickory Blend, and also Applewood Blend.
High-quality temperature probe: This is a must-have item if you own a smoker. We invested in a ThermoPro Wireless Digital Cooking Food Meat Thermometer with Dual Probes as soon as we bought the smoker; it's an absolute necessity!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
It takes about a ½ hour per pound to cook a pork loin roast to a temperature of 145 degrees F. So, a 5-pound roast takes about 2-½ hours to cook on the smoker. Keep in mind that all smokers cook differently, so use a meat probe to cook properly.
Nope, they are 2 very different cuts of meat. Pork tenderloin is a boneless cut of long and narrow meat and comes from the muscle that runs along the backbone. A pork loin is wider and flatter and is cut from the animal's back.
I would not advise it. Pork tenderloin should be cooked at a high heat rather quickly, and pork loin should be cooked at a low heat to be tender. Both are excellent cooked in a smoker, though.
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Add 1 cup of chicken broth. Lightly brush the pork loin with olive oil, cover with foil, and heat for 25 minutes, or until heated to a temperature of 135 degrees F.
Yes, as long as the internal temperature is 145 degrees F. The pink on the outside is called a smoke ring. A smoke ring is a region of pink-colored meat in the outermost 8-10 millimeters of smoked meat.
We use the Competition Blend, which is a mixture of maple, hickory, and cherry woods. We also like hickory, and applewood is also a very good choice. Cherry and hickory are probably the most popular wood pellets for smoking pork.
Side Dishes
Some of our favorite side dishes to eat with this pork loin roast are:
More smoker recipes
This is a wonderful pork dish that you'll want to make often. It can be served for any occasion and is sure to be a hit with your family and friends. Give it a try, I'm sure you'll love it!
If you’ve tried this Smoked Pork Loin Roast or any other recipe, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. I love hearing from you!
You can also Follow Me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Would you please tag me in your photos @windingcreek_ranch? I would love to see your pictures!
📋 Recipe
Best Smoked Pork Loin Roast Recipe
Equipment
- Electric Pellet Grill
- ThermPro Wireless Remote Digital Thermometer
Ingredients
- 4-5 pound pork loin roast
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 teaspoon homemade spice rub below or your favorite spice rub
Homemade Spice Rub
- ½ teaspoon paprika smoked paprika is best if you have it
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp raw sugar or brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ⅛ teaspoon mustard powder
Instructions
- Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees F. Add or top up your wood pellets.
- Very carefully, with a sharp knife, cut off the layer of fat on the roast. Next, score the pork in a diagonal pattern about ¼-inch deep all across the top where you just cut the fat off. This helps get the seasoning down into the meat as this is very thick meat
- In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the pork spice rub (paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, raw sugar, sea salt, chili powder, and mustard powder).
- Apply olive oil to the pork loin roast and rub it evenly over it. Sprinkle the spice rub over the roast and ensure it covers all parts of the loin, top, bottom, and sides. Use your fingers to push the rub into the meat.
- Place the pork loin roast directly on the preheated grill and put your thermometer probe in. Close the lid and smoke until the internal temperature of the roast is 145 degrees F. This will take approximately 2.5 hours.
- Remove the pork loin roast from the grill and place it on a plate. Cover it with foil and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. Slice the roast against the grain and serve to your dinner guests. Enjoy with your favorite side dishes.
Barb
Hard to rate this recipe. Mine were a complete failure. After 7 hours I chopped the meat best I could and packaged for soup this winter. After 2.5-3 hours the meat was tough to the point I struggled to slice it and the color wasn’t where I like my pork. So I put it back on the grill. Maybe it was the cut of the loin roast or the size (4.25lbs but was very thick due to bone in the middle), but by 10pm last night we knew we had failed. I won’t buy this cut again, but will try the recipe again.
Jeri
Hi Barb, I'm sorry to hear that you had a negative experience with this pork loin roast recipe. When I smoke a pork loin roast, it is always boneless and fully cooked in under 3 hours. Perhaps it was a different cut? I would suggest getting a boneless pork loin roast next time, and then you shouldn't have any problems. Thanks for trying out this recipe and providing your review! 🙂
Beth
This recipe turned out great and fantastic! Everyone enjoyed this recipe! I’ll be making this again for dinner!
Jeri
That's fantastic! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Brianna
THis is so flavorful and so much quicker than cooking a pork butt. This recipe was super easy to follow too!
Jeri
Thank you so much, Brianna! I'm so glad you liked it!
Erin
In the summer we give our smoker a run for its money and pork is one of my favorite things to make on it. This recipe comes out perfect every time!
Jeri
I'm so glad you like it, Erin! Aren't smokers the best?
Gavin Sutherland
Love me some smoked pork - the spice rub was AMAZING and it turned out perfectly!
Jeri
That's awesome! I'm so glad you liked it!
Biana
This pork looks amazing! What a great way of cooking pork in the summer.
Jeri
Thanks, Biana! We love cooking on our smoker!