Perfectly Moist Pork Loin is the ULTIMATE “set it and forget it” recipe! It’s easy to prep, easy to cook, tastes delicious & your house will smell amazing!!
Do you have reluctant pork eaters in your family? We definitely did. My boys wouldn’t eat any kind of pork that wasn’t smothered in BBQ sauce (like these Honey BBQ Pork Chops – a family favorite!). That was until we crafted up this Perfectly Moist Pork Loin recipe.
Now my family is requesting pork nearly every week (without any BBQ sauce in sight). When I say this easy pork loin is moist, I mean it. It is tasty, juicy, and tender pork. It’s the perfect main dish for your hungry family!
PERFECTLY MOIST PORK LOIN
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Pork. It can be SO SO good, or it can be SO SO meh. It really does take a good recipe in order to cook up a pork loin that isn’t dry, tasteless, and tough. Believe me, I have cooked plenty of bland pork roasts in my day (and my fair share of dry pork chops too).
Things have changed here in the Real Housemoms kitchen though – pork is no longer bland and boring. Pork is my favorite meat to cook with. My husband loves it, my kids beg for it, and I love how simple it really can be!
I love that this pork loin roast recipe is a no-frills meal that will please even the pickiest of eaters. The flavor palate is simple – garlic, onion powder, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Who knew that those few ingredients could work so beautifully together and create a family-friendly meal? All it takes is some sprinkling of the seasoning and a few hours in the oven and you’ve got yourself a huge hit!
Perfectly Moist Pork Loin is a family favorite for all seasons. In the fall we love the classic combination of pork and apples, so I’ll cook up a pork loin and serve it with my famous Baked Apples.
In the cold winter months, it pairs beautifully with some warm, creamy mashed potatoes (you have to try these Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes).
And as the weather starts to warm up in the spring and summer, I serve pork loin roast with some chilled pasta salads – this Pesto Pasta Salad fits the bill perfectly!
Ingredients for Perfectly Moist Pork Loin
- Boneless pork loin roast
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
As someone who never really cooked with pork (because I simply couldn’t get it to taste good!), I was a little overwhelmed when I was in the grocery store trying to buy meat. There are SO MANY different cuts of pork. You’ve got pork chops, pork loin, pork tenderloin (yes, they are different, who knew?!)… it can definitely be intimidating when trying to pick out the right cut!
For this recipe, you’ll want to purchase a pork LOIN. Not chops, not tenderloin. You’ll know a pork loin from the other cuts of meat because it is wide enough to cut large slices from and it has a thick layer of fat on the top.
This layer of fat is actually integral to the cooking process because it helps to keep the juices inside the meat. That’s what makes it so moist!
How to Cook Pork Loin
- Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees F. You will eventually lower the temperature of the oven, but you start it higher to give the outside of the pork loin a little extra heat to really trap in the moisture!
- Next, rub all sides of the pork with the seasonings (onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and olive oil). You can put them on individually or mix up a little dry rub for yourself in a small bowl. I personally like having it all mixed together before putting it on the meat. That way I know it’s being evenly rubbed throughout the entire roast!
- THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART!!! Place your pork loin fat side up in your roasting pan. By having the fat on top, you’re allowing the fat layer to baste the roast as it cooks. This is the step that keeps the pork from becoming dry and tough!
- Cook the pork loin for 10 minutes in the 400-degree oven. This will help to create a kind of “crust” on the meat to help keep the juices inside.
- Next, lower your oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue to cook your roast for about 20 minutes per pound of meat. Yes, it takes some time. But believe me, it’s worth the wait!
- Once the pork loin has reached an internal temperature of 145 degrees F, pull it out of the oven. Then cover the roasted pork loin loosely with a piece of foil and let it rest for about 10 minutes. This is yet another very important step in order to keep the juices inside the meat where you want them to stay!! Patience is a virtue 🙂
Every time I make this pork loin roast recipe, I find that my family gravitates towards the kitchen basically begging for dinner to be ready. There’s something about the long roasting time that makes the smell of delicious pork waft throughout the entire house. My oldest son always says that those last 10 minutes of “rest” time for the meat feels like an eternity!
How Long to Cook Pork Loin
This recipe takes a bit of time to cook. It’s not one of those “30-minute meals,” but that cooking time is what helps to make it truly the perfect pork loin.
- You’ll need 10 minutes to oven sear the roast, and then about 20 minutes of cooking time per pound of meat.
So you’ll definitely want to plan ahead. This is not a last-minute recipe.
One great thing about this recipe is that it is very hands-off in terms of prep work. Just a quick dry rub and pop it in the oven! So, if you’ve got time on your hands, but also want to be productive in other places around the house, this is the pork loin recipe for you!
More fo my family’s favorite easy meals!
- Grilled Pork Chops with Peach Salsa
- Best Classic Meatloaf
- BBQ Pork Loin Tacos
- Sweet Potato & Black Bean Quesadillas
- Crock Pot Pulled Pork
- more MAIN DISH recipes
Tools used to make this Perfectly Moist Pork Loin recipe
Roasting Pan: while this isn’t a pan that gets daily use in our house. When I pull it out, you know we’re going to have a great meal. Every kitchen should have a reliable roasting pan!
Meat Thermometer: I love this tool because it takes the guesswork out of cooking meat. Just stick it into the middle of your pork loin and see if you’ve reached the correct internal temperature. No need to cut into the roast, lose some juices, just to find out it needs more cooking time!
*This post originally posted on 09/03/2013.
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 entire pork roast with olive oil. Then rub with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powders on all sides.
- Place pork in roasting pan fat side up.
- Cook for 10 minutes.
- Lower heat to 350 degrees F and cook for 20 per pound until the internal temperature reads 145 degrees F.
- Remove pan from oven, and put a piece of foil loosely on top of the roast. Let meat rest for 10 minutes.
- Transfer roast to a cutting board to slice for serving.
Video
Nutrition
HollyRae says
Thank you for this recipe! I had a 5 lb. pork loin to cook and had never done so before. Your method sounded good and so many great reviews convinced me. It came out great! thank you!
Scott Miller says
This is he 2nd time making this and the only thing I changed was the time duration for the 400f for getting the crust. My oven takes longer to form a crust. So I went 30 minutes to crust and 17 mpl (minutes per pound) @ 350f. I also add 1-4oz can of Hatch’s Green Mild Chiles on top of crust. Mmmmm, so delicious and the family likes pork again.
Scott Miller says
Uncovered till the end
Dave says
Found this right after mine finished
My edits on this ..
Made a pineapple habbanaero sauce
Blend peppers and pineapple and spices to puree strain juice in sauce pan add honey or maple syrup low to medium heat till thickened save pulp
…season pork …olive oil pepper garlic onion paprika rub it in …rest covered 30 mins to 1 hour cover with pulp from sauce
400 degrees 20 mins per pound
Theomoter 145 rest 10 mins slice serve with sauce ….FANTASTIC
G Willis says
Love it! I made a 0.865 pound roast so my cook time was only about 25 minutes. Because I made stuffing and drizzled a little gravy all over the plates, the pork was delicious! If it was dry we couldn’t tell. I’ll definitely make this again with sauerkraut again but probably masked potatoes with gravy!
Christina Creek says
Making this now!! Do u leave it uncovered in the oven?
Tabitha says
I was wondering the same thing
Grace says
This recipe is amazing! I’m always afraid of overcooking Butt it came out perfect!!!
Angel Hamilton says
I made this for Christmas dinner only I used a 10 lb pork loin. It was amazing and so tender that I worried if I would have enough. SO GOOD! Thank you
dan says
how long in oven for 10 pounds
Marge says
As you stated pork can be hit or miss, dry or not. I typically don’t make pork loin due to this this reason… This recipe was delicious!!!!! I did use a meat thermometer and it was so tender and juicy. I cooked it on top of a bed of sauerkraut. I will definitely make this a keeper recipe. Thank you!
Carolyn L Caminiti says
Recipe turned out well.! Glad I found it. It was actually done a little early so I’m glad I checked it before it was supposed to be done. My family of seven really liked it, and I will definitely be making it again, soon. (In fact, I’m going to make it for friends and family for one of our holiday meals coming up.) I also found it to be very easy.
Pam says
Have used this recipe multiple times, it comes out perfect. Definitely need to use a meat thermometer to keep from over cooking!
Michael says
Super juicy! Made it today, tented with foil after initial 15 min
Cathy R says
I needed a simple recipe for pork loin for a friend who is recovering from surgery and has food allergies. I used olive oil, salt and pepper and otherwise followed the recipe. It was delicious and the most moist pork I have ever eaten! My friend LOVED it and I’m going to cook her some more! Thanks for the recipe!
Kjh says
Pork has always seemed to be my nemesis. But this recipe is so easy and straightforward, I thought surely it would be great! I wasted a 5lb pork loin. The flavor was really nice but it was (as pork always is unless it’s injected or otherwise infused with something) very dry and tough.
I’m happy for all the others who love this recipe but it just didn’t work for me.
Kathy Mac says
Made this for dinner tonight 😋
Husband was timid about trying something different. Then he tasted
it , he said the flavor was so good and it was so juicy .
Yummy and delicious is all I have to say. Will be a repeat for sure.
Kelley says
Haven’t made this yet, but curious if dropping the temp from 350 to 300 and cooking longer would also be a way to ensure it doesn’t dry out? I’ll also be roasting a smaller loin (2ish lbs) so definitely don’t want to overcook.
Anthony says
As long as you reach the desired internal temp you should be g2g, you just want to avoid raising the temp to shorten time.
Susan says
I haven’t had pork in years. Had a 3 lb chunk of loin and followed your recipe all the way. Yes, a meat thermometer is a must have. It was the best meat I’ve had in a long time. So moist, flavorful, juicy. Your recipe is a keeper. Thank you!
Kaye A. says
I really never leave recipe reviews but this was THE BEST pork loin I have ever cooked. The only thing I changed was the seasonings to our taste. I used salt, pepper and a salt free lemon pepper seasoning. It was so moist and juicy and delicious that I am sad that I’ve never cooked it this way before. It was so tender that my husband who has false teeth had no problems at all chewing it. Thank you so much for sharing. This is how my pork loin will be cooked from now on.
disappointed says
I followed this recipe almost exactly, only cutting the salt back to 3/4T and it was still too salty. Cook time was followed exactly and the loin came out like a brick. First time I followed a recipe on cooking meat and it will be the last. Trying to come up with ways to grind up a 4 pound pork loin for different meals. 🙁
Thomas Cappiello says
slice it super thin
Dashford says
Loved this recipe. The timing was spot on. Only issue I had was the tablespoon of salt. Way too much for our families tastes. Will make it again but adjust the salt. Thanks for posting. My pork loins were always too dry. This one was very moist.