Learn how to cook a juicy Traeger pork loin in three easy steps. Season, Smoke, and Serve this flavorful loin roast for your family and guests today. Coat the roast in Traeger’s Pork & Poultry Rub or your favorite pork rub, set it, and forget it. This pellet smoker recipe is great for smoking newbies and veterans alike.
Tips + Tricks
Avoid Dry Meat Maintain the low temperature of 225°F to avoid drying out your pork loin. Keeping a healthy fat cap will also help maintain moisture. Avoid raising the internal temperature of the roast above 160°F. At this point, your pork roast will become dry.
Rub Time Let the rub sit on your pork for at least 15 minutes before smoking to achieve optimal flavor!
Smoke Setting If equipped, turn your smoker onto the super smoke setting for the first 15 minutes to kick up the smoke flavor of your roast.
Pork Loin Roast Vs. Pork Tenderloin
What is pork loin?
Pork loin comes from the back of a pig. A full boneless loin cut weighs around 7-10 pounds. Typical loin roasts weigh 2-4 pounds and are cut from a full pork loin.
Are pork loin and pork tenderloin interchangeable?
No! Although pork tenderloins and pork loins are both lean and tender cuts, they come from different parts of the pig and are different shapes and sizes. Pork tenderloins are smaller and tend to cook a lot faster. Make sure that you find a pork loin roast for this recipe in particular!
Key Ingredients + Equipment
Key Ingredients
Pork Rub– Use your favourite pork rub. I love Traeger’s Pork & Poultry Rub for this recipe. If you choose to make your own pork dry rub recipe, make sure that it has a mix of brown sugar, black pepper, salt, paprika, chili powder, brown sugar. You may also want to add in some onion powder, garlic powder, or cayenne pepper depending on your preferences.
Olive Oil– Olive oil will help the rub stick to your pork loin roast and form a nice crust after being smoked.
Pork Loin Roast (3-4 Pound)– Pork loin roasts are generally easy to find at your local grocer or butcher shop. Pay close attention to the type of meat you get- be sure to get the pork loin roast vs the pork sirloin roast- they come from different parts of the full loin and pork loin roast is a more tender cut of pork than its counter part.
Equipment
Smoker- My Traeger Ironwood 885 is a workhorse! It performs in our frigid Alberta temps and has never let me down! Any type of smoker will work for this recipe including Pit Boss, Rec Tec, Green Mountain Grill, Weber, etc. Whichever smoker you are using, make sure that you are cooking the pork loin roast over indirect heat.
Probe– For best results, use a meat thermometer. My Traeger has a built in probe that is super easy to use. If your smoker doesn’t have a probe built in, check out the Meater Probe… it has rave reviews.
What to Look For When Buying Pork Loin
Choose a loin roast that has a nice pink color without any blemishes or dark spots on the fat. Marbling = extra flavour! Pick a pork loin that has clear marbling. Steer clear of dull colored roasts. To make life easier, I love to buy boneless pork loin roasts. They can be purchased at most grocery stores or local butcher shops.
Exactly How to Cook Pork Loin on a Traeger Pellet Grill or Grill
Prep + Season
Optional First Step: Brine your pork using this Simple Chicken Brine Recipe— don’t let the name fool you! The simple brine is exactly what you need for a tender roast pork loin. Brine for 6-8 hours. I like to brine it in the morning and it is ready for smoking mid-afternoon.
Preheat the pellet smoker to 225°F.
Pat your roast dry with paper towel. Trim any excess fat off of the loin, leaving the fat cap in place. For best results, score the fat cap in a cross-hatch pattern to allow seasoning and flavor to penetrate the roast. Brush the roast with maple syrup or honey and generously coat all sides of it with pork rub.
Smoke
Place the pork loin roast directly on the grill grates of your preheated (225°F) Traeger grill or other smoker — fat side up. Insert the probe thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. This is a large cut of meat and it will be best if cooked low and slow, trust the cooking process! Cook for 2-3 hours or until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 145 degrees f.
Factors that will affect cooking time include outside temperature and how often you are opening the smoker, how cold your roast was before it was put onto the smoker, how thick the loin roast is etc.. Always use the meat probe to ensure it is fully cooked. If you have a larger pork loin roast, budget closer to 3.5 hours.
Rest + Serve
Once the roast has come to a temperature of 145°F, cover your roast in foil. Let the smoked pork loin rest by placing it on a serving tray or sheet pan and tenting it in aluminum foil for 10-15 minutes. Slice and serve immediately with your favorite side dish. I love smoked asparagus, smoked beets, and other smoked vegetables like this smoked cauliflower recipe and these smoked brussels sprouts. Sauerkraut is also a great side option, giving your dish color and a fresh-cool-crunchy aspect. Enjoy!
Best Type of Wood for Smoking Pork Loin
There are so many types of wood that complement pork including apple wood, cherry, hickory, pecan, and traeger’s signature blend. Steer clear of mesquite-the strong flavor can easily overpower this Traeger smoked pork loin roast recipe.
Traeger Pork Loin Printable Recipe Card
Traeger Smoked Pork Loin Recipe - 3 Steps
Yield: 7
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Cooling Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 35 minutes
Learn how to cook this juicy Traeger smoked pork loin in three easy steps. Season, smoke, and serve this flavorful loin roast for your family and guests today.
Ingredients
- 3.5 pound pork loin roast
- 3 tablespoons pork rub
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Prep + Season Preheat the pellet smoker to 225°F.
- Pat the roast dry with paper towel. Trim any excess fat off of the loin, leaving the fat cap in place. For best results, score the fat cap in a cross-hatch pattern to allow seasoning and flavor to penetrate the roast. Brush the roast with maple syrup or honey and generously coat all sides of it with pork rub.
- Smoke Place the pork loin roast directly on the grill grates of your preheated (225°F) Traeger grill or other smoker -- fat side up. Insert the probe thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. This is a large cut of meat and it will be best if cooked low and slow, trust the cooking process! Cook for 2-3 hours or until it has reached an internal temperature of 145 degrees f.
- Rest + Serve Once the roast has come to a temperature of 145°F, cover your roast in foil. Let the smoked pork loin rest by placing it on a serving tray or sheet pan and tenting it in aluminum foil.
Notes
Optional First Step: Brine your pork using this Simple Chicken Brine Recipe-- don't let the name fool you! The simple brine is exactly what you need for a tender roast pork loin. Brine for 6-8 hours. I like to brine it in the morning and it is ready for smoking mid-afternoon.
Factors that will affect cooking time include outside temperature and how often you are opening the smoker, how cold your roast was before it was put onto the smoker, how thick the loin roast is etc.. Always use the meat probe to ensure it is fully cooked. If you have a larger pork loin roast, budget closer to 3.5 hours.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 7Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 467Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 187mgSodium: 108mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 62g
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Batch + Storage
How Much Pork Loin Per Person?
Budget around 8 ounces of raw pork loin per person. After cooking and shrinking, this will still be a substantial portion for most adults. A 3.5 pound roast will feed around 7 people.
Storage
Store the smoked pork loin in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days and in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Other Smoked Pork Traeger Recipes You Will Love
Use up the perfect pork butt or pork shoulder in this Traeger Pulled Pork Recipe!
Whether you are smoking a whole ham to feed a big crew or plan on doing a combination of fresh eating and freezing for later, this easy Traeger smoked ham recipe is for you.
How To Serve Traeger Pork Loin
Serve up this main dish with some of your favourite appetizers!
Loaded Traeger Asparagus– Push your pork loin over and add this Traeger asparagus recipe featuring bacon, parmesan, and mushrooms.
Raw Sauerkraut– Spoon out some of this delicious sauerkraut to serve with your pork.
Smoked Baked Beans– Pork and beans…. need I say more?
