This pork loin roast recipe is the cooking method printed on our pork loin roast product page: rub with olive oil, salt, and pepper, sear if you like, then roast at 375°F for 20 to 25 minutes per pound until the center reads 145°F, and rest 10 to 15 minutes. It is a Sunday dinner method that needs a thermometer more than a clock, and because the page gives no weight or amounts, we publish it as a method, not as a fixed recipe.
The steps below are the product page’s, in its order, with a weight chart worked out from its per pound rule. Where the page is silent, on cover, liquid, or exact salt, we say so instead of filling the gap.
- The cut and what the page says
- The method, step by step
- How long to cook pork loin in the oven, by weight
- Keeping it tender and juicy
- Questions people ask
The cut: a pork loin roast from Heritage Duroc hogs
Our product page describes the pork loin roast as a cut with “a perfect balance of lean meat and a subtle fat cap,” suited to slow roasting, grilling, or braising. It is a different cut from the tenderloin, which is smaller and cooks in 18 to 20 minutes; we compared the two in pork tenderloin vs pork loin.
The page does not list a weight for the roast, which is why the recipe works in minutes per pound and why we give no single cook time. Weigh the roast when it comes out of the box, or read the label, and use the chart below. The hogs are Heritage Duroc, raised crate free with no antibiotics ever, from the heritage pork fresh cuts line.
Pork loin roast recipe: the product page’s method, step by step
Ingredients, as the page lists them: the pork loin roast, olive oil, salt, pepper, and optional spices such as rosemary, thyme, or garlic powder. The page gives no amounts, so rub on enough oil to coat and season to taste; we do not add a salt weight the page does not give.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Rub the roast with olive oil, salt, pepper, and optional rosemary, thyme, or garlic powder.
- Optional sear: brown the roast in a hot skillet for 3 to 4 minutes per side.
- Place the roast in a baking dish and cook 20 to 25 minutes per pound, or until the internal temperature reaches 145°F.
- Rest 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.
That is the whole method. The page says baking dish and gives no cover step and no liquid step, so we follow it as printed and add neither. The 145°F endpoint is the same one on USDA’s safe minimum internal temperature chart, which adds a rest of at least 3 minutes; the page’s 10 to 15 minute rest covers that.
How long to cook pork loin in the oven, by weight
The chart is arithmetic from the page’s 20 to 25 minutes per pound at 375°F. Start checking with a thermometer at the low end, because the roast is done at 145°F, not at a minute count.
| Roast weight | 20 to 25 minutes per pound at 375°F | Start checking at | Done when |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 lb | 40 to 50 minutes | 40 minutes | 145°F in the center |
| 3 lb | 60 to 75 minutes | 60 minutes | 145°F in the center |
| 4 lb | 80 to 100 minutes | 80 minutes | 145°F in the center |
| Any weight | Multiply the pounds by 20 and by 25 | The low number | 145°F, then rest 10 to 15 minutes |
The sear is optional and outside the per pound clock; the page gives 3 to 4 minutes per side for it. If you skip the sear, the roast still goes in at 375°F for the same minutes per pound.
Keeping a pork loin roast tender and juicy
Two things on the page do the work: the 145°F endpoint and the rest. Pull the roast when a thermometer in the thickest part reads 145°F, then leave it 10 to 15 minutes before slicing. USDA’s chart says fresh pork is safe at 145°F with a 3 minute rest, and its fresh pork page says cooked pork can still be pink at that temperature and be safe.
Beyond that we do not add tricks the page does not give: no brine, no foil tent, no water in the dish. If you want a longer, lower cook with sauerkraut, our pork and sauerkraut post uses the same roast, and our older post on slow cooking with heritage breed pork covers the braising side.
Questions people ask about a pork loin roast recipe
What is the best method to cook a pork loin roast?
For our roast, the product page method: oil, salt, pepper, optional herbs, an optional sear, then 375°F at 20 to 25 minutes per pound to 145°F, and a 10 to 15 minute rest.
How long does it take to cook a 2 lb pork loin roast at 350 degrees?
Our page uses 375°F, where a 2 lb roast takes about 40 to 50 minutes to reach 145°F. We do not give a 350°F time because the page does not; whatever the oven setting, the thermometer decides.
How do I cook a pork loin so it doesn’t dry out?
Stop at 145°F. Check with a thermometer from the low end of the per pound range, pull the roast at 145°F, and rest it 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.
Is it better to bake a pork loin covered or uncovered?
Our product page says to place the roast in a baking dish and gives no cover step, so we follow it as printed. We have not tested a covered version, so we do not give one.
375°F, 20 to 25 minutes per pound, 145°F, rest. That is the whole pork loin roast recipe, as a method, from our product page, and it works for any weight the box sends.
Order the pork loin roast, or browse the other heritage pork fresh cuts.