Grill-Roasted Pork Loin for Gas Grill
By America's Test KitchenPublished on October 26, 2011
Time
1½ hours, plus 3 or 4 hours brining, 1 hour standing, and 30 minutes soaking
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Before You Begin
If only "enhanced" pork is available (it will be stated on the label), do not brine the roast. Instead, simply add 2 tablespoons kosher salt to the black pepper seasoning. With minor adjustments, a roast larger than the one called for can be cooked using the same method. For each additional pound of meat over 3 pounds (do not use a roast larger than 6 pounds), increase the salt in the brine by 1/4 cup and the water by 1 quart; also increase the oil and pepper by 1 teaspoon each (if using a spice rub, increase the recipe by one-third). Because the cooking time depends more on the diameter of the loin than its length, the cooking time for a larger roast will not increase significantly. After rotating the roast in step 5, begin checking the internal temperature after 30 minutes of cooking.
Instructions
- Dissolve salt in 3 quarts water in large container; submerge roast, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until fully seasoned, 3 to 4 hours. Rinse roast under cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towels.
- Rub roast with oil; sprinkle with pepper or spice rub and press into meat. Let roast stand at room temperature 1 hour.
- Soak 2 cups wood chips in water to cover 30 minutes; drain. Place chips in small disposable aluminum pan. About 20 minutes before grilling, place wood chip pan on primary burner (burner that will remain on during cooking); position cooking grate. Ignite grill, turn all burners to high, cover, and heat until very hot, about 15 minutes. (If chips ignite, use water-filled spray bottle to extinguish.) Scrape grate clean with grill brush.
- Place pork on side of grill without wood chips; cook until well-browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Using tongs, rotate one-quarter turn and repeat until all sides are well-browned, about 8 minutes total. Turn off all burners except primary burner; position roast parallel with and as close as possible to primary burner. Cook 20 minutes.
- Remove cover; using tongs, rotate roast 180 degrees so side facing fire now faces away. Replace cover and continue cooking until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of roast registers 140 degrees, 10 to 30 minutes longer, depending on thickness, keeping lid down except as needed to check progress of pork.
- Transfer roast to cutting board; tent loosely with foil and let rest 15 minutes. Internal temperature should rise to 150 degrees. Remove twine; cut roast into 1/2-inch-thick slices and serve.
Time
1½ hours, plus 3 or 4 hours brining, 1 hour standing, and 30 minutes soakingYield
Serves 4 to 6Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
We found that the best cut for our grill-roasted pork loin recipe was the moist and flavorful blade-end roast, brined and coated with coarsely ground pepper. We then used a two-step grilling process: searing the roast directly over the fire and finishing it over indirect heat. The final step was removing the roast from the grill when the internal temperature reached 140 degrees, then allowing it to rest until the temperature rose to an ideal 150 degrees.
Before You Begin
If only "enhanced" pork is available (it will be stated on the label), do not brine the roast. Instead, simply add 2 tablespoons kosher salt to the black pepper seasoning. With minor adjustments, a roast larger than the one called for can be cooked using the same method. For each additional pound of meat over 3 pounds (do not use a roast larger than 6 pounds), increase the salt in the brine by 1/4 cup and the water by 1 quart; also increase the oil and pepper by 1 teaspoon each (if using a spice rub, increase the recipe by one-third). Because the cooking time depends more on the diameter of the loin than its length, the cooking time for a larger roast will not increase significantly. After rotating the roast in step 5, begin checking the internal temperature after 30 minutes of cooking.
Instructions
- Dissolve salt in 3 quarts water in large container; submerge roast, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until fully seasoned, 3 to 4 hours. Rinse roast under cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towels.
- Rub roast with oil; sprinkle with pepper or spice rub and press into meat. Let roast stand at room temperature 1 hour.
- Soak 2 cups wood chips in water to cover 30 minutes; drain. Place chips in small disposable aluminum pan. About 20 minutes before grilling, place wood chip pan on primary burner (burner that will remain on during cooking); position cooking grate. Ignite grill, turn all burners to high, cover, and heat until very hot, about 15 minutes. (If chips ignite, use water-filled spray bottle to extinguish.) Scrape grate clean with grill brush.
- Place pork on side of grill without wood chips; cook until well-browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Using tongs, rotate one-quarter turn and repeat until all sides are well-browned, about 8 minutes total. Turn off all burners except primary burner; position roast parallel with and as close as possible to primary burner. Cook 20 minutes.
- Remove cover; using tongs, rotate roast 180 degrees so side facing fire now faces away. Replace cover and continue cooking until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of roast registers 140 degrees, 10 to 30 minutes longer, depending on thickness, keeping lid down except as needed to check progress of pork.
- Transfer roast to cutting board; tent loosely with foil and let rest 15 minutes. Internal temperature should rise to 150 degrees. Remove twine; cut roast into 1/2-inch-thick slices and serve.
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