Easy Smoked Pork Loin
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Want a tender, juicy pork loin? You need to try this super easy Smoked Pork Loin recipe! It has a delicious homemade rub and then is smoked on your Traeger or electric pellet grill. You are sure to add this to your favorite pork recipes!
This is the perfect recipe if you are new to using a smoker or if you need an easy smoker recipe that’s hands off, yet gets amazing results. This is the homemade dry rub we used but you can use your favorite dry rub too! It’s perfect for a backyard party, birthday party, BBQ or dinner gathering!
Don’t have a smoker? Check out our recipe for grilled pork loin!
When we first got our pellet grill I was a little bit overwhelmed so we started with cooking a pork loin since it was totally something we could tackle! (We quickly graduated to Smoked Pork Chops – you have to try that recipe, amazing!)
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s so easy and really hard to mess up! Just watch the internal temperature with a meat thermometer and pull it at 145 degrees Fahrenheit to make sure it’s juicy and not dry!
- Minimal ingredients, prep and clean up. Just mix up the dry rub, rub the pork loin and put it on the smoker.
- It’s hands off! Some smoker recipes are labor intensive and you feel like you need to baby sit them, but this one you just put the pork loin on the smoker and let it cook. This gives you time to work on side dishes!
Ingredients Needed
- Pork Loin – 10-11 lb will be just perfect for this recipe
- Dry Rub – white and brown sugar, smoked paprika, kosher salt, garlic powder, chili powder, onion powder, celery salt, cumin, black pepper
Steps to prepare smoked pork loin
- Prep Smoker – Preheat the pellet grill to 220 degrees Fahrenheit. Fill up that hopper with pellets.
- Prep Pork Loin – Trim excess fat from pork loin. You want the fat cap to be about 1/4”. Then mix up the dry rub. Apply the dry rub and allow it to sit at room temperature for a half hour.
- Smoke – Place pork loin on preheated pellet grill fat side up. Insert the temperature probe if you are using a Bluetooth thermometer. Close pellet grill lid and cook at 220 degrees Fahrenheit until the internal temp of pork loin is 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Let Rest – Remove from pellet grill and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing with a sharp knife
Helpful Tools
- Pellet Grill
- Bluetooth Thermometer
- Chef’s Knife
- Meat Fork
- Sweet and Smoky Rub
How long does it take to smoke pork loin?
It will take 2 1/2 to 3 hours to smoke the pork loin. You’ll smoke it until it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
How do you keep pork loin from drying out?
To make sure you get a nice juicy, flavorful smoked pork loin, make sure you smoke it with the fat side up. The fat will render and run down the pork, keeping it nice and moist and boosting the flavor.
Should I Wrap Pork Loin?
No! Leave the pork loin unwrapped on the smoker to make sure that the meat gets that delicious smoky flavor!
Pork Loin VS Pork Tenderloin
These two terms are used interchangeably a lot of the time, but they are two very different cuts of meat. This means they cannot be substituted in a recipe.
First of all, they come from two different place of a hog. The loin comes from the back of the animal and the tenderloin actually comes from the muscle that runs along the back bone. This cut of meat can be cut into smaller pieces of meat, which are called pork chops.
A pork loin is wider and flatter and can be a boneless or bone-in cut of meat. For this recipe we use a boneless pork loin.
The pork tenderloin is a long, narrow, boneless cut of meat that comes from the muscle that runs along the backbone. If you are looking for a tenderloin recipe our favorites are these grilled recipes including Asian Pork Tenderloin and BBQ Tenderloin.
The tenderloin is smaller than the pork loin so if you substitute them for each other they cook at different rates.
What to do with Leftovers
This recipe makes a lot and that’s why it’s perfect for parties, but it’s great leftover, too. Pair it with a soft bun and some BBQ Sauce and you have lunches for the week. Personally, I like sticking it in a wrap or in a salad.
It will keep in an air safe container in the refrigerator for up to four days. It can be frozen and will keep for up to four months.
How to reheat leftovers
You can easily pop leftovers in the microwave, covered to keep moisture in or add them to a covered frying pan with a little bit of water.
I served this with our famous Poor Man’s Burnt Ends, Grilled Corn Salsa, Oreo Fluff, Vegetable Tray and of course birthday cake!
If you are looking for an easy way to impress your guests pork loin recipe is the answer! Everyone was raving about how juicy and moist the meat was! This is definitely one of the best pork recipes out there!
Make it a Meal!
- Pair these with a Smoked Baked Potato for a complete dinner that’s easy!
- Toss together a Grilled Corn Salad that is packed with flavor in every bite.
- You can never go wrong with a staple like Baked Beans that are made on the grill! You could even throw them on the smoker.
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Smoked Pork Loin
Ingredients
- Dry Rub for Pork Loin
- 10-11 pound Pork Loin
Instructions
- Preheat pellet grill to 220 degrees Fahrenheit. We used competition blend pellets in the pellet grill.
- Trim excess fat from pork loin if desired. We do this if there is a large fat cap on the top of the pork loin. You'll want to leave part of it on so the pork doesn't dry out.
- Rub the entire pork loin with dry rub or Sweet and Smoky Rub. After applying rub let sit at room temperature for a half hour.
- Place pork loin on preheated pellet grill with fat side up. If you have a temperature probe, insert into thickest part of pork loin. Close pellet grill lid and cook at 220 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 1/2 – 3 hours or until the internal temperature of pork loin is 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Remove from pellet grill and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Cut into slices and serve immediately.
George says
I did this for a first on my new pellet grill. It was the best and juiciest pork loin I’ve ever had.
Courtney says
Yay! Hope you love your new pellet grill!
cj hopkins says
i like to rub mine down with olive oil cover with cavenders greek spice @225 for anout 2.5 hours i pull mine off at 145
the Evinks says
Sounds delicious!
Cliff Hyatt says
You lost me right at the start. The first thing you said was “trim the fat from the pork loin” Sorry, that is the absolute worst thing you can do to a pork Loin.
Julie says
Sorry that you didn’t care for that part of the recipe! Everyone has different preferences and if you’d prefer to keep the fat on, feel free!
Megan Mitzel says
Hi Delena,
It looks like you might be subscribed to “push notifications”. Unfortunately, it’s a setting on your device and I can’t unsubscribe you on my end. Here’s a helpful article on how to resolve the issue. Hope this helps!
https://documentation.onesignal.com/docs/unsubscribe-from-notifications
Glen Powers says
Try sprinkling dry rub on deviled eggs rather than sprinkling with paprika.
Also, when your recipe calls for kosher salt do you use Diamond Crystal or Morton?
Thanks.
Megan Mitzel says
That sounds like a great addition to deviled eggs! I usually use Morton.
G Howard says
Meat should be smoked ( cooked) low and slow om my Traeger I set at 180 in till the inside temp reaches 100 degrees then I turn it to smoke fo 30 mins after that I set back to 180 until it reaches 150 wrap in tinfoil for 30 mins then sever
Megan Mitzel says
Thanks for sharing!
Pam Clark says
I have a Pit Boss Pellet Grill. Their recipes for pork loin say to preheat to 350 and cook for 30 minutes for a 3 lb. loin. Your recipe says to set at 225 for 2 hours. Is their a huge difference in Traeger Grills from Pit Boss? Why such a difference in temps and cooking times? I have 4 4-lb. pork loins that I’m cooking for our family reunion and I don’t want to ruin them. We’ve only had our grill for a short time. Please help!
Megan Mitzel says
This recipe is for a 10-11 lb pork loin cooked at 220 for 2.5 – 3 hours, the pork loin is cooked lower and slower than the Pit Boss recipes. I am not familiar with the Pit Boss Pellet Grill so I can’t speak to the reason for the temperature differences.
Matt S says
Used a dry rub and it turned out great. 225 on the electric smoker for about 2 hours until 145. Thanks for the quick recipe!
Julie Evink says
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for commenting and rating the recipe!
Tony says
I’m gonna try smoking @ 200° till IT reaches 145°. Thoughts?
Julie Evink says
I think that will be great!
Matt Hilbert says
Pork loin is very lean. Smoking at lower temp for longer could risk drying it out. And the longer cook won’t make it any more tender than it already is.
Grillin' Dan says
I’m curious why you take it to 160*. Why not take it off at the normal 145* that is suggested for pork? Thanks for sharing. I’ll be cooking one for the family tomorrow.
Julie Evink says
Totally safe to eat at 145 degrees which is a safe and rare temperature for pork. We prefer this at 160 degrees that’s all!
Linda says
I love putting a dry rub on pork loin and grilling it. Since living in Florida we use the grill pretty much every night and pork loin is one of our faves. Sounds like an excellent meal to serve company and love the idea of combining it with that grilled corn salsa.Happy birthday to your son too!
Julie Evink says
Thank you!!