Roasted pork loin is probably one of the easiest (and inexpensive) main dishes you can make. Just add a little seasoning, pop it in the oven, and let it do its thing. The only thing you have to be mindful of is overcooking, but we’ll talk more about that below. As long as you avoid that one pitfall, you’ll have a tender, juicy pork loin that makes a deeelish main dish that can be paired with tons of different sides.
Pork Loin vs. Pork Tenderloin
This recipe is written for pork loin, sometimes called a pork loin roast, which is different than pork tenderloin. Pork loin is a large roast, usually sold in 3-4 pound cuts. Pork tenderloin is a different, smaller muscle that tends to be slightly darker and more tender. If you’re looking for a recipe for roasted pork tenderloin, try my Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin.
About that Brown Sugar Rub…
If you’ve made my Glazed Pork Chops, you’ll be familiar with this sweet and spicy brown sugar rub. It’s the perfect mix of sweet, savory, and spicy, and it’s just so incredibly simple. When it’s used with the direct contact heat of a skillet it turns into a glaze, but when it’s baked in the dry air of an oven it forms a delicious crust on the surface of the pork. Either way, it’s a winner!
The Key to Good Pork Loin
Don’t overcook it. That’s it! Overcooked pork is dry, tough, and resembles something like a hockey puck. So how do you not overcook it? You really need to get a meat thermometer (my favorite is linked in the recipe card below) since every pork loin is a different size and shape, and every oven cooks a little different.
How Long to Cook Pork Loin
The safe internal temperature for pork (excluding ground pork) is 145ºF. The estimated amount of time you’ll need to cook your pork loin using the method below (starting at 400ºF then reducing to 350ºF), is about 15 minutes per pound after the initial ten minutes at 400ºF. Use your trusty thermometer about ten minutes before the estimated time to see if you’re getting close, then about every 10-15 minutes after that until you reach 145ºF.
And lastly, make sure to let your pork rest for about 10 minutes after it’s removed from the oven before slicing. This gives the steam pressure time to reduce, which means more of the moisture will stay in the meat instead of evaporating out once it’s sliced.
What to Serve with Roasted Pork Loin
I love classic comfort foods with this Brown Sugar Roasted Pork Loin. I have it pictured with mashed potatoes and some roasted broccoli, but I think something like macaroni and cheese, collard greens, coleslaw, or potato salad would also be awesome!
Brown Sugar Roasted Pork Loin
Servings 8 ½ lb. eachIngredients
- 4 lbs. pork loin ($7.92)
- ½ cup brown sugar ($0.32)
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.10*)
- 1 tsp garlic powder ($0.10)
- 1 tsp paprika ($0.10)
- 1 tsp salt ($0.05)
- ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.05)
- 3 Tbsp olive oil ($0.48)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. In a bowl, combine the brown sugar, cayenne, garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper, and olive oil.
- Place the pork loin on a parchment lined baking sheet or in a large casserole dish with the fat cap facing up. Begin packing the brown sugar and spice mixture all over the surface of the pork loin (no need to get the bottom). The moisture from the pork loin should help the sugar mixture stick to the surface.
- Transfer the pork loin to the oven. Roast at 400ºF for ten minutes, then reduce the heat to 350ºF and continue to roast for about 15 minutes per pound of roast, or until the internal temperature reaches 145ºF. Always use a meat thermometer just to be sure.
- After roasting, let the pork loin rest for 10 minutes before slicing into ½-inch thick slices and serving.
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Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Brown Sugar Roasted Pork Loin – Step by Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Combine ½ cup brown sugar, 1 tsp cayenne, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, and 3 Tbsp olive oil in a bowl.
Mix the rub ingredients together until they look like damp sand.
This is the pork loin I used, which was 4 pounds. Your cooking time will vary depending on the size of your pork loin, so make sure to use a meat thermometer so you can prevent over or under-cooking the pork. Pork loin usually has a “fat cap” which is a layer of fat on one side (it’s on the bottom in the photo above so you can’t see it).
Place the pork loin on a parchment-lined baking sheet or in a casserole dish with the fat cap side facing up. Pack the brown sugar rub all over the surface of the pork loin.
Roast the pork for 10 minutes at 400ºF, then reduce the heat to 350ºF and roast for an additional 15 minutes per pound of pork, or until the internal temperature reaches 145ºF. The temperature of the roast will continue to rise slightly after it is taken out of the oven, due to carryover cooking. (Don’t worry if the brown sugar burns on the baking sheet, the rub ON the pork will not be burned. The burned sugar can be cleaned off with a quick soak in hot soapy water.)
Let the pork loin rest for ten minutes before slicing into ½-inch slices and serving.
This is how I am going to cook Pork Loun from now on. I usually avoid pork because it rarely turns out anything but leathery. This was flavourful and moist m. Thanks again!
My 12 year old ate 4 slices! Thank you for a great recipe!
Finally made this after bookmarking the recipe a while back. It was terrific!
I’m just really struggling with how I’m going to roast the broccoli at 400 degrees and have everything ready at the same time 🤓🤔😅
I’ll probably just pop it in about 10 minutes before the pork loin is done and raise the temp while it’s resting. That can’t mess up the broccoli too bad, right?
I think that would be your best bet. :)
Beth – used this rub on pork tenderloin and was just as delicious !
I was wondering how it would work on that!
Wow, the brown sugar crust on this is so good! I served it with mashed potatoes and pan seared garlic Brussels sprouts.
This was only my second time ever making pork. I am pretty new to cooking much beyond some simple basics and this recipe was easy to follow and turned out wonderfully. The whole family enjoyed it, all the way down to six year old. We had a lot left over for our family of four, so I will give this a try next time we have dinner guests. Super affordable too… all pantry staples I had on hand, just had to buy the pork. Thank you so much for the great recipe!
I made this for a family New Year’s Day dinner, and we all agreed it was excellent.
It’s something new for me. I’ve never tried thos piece of meat like this. I like pork, especially for holidays and will cook it for this New Year.
Hi! I just wanted to point out that the cooking times in the recipe card and the picture instructions differ. In the recipe card it says 15 min per pound and in the picture instructions it says 20 min per pound. I did 15 min per pound and the temperature looked fine… But in the end it was still uncooked at the bottom :/ I wonder if it made a difference that I used a baking dish, not a sheet pan.
Thanks for catching that for me! Did you use a meat thermometer to see if the bottom was actually below temp or did it just appear uncooked?
I didn’t check the temperature, but the bottom of the meat was very pink and there were red juices seeping out of it… So I flipped the loin around and popped it back in the oven with the bottom side up.
Interesting! I wonder why the bottom didn’t cook even after so long in the oven. Well, it sounds like you did just the right thing to fix the problem. :)
My husband is from Western Pennsylvania and the custom back there is to have pork roast and sauerkraut on New Years Day – for good luck in the coming year. This year I will use your recipe. I can always count on your recipes to be delicious. Thank you amd Happy New Year!
I made this last night and couldn’t think of a good side. I saw your comment and happened to have a jar of sauerkraut and it was a perfect accompaniment! Thanks for the suggestion! The pork loin tasted great. I loved the brown sugar and the cayenne pepper added a nice kick.
Where does the olive oil fit in? I don’t see it in the steps of the recipe. This looks amazing, though!
She forgot to list it in step 1 of the printed recipe. Just mix it all together and rub into the pork loin.
Maybe before the brown sugar rub…. put the olive oil on then the rub.
Sorry, thanks for catching that! The olive oil gets mixed in with the brown sugar and spices in the beginning. I just fixed it. :)
It’s something new for me. I’ve never tried thos piece of meat like this. I like pork, especially for holidays and will cook it for this New Year.
Thanks
I really should cook pork roast more often. I usually opt for the pork tenderloin instead (there are just two of us), but the comment above about cutting the roast in half is a great suggestion.
Love boneless pork loin, one of the best values available. This cut is cheap because it is basically a biproduct of baby back ribs–unbelievable since there is so little meat on the ribs and this pure meat treasure is both lean and delicious. You can almost always get a full loin for under $2 a lb, and cut it into a couple of roasts and a bunch of boneless chops, and this prepackaged roast is a real bargain. If you buy a full loin, the end bits can be used for stew or stir fries. This roast, at 4 lbs, is still too large for my 2 person family, so when I find one, I cut it in half, roast half immediately and freeze the other to show up in another week or so. Much more flavor than pork tenderloin.
Thanks, Beth, for reminding us not to overcook this wonderful piece of meat. The brown sugar glaze is delicious. I like to use leftover pork roast for sandwiches–thin slices on light toast with whole berry cranberry sauce make a yummy sandwich, but it works well in Cuban sandwiches with ham and mustard. I also like pork hash and the seasoned rub on this one will add great flavor–cubed cooked pork sauteed with diced onion, bell pepper, and cooked potato, maybe green chilis or a slug of gochujang and some grated cheese over the top for a one pan dinner paired with a green salad.
Yup, I’ve abandoned sriracha for gochujang–call me fickle.
Thank you for all those great suggestions for the leftovers!! And I think I’ve abandoned sriracha, as well. :P At least the Huy Fong brand. I’m pretty sure they’ve changed the recipe. It totally doesn’t taste the same as it used to and is nowhere near as hot as it used to be. :P
These are fantastic suggestions, Janet! I bought 2 5ish lb loins from Costco because they were marked down to $4 EACH! I froze them and just yesterday made half of one using this recipe. It was really great, but we had a ton of leftovers. I am going to chop some and make fried rice, slice some for a sandwich, and maybe make pulled pork. It really is an underrated cut of pork.