Roast Pork Loin
A very lean roast pulled by temperature, not by time, with carryover heat doing the last of the work.
Makes 6 servings · Prep 15 min · Bake 55 min
Ingredients
Roast
- 3 lb Boneless pork loin
- 1 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Black pepper
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp Fresh rosemary, chopped
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
Instructions
Prep
- Heat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Pat the pork loin dry.
Season
- Mash the garlic and rosemary into the olive oil, and rub all over the loin along with the salt and pepper.
Sear
- Sear the loin on all sides in a hot oven-safe skillet or roasting pan on the stovetop until browned, if the pan allows. (Tip: Optional, but a quick sear before roasting adds real Maillard flavour to a cut with very little fat of its own to contribute richness.)
Roast
- Transfer to the oven and roast until an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part reads about 58-60°C. (Tip: Pulling slightly below the final 63°C target on purpose — carryover heat during the rest will finish closing that gap, and checking by temperature rather than a fixed time is the only reliable way to hit this precisely.)
Rest
- Tent loosely with foil and rest, checking that the final temperature reaches 63°C (145°F) before carving.
Tips
- Roast came out dry: Almost always cooked by time rather than temperature. A roast this lean has very little margin, and a few extra minutes past its actual doneness point is enough to notice. Use a thermometer, not a chart, every time.
- Don't confuse loin with tenderloin: Pork tenderloin is a smaller, even leaner, faster-cooking cut — using tenderloin timing on a full loin, or the reverse, is a common cause of both under- and overcooking.