For your next family dinner, consider smoking pork loin for a juicy, and delicious main. Often mistaken for its counterpart, the pork tenderloin, the pork loin stands out as a lean and exceptionally tender cut of meat that delights when roasted, grilled, or smoked. In this guide, however, our focus is squarely on the art of smoking pork loin.

Dive in to uncover essential steps, expert tips, and insider tricks for mastering this savory culinary technique. Keep reading to elevate your smoking game to new heights.

Pork Loin

Cut from the meat from the back of the pig (found between the shoulder and the beginning of the leg), pork loin is typically lean and tender. Because it is so tender and lean though, it’ll have a smoother texture and retain all of its moisture. Plus, it’s still a large enough cut that you can share with friends and family.

Pork Tenderloin

Pork tenderloin, with its lean, elongated shape, is cut from the muscle along the backbone of the pig. It's incredibly versatile, cooking up fast and making it ideal for everything from quick stir-fries to hearty, epic sandwiches.

You can get more in-depth by reading this pork loin vs. pork tenderloin guide.

Learning how to smoke pork loin is straightforward, but mastering each step is crucial for a flavorful bite every time. Choose a roast with just the right amount of marbling for juiciness without making it too fatty.

Pork doesn't have a lot of flavor on its own. You can add flavor before cooking with a dry rub or marinade, by stuffing the pork loin, or even injecting it with flavor. You can also combine these methods.

As a lean meat, pork loin is an ideal cut for subtle flavors like fresh herbs, lemon, and flavored oils; flavors that may be overpowered if you used them on fattier cuts like pulled pork or a ribeye steak.

But pork can also be a vehicle for strong, spicy, and sweet flavors. There's not really anything that doesn't go with pork, as long as it's a flavor you like. It's the perfect cut of meat for experimenting with bold or unique seasonings.

You can brine, rub, or marinade a pork loin. For pork loin we recommend our Traeger Rub or Traeger Pork & Poultry Rub, Traeger Anything Rub, and Traeger Perfect Pork Rub.

If you’d like to go the homemade route, you can make your own rub by combining seasonings like brown sugar, mustard powder, thyme, and rosemary.

For marinades, you can make your own or shop our selection of sauces and marinades, or make one yourself using oil, seasonings, acid (lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, etc. to tenderize the meat and add brightness), and salt. Our Sweet and Spicy Pork Roast recipe uses coconut milk as a base for the marinade.

Brining a pork loin overnight will both tenderize and flavor the meat. Brines are made by adding salt and other aromatics to water. See our Citrus Brined Pork Roast recipe for an example.

Smoking Pork Loin Steps

Smoking a pork loin is a very simple process which makes it a good choice if you're new to smoking, or if you just want to make something extremely delicious without putting a ton of effort in. Learn how to smoke a pork loin by following these steps:

Step 1: Start Your Grill

Set your wood pellet grill between 225°F-250°F. Use super smoke if you want more of a wood-fired flavor.

Step 2: Trim Your Pork

While your Traeger is pre-heating, now is the time to trim your pork loin. Most of the time, you won’t need to do to much to prep this cut of meat as it will usually come pre-trimmed. However, if it isn’t, trim any excess fat to make it about ¼ inch thick.

If you want to keep the fat cap on, trim it to your desired thickness and consider scoring it to render more fat and make it crispy. Another option to consider when trimming is shaping and tying the pork loin. You can use kitchen twin to create an even shape.

Step 3: Pork Loin Seasoning

If you’re marinading or brining, make sure to complete this step a minimum of two hours beforehand. For marinating, 4-12 hours is optimal, while brining is 12-24 hours.

But for rubs, just make sure the pork loin is coated in olive oil and your desired rub before cooking.

Step 4: Smoke Your Roast

Make sure to follow your recipe, but a good range for smoked pork loin is 225°F to 250°F and about 30 minutes per pound. Your internal temperature goal is 145°F. Always make sure to follow your recipe though.

Step 5: Rest the Meat

Resting is an essential step in making sure the pork loin is juicy. If you’d like to keep it crispier on the outside, you can simply rest it on a cutting board or plate after smoking. To keep it warmer though, either loosely wrap it in aluminum foil, or tent it. Just make sure not to cut it right off the grill!

Best Wood Pellets for Pork Loin

Different wood pellets give different flavors to your cook. For pork loin, you’ll want to choose milder pellets like apple, cherry, hickory, or pecan. If you do add bolder pellets like Mesquite, just make sure they are mixed.

Check out our expert pellet guides for more info:

How To Store Wood Pellets

Changing and Removing Pellets

How To Calibrate Your Traeger Pellet Sensor

Another way to add flavor to a pork loin is stuffing it with herbs, aromatics, and textural elements like nuts. This requires butterflying the pork loin roast, a method that transforms the roast into a flat piece of meat. The stuffing is spread out, and the loin is rolled up and tied, then cooked. See our Bacon Stuffed Pork Loin recipe for instructions.

How Do You Smoke Pork Loin Without Drying It Out?

The best way to smoke pork loin without drying is by turning the heat up after the initial absorption of smoke. This will help the pork loin cook faster, before it can dry out.

Do You Flip Pork Loin When Smoking?

You do not need to flip pork loin when smoking -- if you have even heat throughout the smoking area as you will if smoking on a Traeger.

If your grill or smoker is not a Traeger, it may have hot spots, so you may need to move the meat around to prevent some parts from overcooking.

Do You Smoke Pork Loin Fat Side Up Or Down?

Smoke pork loin with the fat side up. The fat will render and help keep the meat from drying out.

How Long to Smoke Pork Loin?

Smoking pork loin can take between 2 and 4 hours. The length of time it will take to cook depends on the size of the roast and other factors. A stuffed pork roast, for instance, may take longer to smoke. A thicker loin may take longer than a thinner one. We strongly recommend using the probe on your Traeger grill or a MEATER wireless thermometer to keep tabs on the temperature. According to award-winning BBQ Champion Chad Ward, you do not want to let the internal temperature of pork to pass 145 degrees.

What To Serve with Smoked Pork Loin

Decide on your pork loin side dishes based on the flavors you use in your rub, marinade, or stuffing. We recommend classics like roasted carrot salad with smoked pickled beets, balsamic brussels sprouts with bacon, mashed potatoes, or garlic bread.