Pellet Grill Pork Loin at 350°F to 145°F

Updated: October 9, 2026

Updated and fact-checked: October 9, 2026

Pellet grill pork loin is a 350°F roast that is done at 145°F in the center, then rested at least 3 minutes. It is a lean back roast, not a shoulder and not a tenderloin. Time after preheat is an estimate, about 50 to 80 minutes for a 2 to 3 pound boneless loin.

Quick Answer: How Do You Cook Pork Loin on a Pellet Grill?

Set the pellet grill to 350°F, cook a seasoned boneless pork loin to 145°F in the center, and rest it at least 3 minutes. Apple or cherry pellets fit a lean roast. Oak is fine. Plan about 50 to 80 minutes after preheat for a 2 to 3 pound loin. That clock is an estimate.

Key Points

• USDA FSIS lists 145°F plus a 3-minute rest as the safe minimum for pork roasts, measured before the meat leaves the heat.
• Do not cook loin to 195–205°F. That range is a tenderness check for shoulder, not a target for this cut.
• Loin is the wide roast. Tenderloin is the long thin muscle and finishes faster. Shoulder is the pull-apart cut.
• 350°F is a weeknight roast set point. A pellet grill makes less visible smoke here than at 225–250°F. That is normal.
• USDA’s oven chart lists about 20 minutes per pound at 350°F for a 2 to 5 pound loin roast. Grill time still depends on thickness, wind, and starting temperature.
• Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, eat them in 3 to 4 days or freeze them, and reheat to 165°F.

What Cut and Ingredients Do You Need?

Buy a boneless pork loin roast, the wide cut from the back, not the thin tenderloin and not a Boston butt. A 2 to 3 pound roast feeds a small household and fits the time estimate below. Read the label. Some loins are enhanced with a salt solution. Those taste saltier if you add a heavy rub on top.

Meat and seasoning

• 2 to 3 pound boneless pork loin roast
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt, less if the label says enhanced or injected
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar, optional
• 1 tablespoon oil or yellow mustard as a binder

Equipment

• Pellet grill that holds 350°F
• Apple, cherry, or oak pellets labeled for cooking
• Instant-read thermometer
• Sheet pan or drip tray if your grill runs greasy
• Optional: sliced onion or apple in the pan under the roast

This is Day 25 on the 30-day pellet grill recipe plan. The thin muscle is a different cook, covered in the pellet grill pork tenderloin recipe at 375°F.

How Do You Set Up the Pellet Grill?

Preheat to 350°F with the lid closed and use a mild pellet if you have a choice. Apple or cherry will not cover the meat. Oak is the everyday pellet if that is what is already in the hopper. Hickory works in a small amount. A lean loin does not need a heavy smoke load.

Give the grates and heat diffuser time to warm, not only the air at the sensor. Clean smoke is the goal. Thick white smoke at 350°F usually means the fire is still settling or the pellets are damp. Wait it out before the roast goes on.

A 350°F pellet-grill cook is a roast with wood flavor, not a low-and-slow bark project. The pork shoulder method at 250°F is the long cook. Do not borrow that set point for loin unless you want a longer, drier path to the same 145°F finish.

How Do You Cook Pork Loin Step by Step?

Season the loin, roast it at 350°F, and pull it when the center reads 145°F. Time after preheat is an estimate of 50 to 80 minutes for a 2 to 3 pound boneless roast. A thicker or colder roast runs longer. USDA’s fresh-pork chart lists about 20 minutes per pound for a 2 to 5 pound loin roast in a 350°F oven, which is a planning number, not a pellet-grill promise.

1. Pat the loin dry. Trim only thick hard fat that will not render. Leave a thin fat layer if the roast has one.
2. Rub on oil or mustard. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Brown sugar is optional. If the package says enhanced, cut the added salt.
3. Rest the roast about 20 minutes on the counter while the grill preheats. Do not leave it out for hours.
4. Preheat the pellet grill to 350°F with the lid closed. Put the loin on the grates, fat side up if it has a fat side. A pan underneath catches drips.
5. Cook with the lid shut. Start probing the center at about 40 minutes, away from the end and away from any bone if you bought bone-in.
6. Remove the roast when the center is 145°F. USDA measures that temperature before the meat leaves the heat, then requires at least 3 minutes of rest.
7. Rest at least 3 minutes, loosely tented. Slice across the grain about 1/2 inch thick.

What Temperature Is Pork Loin Done?

Whole-muscle pork loin is safe at 145°F plus a 3-minute rest. That is the USDA FSIS minimum for beef, pork, veal, and lamb steaks, chops, and roasts. A blush of pink at that temperature is normal. Color is not a doneness test.

FSIS states the roast rule on its safe minimum internal temperature chart and again on the fresh pork from farm to table page. Last verified October 9, 2026. Cooks who want a firmer, less pink slice can go higher. That is preference, and it costs moisture on a lean roast.

How Do You Rest and Slice Pork Loin?

Rest the loin at least 3 minutes after it hits 145°F, then slice across the grain. The 3 minutes are the USDA safety rest for this cut. A short extra sit, often 10 to 20 minutes while it stays hot, makes a small roast easier to slice. Do not park it on the counter until it is lukewarm.

The difference between the required rest and a longer slicing pause is covered in how to rest meat after grilling. Slice about 1/2 inch thick. Sawing with the grain makes lean loin chew like cord.

What Mistakes Dry Out Pork Loin?

The common miss is cooking loin like shoulder, or cooking tenderloin on a loin schedule. Shoulder wants time and a probe-tender finish well past 145°F. Loin is already safe at 145°F and dries out if you chase shreddable texture. Tenderloin is thinner, so it can blow past 145°F while you are still waiting on a loin clock.

• Buying the wrong label. Loin roast, tenderloin, and shoulder are three cuts.
• Opening the lid every few minutes. Each opening drops grate heat and stretches the estimate.
• Trusting color. Pink at 145°F can be safe. Gray is not proof of a better roast.
• Salting an enhanced loin like a plain roast. Read the package.
• Starting the probe at the thin end. The center of the thickest part is the number that matters.

How Do You Store and Reheat Leftovers?

Get leftover pork loin into the fridge within 2 hours, and within 1 hour if the air is above 90°F. Eat refrigerated leftovers in 3 to 4 days or freeze them. Reheat to 165°F in the center. That leftover rule is on the FSIS leftovers and food safety page, and it is the same 165°F casserole line on the temperature chart.

Use a shallow container so the center cools. Slices reheat better with a splash of stock or apple juice in a covered pan than they do bare on a hot grate. The method on reheating pulled pork to 165°F is the same safety target, applied to a different texture.

Final Verdict: Is 350°F the Right Pellet Grill Cook for Pork Loin?

Yes. 350°F to 145°F plus a 3-minute rest is the practical weeknight cook for boneless pork loin. It is hot enough to finish a 2 to 3 pound roast in roughly an hour after preheat on many grills, and it does not ask a lean cut to sit for a shoulder-length smoke. Use a thermometer. Keep the shoulder schedule for shoulder.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can pork loin be a little pink?

Yes. A blush of pink at 145°F after a 3-minute rest can be safe. USDA allows that finish on whole-muscle pork roasts and says color is not the test. Use a thermometer in the center.

What is the difference between pork loin and pork tenderloin?

Loin is the larger roast from the back. Tenderloin is a long, narrow muscle that cooks faster. Both are whole-muscle pork and share the 145°F plus 3-minute rest minimum. They do not share a clock. Tenderloin on this site is a 375°F cook, often done in well under an hour.

Should I wrap pork loin?

No wrap is required on a 350°F loin cook. Foil speeds the cook and softens the surface. Save wrapping for a bark decision on a long shoulder smoke, not for a roast you plan to slice.

What pellets should I use?

Apple or cherry is the mild match. Oak is the safe everyday pellet. Hickory is stronger and can cover a lean roast if the hopper is full of it. Any of those are cooking pellets. Do not use construction lumber, painted wood, or softwood scraps.