Grill-Roasted Pork Loin for Charcoal Grill

From America's Test Kitchen Season 6: Grill-Roasted Pork Loin

When we’re looking to dress up an outdoor dinner—and offer guests more than burgers or grilled chicken—we like to serve a juicy, crisp-crusted pork loin. But because the roasts available at the supermarket nowadays are so incredibly lean, this cut of meat can dry out considerably when cooked with the dry heat of the grill. We planned to bring back the juiciness and produce a succulent roast with a deep brown crust and aromatic, smoke-flavored meat.

First, we chose the best cut. Our top choice—the blade-end roast—was moist and flavorful and was the hands-down winner over center-cut, sirloin, and tenderloin roasts. Brining ensured that our finished roast met with rave reviews from testers and stayed juicy and moist, and a generous coating of black pepper—or our own spicy rub—provided ample flavoring. We then used a two-step grilling process, searing the roast directly over hot coals for a nice crust and finishing it over indirect heat, so as not to overcook it. The final step was removing the roast from the grill when the internal temperature was just shy of done, then allowing it to rest until the temperature rose and the meat was juicy and tender.