Rotisserie Boneless Pork Loin Roast recipe, with a wet brine, spice rub, and maple syrup glaze. This is how I turn pork loin, which can be bland, into something spectacular.
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Boneless pork loin is tough to cook. Modern pork is bred to be very lean*, and pork loin was a lean cut to begin with, even before it became "modern pork".
*Cooking shows have renamed pork to "Modern pork is bred to be very lean". Just watch - the next time it's mentioned, you'll hear those exact words. I don't think this is what the "other white meat" people were looking for, exactly.
Because it's so lean, it goes from cooked to overcooked in a flash. Also, since fat carries flavor, it doesn't have a whole lot of flavor on its own.
What can you do about this? That's what I'm here to tell you. In this recipe I pull out all the stops: this roast loin is brined, rubbed, cooked on the rotisserie to give it a nice, brown crust, and then glazed with maple syrup at the last minute. In the end, you get pork that is sweet, spicy, juicy, and flavored all the way through.
Equipment
- Grill with Rotisserie attachment (I use a Weber Summit with an infrared rotisserie burner. Here is the current version of my grill.)
- Aluminum foil drip pan (9“x13”, or whatever fits your grill. I use an enameled steel roasting pan.)
- Butchers twine
- Instant Read Thermometer
- One bunch thyme and a couple of sprigs of rosemary, tied at the stems to use as a basting brush (or, just a regular basting brush
)
)Notes
- This next note gets into the details bacteria in pork. If you're squeamish about that kind of thing, you may want to skip down to the recipe below.
- Still with me? Great! Here we go.[/footnote] Cooking pork to medium is almost a requirement for this recipe; that's why I recommend only cooking it to a maximum of 145°F. Modern Pork is trichinosis free*, and very lean. (Did I mention that already? Why? Because trichinosis comes from the feed of the pigs (um...well, basically they have to eat garbage to get it. See the link above, if you want all the squeamish details.) If you buy your pork from a grocery store, you're not going to get trichinosis.
- By cooking to 145°F, with a three minute rest, the carry-over cooking from the heat in the meat will take it over the point where the USDA says that trichinosis is definitely dead.
- If you insist on cooking your pork to well done, use a cut of Pork Shoulder (aka Boston Butt Roast), and my Rotisserie Pork Shoulder recipe instead. Pork shoulder has the internal fat to stand up to being cooked well done without turning into sawdust.
I wrote a cookbook!
Rotisserie Grilling Cookbook
New to your rotisserie and need help with the basics? Love your rotisserie and looking for new ideas? Grab a copy of Rotisserie Grilling! You'll get 50 of my favorite rotisserie recipes and expert tips on how to set up and use your rotisserie.
Rotisserie Boneless Pork Loin Roasts, Brined, Rubbed and Maple Syrup Glazed
- Total Time: 5 hours
- Yield: 8-12 1x
Description
Rotisserie pork loin, brined and glazed with maple syrup.
Ingredients
- 2 (2 pound) boneless pork loin roasts (aim for the thickest roasts you can find, and try to get them roughly the same length)
Brine
- 2 quarts water
- ½ cup table salt
- ¼ cup brown sugar
Rub
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, whole
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, whole
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Glaze
- ¼ cup maple syrup, (preferably "Grade B" maple syrup)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon reserved rub
Instructions
- Brine the pork roasts: Stir the brine ingredients in a large container until dissolved. Add the pork loins and refrigerate for 3 to 8 hours.
- Prepare the grill: A half hour before cooking, prepare your rotisserie for cooking on indirect high heat (450°F+). For my Weber kettle, I light a chimney starter full of charcoal, wait for it to be covered with ash, then pour it in two equal piles on the sides of the grill, and put the drip pan in the middle, between the piles.
- Make the rub and glaze: While the grill is heating, crush the whole seed ingredients into a coarse grind, then stir in the other rub ingredients. (I do this using a mortar and pestle - or using a coffee cup and a spice jar as the mortar and pestle,). Whisk the glaze ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Truss and spit the pork roasts: Remove the pork loins from the brine, and dry them thoroughly with paper towels. Score the fat on the top of the roasts in a 1" diamond pattern with a sharp knife, being careful not to cut into the meat. Cut a slit through the side of the roasts, until it just reaches the far side, but don't cut all the way through - you want to open the roast up like a book. Sprinkle the roasts evenly with the rub, patting to help it stick to the meat. Close the cuts back up, then put the roasts back to back, with the fat sides facing out. Truss the two roasts together, making one big roast, spacing each tie about 1 inch apart. Finally, run the spit between the two tied roasts, making sure the prongs on the spit go into the roasts.
- Rotisserie the pork: Put the spit on the grill, and turn on the rotisserie motor. Cook with the lid closed. It should take 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the thickness of the pork roasts. 2 (2 pound) roasts should be done in about 1 hour. It's better to go by temperature, though - you want the thickest part of the roast to measure 145°F for medium (or 135°F for medium-rare plus, with just a hint of pink). Start checking the temperature at the 30 minute mark. When you check the temperature at 30 minutes, brush the roast with the maple syrup glaze, and then brush it every 10 minutes after that.
- Rest, carve and serve: Remove the spit from the grill, remove the roasts from the spit, and remove the trussing twine from the roasts. Brush the roasts once more with the maple syrup glaze, then let them rest for 15 minutes. Carve into ½" thick slices and serve.
- Prep Time: 4 hours
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Rotisserie
- Cuisine: American
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Questions?
Comments? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
Related Posts:
Click here for my Rotisserie Pork Shoulder Roast recipe
Click here for my other rotisserie recipes.
Inspired by:
I got the idea for tying the pork loins together to make a thicker roast from Jamie Purviance in Weber's Way to Grill cookbook.
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Meme says
Used the rotisserie on the bbq for the first time. This recipe was a huge success! Thanks so much!
Mike V says
You're welcome!
Stuart says
I like the sound of this recipe I have to cook about 40lbs of pork roast can I do this recipe ,can I cook it in advance and can I cook 20lb roasts at once
Mike V says
I don't know. Sorry.
Bruce says
Very helpful question and answer, earlier, about rotisserie timing for larger loin roasts as I have bought an 11 lb whole loin and will cut it in half to make 2 5.5 lb roasts. I am cooking tomorrow, #WorldWhiskyDay, and am going to splash some Sortilège, a most delicious maple syrup infused Canadian whisky, over the inside of the roasts after I add the rub to those inner surfaces! Can't wait to try this! It's clearly a winner, as have been your other recipes I have tried! Thank you!
burnsi says
Another top notch recipe!!!
I brined for 3-hours and rotisserie cooked on a propane BBQ, indirect with the two outside burners on high. The BBQ temp hovered around 425-degrees. The meat temp sat at 130 after 55-mins and I reverse seared it for 5-mins to complete the cook to 140 and brown it up a bit more.
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
The cooking time is determined by thickness. I'm assuming you have two whole (4.5 pound) pork loins- they will still take about 45 minutes to cook. The ones I was cooking were shorter, but the same thickness.
Remember, that's an estimate - I could be off by ten minutes in either direction, depending on your grill, so you really want to go with an internal temperature of 140°F and start checking after 30 minutes. (The timings change even on the same grill - the last time I did this it took 50 minutes.)
Good luck!
Laurette Russell says
Sounds tasty!! wowould like to try 2 4.5lb roasts on indirect heat . Can you estimate the time it would take to get 140 deg.?
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
You're welcome - glad you liked it.
pianoplayer says
Mike V. As always a fantastic brine and a great idea for a rub. The fennel and coriander were great. I wished I made more for the rub. You said you "pulled out all the stops"...well I would like to add one more "stop" before the rotisserie. Grilling at high temp to sear in all the juices. Depending on the cut; I had a 9 pound loin; my searing was 4 minutes a side. Another variation I did was I scored all over the meat, not just the fatty side. Hoping that the brine and glaze would soak into deeper layers. Just my two cents. Mike thanks for all the great recipes.
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
Absolutely, you can cook it indirect. You won't get quite as good of a browned crust, and it might take a few minutes longer, but it will still turn out well. Flip the roast halfway through the cooking time, and cook to the internal temperature of 140*F.
Good luck!
Adrian Gutierrez says
Hi Mike,
I don't have the rotisserie attachment but this recipe looks delicious and I have a pork roast brining as we speak so I am going to cook it no matter what. Question: is it absolutely necessary that I have the rotisserie attachment? Can't I cook on indirect heat for nearly the same amount of time using a drip pan underneath in between two piles of charcoal? Would it require the same amount of time? I was hoping to grill it since I do have some good apple wood left over and it's still hot in San Diego in mid-October. Thanks for the input. I dig your blog!
MikeV @ DadCooksDinner says
@David:
You're welcome. I'm glad you liked it!
Anonymous says
Great recipe. I made three different styles of pork loin roasts for Thanksgiving yesterday.
I made your recipe exactly as described for ingredients.
I did use an electric rotisserie roster though.
Every single person there loved yours the best.
Congrats on an awesome winning recipe.
Apparently this one will be the one I keep making for holiday events.
Thanks again Mike.
David
MikeV @ DadCooksDinner says
@Lisa:
You're welcome, and thank you for the detailed update!
Lisa says
Made this tonight with slight modifications...single 3.5# pork loin (1/3 Costco roast), and haven't been able to find coriander seed, so used ground. Also chopped up potatoes and onions to fill the drip tray (EVOO, salt, pepper, Old Bay). Also used my own 1 1/2 hour brine from Cooks Ilustrated before I found your recipe for the rotisserie part.
Anyway, it was FANTASTIC. This rub is really, really good and kept it very savory which some maple glazes tend to be almost dessert-sweet. And I'm getting tired of thyme based flavors, so my family really enjoyed this.
Thanks for introducing us to great rotisserie! This is my first one (Weber Summit) and your blog is very inspiring!
MikeV @ DadCooksDinner says
@Anonymous:
You're right, that was a typo. (TKLink was supposed to remind me to come back and fix it.)
It's supposed to be 1 tsp dried lemon peel, which I get from Penzeys spices. You can either skip it, or add 1 tsp of lemon zest.
Thanks for the catch!
MikeV
Anonymous says
Hi Mike,
I'm going to try this recipe tonight, but I was wondering about this ingredient:
"1 tsp dried garlic peel TKLink"
Is this a typo?