GRILL-ROASTED PORK LOIN

ABONELESS PORK ROAST IS AN IDEAL CANDIDATE for grill-roasting. As opposed to barbecued pulled pork, which starts out with a very fatty cut from the shoulder or leg, lean loin roasts are the best choice for relatively quick grill-roasting since they are already tender. However, unlike the thin tenderloin, the loin is too thick to cook over direct heat. The exterior chars long before the interior comes up to temperature.

The pork loin runs along one side of the backbone of the pig, starting at the shoulder, or blade bone, and ending at the hip bone. For roasting (whether on the grill or in the oven), we found that the meat from the center of the loin, called the center loin roast or center-cut loin roast, is best. This piece of meat contains a single muscle, so the grain is tender and easy to carve. The center loin roast is a fairly pale piece of meat and has a relatively mild flavor.

We cooked the two other boneless roasts from the loin before deciding to go with the center loin roast. The blade roast, also called the blade loin roast or loin roast, contains small parts of various shoulder muscles that are redder and more fibrous than the center loin. The meat at the other end of the loin, which is called rib end, hip end, or sirloin roast, is also more fibrous and tougher than the center loin.

Unlike a beef tenderloin, a pork center loin has a fairly even thickness from end to end so there is no need to tuck up one side or the other. To make the meat perfectly even and ensure proper cooking, we found it helpful to tie the roast at regular intervals.

A pork loin can be grill-roasted much like a beef tenderloin. The biggest challenge is keeping the meat moist. A beef tenderloin can be pulled from the grill when the internal temperature reaches 125 degrees and eaten medium-rare. Pork must be cooked to a higher internal temperature to make the meat palatable (rare pork has an unappealing texture) and to kill any possible parasites.

After testing various temperatures, we found that the center loin roast should be pulled from the grill when the internal temperature registers 145 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. After the meat rests for 20 minutes, the temperature will rise to about 155 degrees. The meat will have a slight tinge of pink, but it will be far juicier than roasts cooked to an internal temperature that is just 10 degrees higher. (A temperature of 155 degrees is high enough to kill the parasite that causes trichinosis. However, the USDA recommends cooking all meat to an internal temperature of 160 degrees to kill bacteria such as salmonella. If safety is your primary concern, follow the USDA's guidelines.)

While we had little trouble getting the meat properly cooked on the grill (as with the beef tenderloin, there is no need to turn the meat as it cooks), we found the roast to be a bit bland and not as moist as we might have liked. Both problems stem from the fact that most of the internal fat has been bred out of the pig in recent years. We hit upon two strategies for making the meat taste better and juicier when cooked.

If you have the time, pork (like lean poultry) responds well to brining. A brined pork roasts up juicier, and the saltwater bath also flavors the meat nicely. Our second solution for boosting the flavor in pork loin is to season it aggressively. A potent spice rub or a heady mixture of garlic and rosemary will dramatically improve the flavor of the meat.