Buying and lighting calculator · Pork
How much pork loin do I buy and when do I light?
Pork loin is the lean cut par excellence: boneless, with a thin fat cap and an even thickness. It is sold whole, in pieces of 1.5 to 3 kg, or in sections. It loses about 24 % when roasted, mostly water, so we count 260 g per person to end up with about 200 g on the plate. It is the fastest cut in the group, but also the least forgiving: with no intramuscular fat, it dries out as soon as you pass 63 °C. In a kamado it works indirect at about 180 °C, between forty-five minutes and an hour and a half depending on thickness. Pull it when the probe reads 63 °C, let it rest, and do not worry if the centre stays slightly pink: that is the safe, juicy point.
How to ask for it
For 4 people: Ask for a whole boneless pork loin with a thin fat cap, 1.25 kg, cut to an even thickness. Tied with string it holds its shape.
Loin loses about 24 % when roasted, mostly water: 200 g of meat on the plate comes from about 260 g bought. 63 °C in the centre and 15 minutes of rest.
How we calculate it
We start from a reasonable cooked portion (about 200 g of meat on the plate, 170 g of cleaned fish) and convert it to raw weight using each cut's bone and trim loss. "Hungry" adds 25 %. We round up to what is actually sold: quarter kilos, whole pieces, units.
To the cook time (per kilo or per piece, at each method's temperature) we add the kamado's lighting and stabilising (20-45 min depending on the method, as on the recipe pages), the rest, and a margin for long cooks, which vary from one piece to the next. Times are approximate: your kamado, the wind and the charcoal decide; on big cuts, trust the probe.
Frequently asked questions
How much pork loin per person?
Count about 260 g of boneless loin per person, which leaves about 200 g on the plate after losing around 24 % when roasted. A 1.5 kg piece feeds about six people. It is lean and boneless, which is why the raw portion is the tightest in the group.
How long does a 1.5 kg pork loin take in a kamado?
Count about eighty minutes indirect at 180 °C, plus a quarter of an hour of rest. Thickness rules: a thin loin can be ready in an hour. Pull the piece when the probe reads 63 °C in the centre; every extra degree dries it. Start checking early and check often.
What temperature keeps pork loin juicy?
At 63 °C in the centre, with at least 3 minutes of rest; we give it 15 so the juices redistribute. That is the safe minimum for whole cuts of pork and leaves the centre slightly pink. Every extra degree dries it, so pull the piece as soon as the probe gets there and do not wait until it looks white.
Other Pork cuts
- Pork ribs (St. Louis and baby back)
- Pork shoulder (pulled pork)
- Pork collar (neck)
- Fresh pork belly (skinless)
- Pork knuckle (hock, bone-in and skin-on)
- Suckling pig (half, split and cleaned)
- Ibérico pork presa
Approximate figures. Sources and the portion rule are in "How we calculate it".