Pork is a meat that has a notoriety for being challenging to prepare. That is because not everyone knows how long to cook a roast in the oven or how to tell when it’s ready.
However, this article has all the answers you need to prevent any failed attempts and cook a pork roast the right way.
So, if you want your next Sunday’s pork roast to come out perfect, keep reading below to see how long you should cook it in the oven as well as get some tips on other things you need to consider before cooking it!
How Long Should I Cook A Pork Roast In The Oven?
The pork roast should be cooked until it becomes tender, and the best way to check it is by poking it with a fork in it and checking how easily it penetrates it
Alternatively, you can also use a toothpick or a skewer. If you see that it goes in and comes out of the pork effortlessly, then you know your meat is thoroughly cooked.
There isn’t a precise time duration you have to cook it for as it all depends on how much pork you plan on cooking and how good your oven is.
However, most pork roasts typically take around 2 hours to be cooked, so you need to plan ahead and have some free time to spend cooking it.
Even so, do not take this number for granted and take your pork out of the oven just because 2 hours have passed.
If you have a big pork piece that can feed a table of 10 people or more, then the meat will most probably not be ready by then.
So, make sure to use the fork or toothpick tip and check your meat to see that it’s thoroughly cooked.
Things To Consider Before Cooking A Pork Roast
Several people aren’t sure how to prepare a pork roast, and even though learning to cook a pork roast is comparable to cooking a brisket or a whole chicken, we are here to give you the specifics of what a pork roast needs.
So, below are certain frequently asked questions we will answer for you before you start cooking your pork roast.
What Is The Distinction Between Pork Loin And Pork Tenderloin?
People frequently mix up the loin and tenderloin, and yet these two cuts come from different parts of the animal.
The loin is a cut from the pig’s back that you can buy both with and without its bone in. Tenderloin, on the other hand, is a cut from the muscle running along the backbone of the animal, and you can only get it boneless.
When it comes to their flavor, the tenderloin has a stronger flavor and less fat on it, whereas the loin has a much thicker fat covering.
Therefore, because of their fat content and flavor distinction, substituting one for the other in recipes is not ideal and won’t work that well.
And, since we are talking about pork roast in this article, the meat cut you should be going for is a loin, and even more so a boneless one.
How Much Pork Should I Cook?
As we said, the more pork you plan on cooking, the more time you will need to cook it for. Even so, how much pork roast you will cook will depend on how many people you will be serving and how much they eat.
On average, people will eat anything from 0.5-1 lb of a pork roast, but someone could eat more or less than that.
So, if you are, for example, a family of four with 2 kids, 2lbs of pork will be more than enough and you might even have some pork left for seconds or for the next day’s lunch.
However, if you are planning on hosting a dinner for your friends, then it’s best to cook more just in case people will be very hungry or eat more than you thought.
After all, your pork roast will be so delicious if you follow our tips for cooking it that even if people are stuffed, they will want to go for more!
How To Cook Pork Roast In The Oven
Numerous pork roast recipes call for mustard, sugar, and a variety of herbs. Even though such ingredients are great, they can make the recipe more complicated.
Both newbies and skilled cooks know that simplicity is key and that tasty, properly cooked-meat doesn’t need much to taste amazing.
That is why for the perfect pork roast for 2-4 people, you will only need:
- Boneless pork loin (about 2lbs)
- ¼ cup of olive oil
- ½ cup of white cooking wine
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon of rosemary
- Salt
- Pepper
The first thing to do is preheat the oven to 350° F. (or 175°C). Then you can start by mixing the minced garlic, salt, pepper, and rosemary before pasting it into the pork crevices.
Pierce the meat all over its surface and about 1-1.5 inches deep with a sharp carving knife so that the garlic mix can be better absorbed when cooking the meat, and then gently massage the remaining garlic mix on the surface with the olive oil.
Roast the pork while regularly turning it and basting it with its juices for about an hour and check with a thermometer (meat should be at 145°F) or use the fork trick.
Once the pork roast is ready, take it out of the oven and let it rest on a platter. Prepare the wine sauce by heating the wine and adding it to the remaining juices from the pan and pouring the mixture over the roast.
Summary
Making the perfect pork roast is quite easy if you follow our instructions and while it can take up to 2 hours or more to cook in the oven, if you go for smaller quantities, you might even have it ready to be served in an hour!
