From a presentation standpoint, little compares to a stuffed, rolled pork loin. But many cooks shy away from it because they find the rolling and retying hard to do. And, according to some, controlling the cooking time on a grill is difficult.
In his truly wonderful Planet Barbeque!, Steven Raichlen has a variation he calls "Serbian Stuffed Pork Loin," which makes the whole process easier. Instead of rolling and tying the loin, after butterflying, it is merely folded over the filling. This makes it easier to handle, obviously, and cuts the cooking time way down.
Since making this the first time I've found it easy to adapt any loin-stuffing to this style. And I discovered that the technique is not unique to Serbia, but, historically, was used throughout Europe and the New World.
To Butterfly a Pork Loin
For some reason, this rather easy technique seems to intimidate many people. Or perhaps it's the badly written instructions they've read? Whatever. Butterflying a loin only involved three knife cuts:
Lay the loin on a cutting board, fat-cap up. It may help if you orient the loin so the end faces you, and the length of it points away. Center your knife the long way on the loin and cut halfway through it. Turn the knife so it is parallel to the cutting board and cut almost through the loin. You should stop the cut so there is a "hinge" of meat at least 1/2 inch thick. Repeat cutting the flap on the other side.
Open the loin like a book so it lies flat. Sometime this requires a little judicious knife work o the hinges, but don't go overboard.
Sandwich the opened loin between two pieces of plastic film and, with a meat mallet, pound it out so it is as even as you can make it and about 1/2 inch thick.
According to Raichlen, in Serbia they butterfly a little differently. Starting at the thin end of the loin, center your knife parallel to the cutting board, and split the loin almost in half, leaving a half-inch hinge. Open it up and pound it into a flat sheet half an inch thick. If you go this route you'll have more evenly sized slices when you cut the roast.
Serbian Stuffed Pork Loin
1 piece center-cut pork loin, about 2 lbs
3 oz (3-4 slices) smoky country-style bacon (I use European slab bacon, and barely cook it)
Coarse salt and pepper
3 tbls Dijon style mustard (Whole grain mustard works nicely too)
3 oz thinly sliced smoky ham
2 oz piquant cheese, such as Edam, Gouda, or Provolone, grated or thinly sliced (My choice is Provolone, to carry through the smoky flavor profile)
Cook the bacon in a frying pan over medium heat until lightly browned and just beginning to crisp. Drain on paper towels.
Generously season the inside of the pork loin with salt and pepper and spread the mustard over it. Arrange the bacon over the bottom half of the open pork loin. Places the slices of ham on top of the bacon, followed by the cheese. Fold the top half of the loin back over the bottom piece. Season the outside of the loin with salt and pepper. If you like, secure the edges with toothpicks or tie the loin with kitchen twine. I hightly recommend this, especially the first time or two, until you develop a feel for turning a package like this.
Set up the grill for direct cooking and preheat it to medium-high. Brush the grate with oil. Set the loin diagonally to the bars and grill until well browned and cooked to medium; the cheese should be melted and sizzling, 6-8 minutes per side.
If you want a cross-hatch of grill marks, cook the first side four minutes, then turn it diagonally in the other direction for the rest of the cooking time. Repeat after flipping.
Transfer the grilled pork loin to a platter. Remove any toothpicks or string. Cut crosswise into slices about an inch thick.
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