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Friday, November 3, 2017

How to Stuff Pork Right and Wrong


We love pork at Dragon Knuckle. It's cheap, plays well with other flavors and is forgiving to cook. So what's better than pork stuffed with good stuff?

We decided to give it a try. Now, I'm not a butcher so the idea of turning a round piece of meat into a neat rectangle was intimidating. Mess it up and there's no going back. You're making kebabs now.

What cut to use? A loin is best because it's such a uniform tube of meat. A sirloin roast works nice too although it's less regular in shape and will contain more inner fat and connective tissue.

If using a loin, cut it into thirds. The larger, smoother end is the center loin. Use that part and save the rest for other applications.


Get a long knife and make sure it's sharp. Put your pork on a steady cutting board. (I put a damp paper towel underneath and the board won't slide. Guy Fieri learned this trick from someone who learned it from me, maybe.)

Start fat-side down. Make one clean slice not quite all the way through and roll the pork away. Take your time. Keep slicing and rolling. Try to keep the thickness uniform. Before long you'll have turned a cylinder into a rectangle.

Here's a piece of sirloin roast I opened up:

You'll get better with practice. What's the worst thing that can happen? You cut too deep and put a puncture in your neat rectangle. Slice it up and make a stir fry.

What Are We Stuffing It With?

The possibilities are endless. The biggest problem is that once you tie this tight and add heat, your filling may gush out. So consider that.

The same seasoning you'd put on the outside may be plenty. It won't melt and run. You'll get flavor inside and out. Use some fresh herbs too and failure will be harder to achieve.

But you know I tried to get fancy with this. When our garden was going nuts this summer, I made a pesto and halved some cherry tomatoes.

Naturally the tomatoes wanted to squirt out as soon as I applied some twine. Maybe pesto only would have been better.

Next time I blended some cream cheese with dried onion, dried garlic, chives and other seasonings. I grilled it for a while then finished it in the oven.

I'm glad I moved it to a pyrex dish because when the cheese melted, this happened:

Sure, it looks like my pork loin puked, but it tasted good. The cheese picked up some smoke from the fire and turned into a nice spread.

Oh yeah, you'll need some twine. Find a video on how to tie a butcher's knot. Don't squeeze too tight. You only need to keep it shut until you've seared the seem.

How To Cook It? 

I start on the grill or over the fire. Maybe I finish in the oven. I can't tell you how long to cook it. It really depends on the thickness of your roll.

So how to do it right? Use a sharp knife and cut with patience. Stuff it with dry ingredients and tie gently.

How to do it wrong? Think that being a butcher is easy, maul your meat and/or lose a finger. Stuff it with something doomed to melt and ooze into the fire, breaking your heart. Strangle the meat with twine like you were securing a prisoner.

Have fun with it. You'll get better every time. Please share your results. I'm sure you're better at this than me.

Keep it slow and low. - Dragon Knuckle





PS - Ooh, I need to use some dried tomatoes and mushrooms next time.

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