Butterflied and Stuffed Pork Loin

We’re trying another pork recipe from Wayne’s special list, and for this one I get to learn a new technique – butterflying a pork loin. The recipe gave some instructions, but there weren’t super clear so I looked for a video of the process. Here’s the one that was most helpful. Basically, for a 4-pound roast that’s about 3″ thick, cut a slit lengthwise about 1″ from the bottom, but not all the way through. Open it up. Then, from the center, going into the thicker side, cut another 1″ lengthwise slit, and open that up so you have a large flat piece of meat. This is called a double butterfly. You could also try a “roll cut” or a single or triple butterfly. Were you even aware of these possibilities! I wasn’t.

Notice that I flipped the cutting board around after the first cut, so I could make the second cut working from the same direction.

Now that your meat’s prepared, you can make the filling. (Alternatively, you can make the filling first and set it aside until ready for it.) 

Chop 6 slices of bacon and cook until mostly crisp. Drain off most of the grease, the add 2 apples (chopped), 1 shallot (finely chopped), and 3 cloves garlic (minced), and cook until softened. Season with salt and pepper, and stir in 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh rosemary and 1/4 cup of chopped pecans. 

Season the pork piece with salt and pepper, then spread the filling all over it. Roll up carefully and secure with kitchen twine. Rub all over with about 2 tablespoons of grainy Dijon mustard and place in a pan on a roasting rack. Top with a few sprigs of fresh rosemary and roast for about 1 1/2 hours at 325 degrees, or until the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees. Baste occasionally. (I forgot to do that, and it still turned out to be quite moist.)

Let set for 15 minutes, then carve and serve. Doesn’t this look scrumptious? It was!