Serbian Stuffed-and-Grilled Pork Loin

[TasunkaWitko]

This incredible dish is known in Serbia as punjena vešalica, and is a Serbian preparation of a stuffed and grilled 2-pound-ish section of pork loin. When I prepared this before earlier this year, I found it to honestly be the best pork-loin-specific recipe that I've ever tried - at home or dining out. It also has the advantage of being very easy to prepare, making it one of those dishes that give incredible bang for the buck in terms of flavour and WOW factor with dinner guests.

It is still summer here and I haven't had nearly enough opportunities to do any barbecue or grilling this year, so this will hopefully inspire me to get it done and complete a pictorial, which I wasn't able to do the first time I made it.

Here is the recipe for punjena vešalica, which came to me by way of Brook (HistoricFoodie) via Steve Raichlen's Planet Barbecue (Brook's comments in parentheses):

Serbian Stuffed Pork Loin

1 piece center-cut pork loin, about 2 lbs
3 ounces (3 to 4 slices) smoky country-style bacon (I use European slab bacon, and barely cook it)
Coarse salt and pepper
3 tablespoons Dijon style mustard (Whole grain mustard works nicely too)
3 ounce thinly-sliced smoky ham
2 ounces 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 highly 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.

Note that this recipe employs a butterflied pork loin section; Brook offered some tips and tricks for butterflying a pork loin, including Raichlen's description of the Serbian method for butterflying a pork loin:

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 involvs 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 on 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.

Serbian Method: 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.

When I tried this back in May, I used a section at the "thin" end of a pork loin that was a little over a pound, which I butterflied in the Serbian fashion, pounded and stuffed. For the stuffing, I used thick-sliced somed bacon, following the instructions to cook it only until it was just done and not much further. I also used a thin-sliced, deli-style smoked ham of good quality. For the cheese, I used provolone, thinking that it would probably be closest to the creamy white, flavourful cheeses that might be found in the region. The mustard used was a dark, stone-ground German-style mustard that seemed to work really well with the rest of the flavours that were in the party.

I then tied the stuffed loin (rather clumsily, I must admit) and grilled it over charcoal and wood on my Weber Kettle; I followed the cooking times pretty closely, maybe adding only a minute or two per side until I got the deep-golden, grilled colour I felt was right. The sear was incredible, providing a crusty, savory, mouth-watering exterior that was a perfect introduction to the smoky,juicy, tender interior that was exploding with all of the flavours that are guaranteed to bring out the carnivore in anyone.

I didn't take any photos, since the loin was half the size of a full recipe, and I had a couple of minor execution issues that affected the looks but not the taste. With luck, I will rectify that situation this coming Saturday, and will share those photos here as well in a new pictorial in the Balkan section.

This was unbeliveably good, and I really think that it has the potential to be one of the best pork loin dishes a person could try. Please, give it a shot - with the simple ingredients and ease of preparation, there's really no excuse not to!

[dsgarner06]

Interesting, I might have to try this.... looking forward to the pictures. Thanks for sharing!

[TasunkaWitko]

Hey, Dean - glad you like the look of it; having experienced it, it's not a "might" have-to-try - it's a "must"-try! I was greatly impressed with it, and whole-heartedly recommend it.

I'm woefully behind in my photo work for my projects this summer - some going back to April or May - so if you do try this and take photos, please indeed post them. I am pretty sure that the visual impact will push anyone who is on the fence into giving this a try ~

[dsgarner06]

Hey, Dean - glad you like the look of it; having experienced it, it's not a "might" have-to-try - it's a "must"-try! I was greatly impressed with it, and whole-heartedly recommend it.

I'm woefully behind in my photo work for my projects this summer - some going back to April or May - so if you do try this and take photos, please indeed post them. I am pretty sure that the visual impact will push anyone who is on the fence into giving this a try ~

Yeah you're prolly right... I'll put it on my to do list based on your recommendation. We'll see who gets the pictures done first

[gracoman]

Yeah you're prolly right... I'll put it on my to do list based on your recommendation. We'll see who gets the pictures done first

I will make this but think I would rather roll and tie for better presentation. What do you think?

[TasunkaWitko]

Hey, GM - rolling and tying is definitely an option that would be do-able, but you might want to reduce the cooking temperature and lengthen the cooking time. With the butterflied pork is on the outside, with the already-cooked bacon and ham (and of course the cheese) inside, so the whole thing cooks faster than it would if it were rolled with pork in the centre that would need to be cooked.

Like I said, it can be done, I am sure - just a matter of adjusting time and temperature, I think; otherwise, it would probably be burned on the outside long before the center pork was finished.

Looking forward to seeing it getting done!

[gracoman]

Hey, GM - rolling and tying is definitely an option that would be do-able, but you might want to reduce the cooking temperature and lengthen the cooking time. With the butterflied pork is on the outside, with the already-cooked bacon and ham (and of course the cheese) inside, so the whole thing cooks faster than it would if it were rolled with pork in the centre that would need to be cooked.

Like I said, it can be done, I am sure - just a matter of adjusting time and temperature, I think; otherwise, it would probably be burned on the outside long before the center pork was finished.

Looking forward to seeing it getting done!

If I'm reading this correctly, after the stuffing has been added, the loin is folded in half, like a book. I believe I may see some advantage here. Is this correct?

[TasunkaWitko]

yes, you are correct. a butterflied pork loin would be opened up like a book, pounded flat, and then the stuffing laid down on the "bottom half." then the "top half" would be folded over the stuffing like a flap, then the whole would be tied shut and grilled. the serbian method is basically the same, except the butterfly cut would start at the "thin" or tapered end of the loin (toward the point) - the knife would run down the length of the loin parallel to the cutting board and the cut would stop just short of the thick end. then you open, pound, stuff, fold over, tie etc.....

you can read some elaboration on this idea (along with a third option for butterflying a pork loin) here:

http://www.foodsoftheworld.activeboa...topic1956.html

[gracoman]

Got it.
Thanks!

But I've gotta admit, I wish I could see a picture before I post my pictures
It's going to be a week or possibly two.
Next on my list is Thai spicy baby backs, after that was, well, things can be moved around as long as I haven't already purchased the ingredients. This sounds really good!

[TasunkaWitko]

I agree, a photo would help - it's one of those things where it sounds complicated on paper/screen, but really is simple as pie. I did a quick search on google, and found this, which would work, but it is not the Serbian method:

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_MjieoKH3onA/Sw...lypork0123.jpg

A lot of the googled photos show the butterflying going further, to the point where the loin is flattened out completely - this is normal if you are going to roll it, but for "sandwiching" it, it's too much; just the one cut, then flatten.

The Serbian method is similar, except instead of cutting from side-to-side on the loin, it would be from end-to-end, with the blade of the knife parallel to the cutting board, until you get half an inch or so from the wider end. Then the top is flipped open and it is pounded, stuffed etc. Think of a subway sandwich where the bread is cut completely through except for one end of the loaf. If you have access to a copy of Planet Barbecue, by Steve Reichlen, it will show it; and when I make this, I will of course photograph it.

The actual method isn't that important, a butterflied loin is a butterflied loin - but if you want to keep it Serbian, that's the way to go.

[TasunkaWitko]

Here's another, more elaborate method:

http://dinnersreadyarkansas.com/blog...8/IMG_2198.jpg

And then of course the loin can be pounded and the stuffing laid out, then the top fodled over so that the pieces overlap, then tied etc.