How to butterfly a boneless pork loin

Matthew Card’s technique and a recipe

By Culinate staff

December 1, 2008

Why butterfly a roast? Butterflying and adding a rich filling helps keep an otherwise lean cut of pork moist, and makes this bargain cut infinitely more festive.

Often you can ask the butcher to butterfly the pork loin for you while you wait. But if that’s not an option, don’t despair. It’s not difficult to do it yourself.

Portlander Matthew Card is a contributing editor to Cook’s Illustrated and writes a monthly column for the Oregonian. Here he shows how you butterfly a pork roast. And once you’ve mastered that, try Matthew’s recipe for Fennel-Stuffed Roast Pork Loin.

1. 
   Start with a boneless pork loin; lay it on the cutting board. If it’s tied, release the strings that bind it.
2. 
   Begin at one end of the roast. About an inch from the cutting board, cut a horizontal incision, about an inch deep.
3. 
   As you cut from one end of the loin to the other, pull back the meat.
4. 
   Once you’ve cut the entire length of the loin, return to the top and cut deeper into the loin, while pushing away with your free hand, as if you’re unfurling a paper towel.
5. 
   Each time you’ll want to cut in no more than an inch.
6. 
   Repeat until you’ve cut the entire length of the loin.
7. 
   Eventually the loin will lie flat.
8. 
   Your pork loin is now ready for stuffing and rolling.

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