Preparing a roulade is not as difficult as you might fear. 1. Start with a trimmed roast, removing most of the fat. Place it on parchment paper, plastic wrap, or cutting board that is larger than you thick the meat will be when finished roll-cutting it.

2. Roll-cut the roast into one flat piece about a half inch thick. I usually do this by cutting across the top to within a half inch of the edge, cut downward to within a half inch of the next edge, pull the flap back and cut across the bottom, again, 1/2″ thick, etc. until you have a single flat piece of pork 1/2″ thick.

3. Spread the filling to within an inch of each edge. Roll it up into a log and truss with twine.

4. Here’s how: Make a loop large enough to go around the roulade with a slip knot, so you can pull it snug.

If you don’t know how to make slip knots, just tie it into a knot. Don’t cut the twine!

With the remaining twine, make another loop, slip it under the roulade, spacing it about two inches or so, knot it again, and repeat until you reach the other end. Don’t worry, the knots don’t have to be perfectly spaced. When the end is reached, I like to pull the ends together, closing them as much as possible, and then run a loop lengthwise, to keep as much filling inside as possible.

5. If the twine seems difficult, you can achieve the same result by using toothpicks or wooden skewers to hold the roulade together. Don’t use metal skewers, because they carry heat inside the roulade and will overcook it.