Pancetta-Wrapped Kimchi Pork Roulade
Author: 
Recipe type: Entree
Cuisine: Asian Fusion
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 3 - 4 people
 
Ingredients
  • Quick Kimchi Ingredients
  • 1 Napa Cabbage (heavy for its size), sliced into ¼ inch strips
  • water
  • ¼ cup Kosher salt
  • ½ cup gochugaru
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • ¼ cup fish sauce
  • ½ bulb of garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
  • 3 scallions, sliced
  • 2 large carrots, julienned
  • Pork Roulade
  • 1½ pound pork loin, trimmed and butterflied*
  • 4 ounces pancetta
  • kitchen twine
  • Kosher salt
  • black pepper, freshly ground
  • Dipping Sauce
  • 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons mirin
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
  • Garnish
  • Perilla leaves/sesame leaves**, optional
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, for possible crisping after roasting
Instructions
  1. To make the Kimchi, place the sliced Napa Cabbage into a large bowl. Add enough water to cover the cabbage and add the salt, stir to combine. Let sit for 10 minutes. Combine the remaining ingredients of the quick kimchi in a smaller bowl to make a paste. Rinse the salted cabbage well and pat dry. Add the paste to the sliced cabbage and mix well with your hands (I like to wear food safe gloves). Store the mixture in a jar or plastic container. Press the contents down to protect the kimchi from being exposed to too much air and cover. You may use the kimchi right away, or you can keep it at room temperature to ferment for a few of days – the flavor will intensify if allowed to ferment.
  2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. And prepare a sheet pan by lining it with foil.
  3. Place the butterflied pork between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a kitchen mallet to ¼-inch even thickness. Spread the kimchi in a ½-inch thick layer over the meat, leaving a ½-inch boarder on all sides. (You'll have extra kimchi leftover. You can either make another roulade, serve it as a side, or save it to enjoy later). Starting at the narrowest end, roll the pork up like a jelly roll. Then wrap the roulade all the way around with the pancetta. Secure tightly with kitchen twine, being sure to secure the underside and the ends, per this great video tutorial, here. Season the entire roulade liberally with salt and pepper.
  4. Place the roulade on the prepared sheet pan and roast for 30 minutes. If you feel that the pancetta isn't browned/crispy enough, simply heat a large skillet over high heat and add a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Sear the the roulade on each side until golden-brown and crispy (about 30 seconds, per side). Allow the roulade to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
  5. In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the dipping sauce.
  6. Remove the twine from the roulade and slice.Serve with the sesame leaves (optional) and the dipping sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
* You can ask the butcher at any grocery store to butterfly this for you, just tell them you're making a roulade. Otherwise, you can easily do this at home. Simply slice the roulade, lengthwise, making sure not to cut it all the way through - you want to slice it so it opens like a book. Check out this video here.
** Perilla/Sesame leaves have a grassy, somewhat bitter taste that is served with Korean BBQ. They can be found at any Korean grocery store and most general Asian grocery stores.
Recipe by at https://hapanom.com/pancetta-wrapped-kimchi-pork-roulade/