Recipe for: Greater Poland Roll with Bacon and Pickled Cucumber - photo 1
← Recipes

Recipe for: Greater Poland Roll with Bacon and Pickled Cucumber

Spicy European cuisine Regional Cuisine of Poland Main dishes 120 min Medium 0 views ~14.65 PLN * - (0)
Rate:
(0)
Start Cooking

Description

Traditional Greater Poland roll is a baked pork loin stuffed with white bacon and pickled cucumber, here presented in a summer, refreshing version with lightly sautéed onion and mustard. The dish originates from Greater Polish cuisine, where rolls were served at family dinners and holidays; here I propose a version with a touch of seasonal flavors — the tartness of the cucumber and the saltiness of the bacon are balanced by mustard and a light broth sauce. The roll works perfectly as a main dish for a family lunch, a barbecue gathering, or a summer party. It can be served with young potatoes, a salad of seasonal vegetables, or cool cottage cheese with dill; visually, it delights with a dark, sautéed crust, the visible marbling of the bacon, and the green accents of cucumber and parsley.

Ingredients Used

Ingredients (15)

Servings:
6
  • Pork loin 900 g
  • Bacon 200 g
  • Cucumber 0.6 pcs (~180 g)
  • Onion 1 pcs (~150 g)
  • Garlic 2 clove (~10 g)
  • Mustard 60 g
  • Chicken egg 1 pcs (~60 g)
  • Rapeseed oil 30 g
  • Butter 30 g
  • Chicken broth 300 ml
  • 🌿 Spices
  • Salt 0.1 pinch (~4 g)
  • Black pepper 4 pinch (~2 g)
  • Marjoram 2 g
  • ✨ Optional
  • Horseradish 30 g
  • Parsley 30 g
💰 Estimated dish cost: ~14.65 PLN (2.44 PLN/serving)
* Prices missing for some ingredients

💡 Click an ingredient to mark it as used

Preparation steps

Meat preparation

1

Prepare your workspace: a large cutting board, a sharp knife, plastic wrap, a meat mallet, and kitchen twine. Lay the pork loin on the board and pat it dry with paper towels.

Ingredients: pork loin
Use a large, stable cutting board and a sharp knife. If you don't have a meat mallet, use a large pot with a flat bottom. Working with cold meat is easier — keep the pork loin in a cool place until you start cutting.
2

Cut the pork loin lengthwise in half like a book: place your hand on the meat, insert the knife about 1 cm from the edge and guide the blade parallel to the board, without cutting all the way through. Open it like a map; you will get a piece about 1.5–2 cm thick.

Ingredients: pork loin
Use a sharp knife and cutting motions. If you're afraid to cut through the meat, make shallow incisions and repeat. A cut that is too thin will make rolling difficult.
3

Cover the cut pork loin with plastic wrap. Use a meat mallet and, starting from the center and moving outward, pound the meat evenly to a thickness of about 5–7 mm (it should be thinner in the center and slightly thicker at the edges).

Ingredients: pork loin
Use the soft end of the meat mallet and short, controlled strikes. The goal is to even out the thickness — do not crush the meat into a paste. If you don't have a mallet, use the bottom of a saucepan and do not press too hard.
4

Spread and flattened fillet, sprinkle both sides with salt, pepper, and marjoram: first gently sprinkle about 3 g of salt, spreading it with your hand, then 2 g of pepper and 2 g of marjoram, rubbing the spices in with your fingers.

Ingredients: Salt, Black pepper, Marjoram, pork loin
Remember that bacon is salty — try not to oversalt the meat. Season a little more after baking if needed.

Filling

5

Prepare the filling ingredients: slice the bacon if it is not already sliced, cut the cucumber lengthwise into thin, long strips (so that they fit the length of the roll), peel and finely chop the onion, and chop the garlic.

Ingredients: Bacon, Cucumber, Onion, Garlic
A long kitchen knife is useful for slicing cucumbers; if the cucumber is very sour, drain it a bit in a colander.
6

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil (15 g). Add the bacon and fry for 2–3 minutes until it releases some fat and the edges start to brown, but are not yet crispy. Remove the bacon to a plate — leave the fat in the skillet.

Ingredients: Bacon, Rapeseed oil
Use a pan with a diameter of 24–28 cm. The bacon should release fat — this will add moisture to the meat. Do not fry the bacon on high heat for more than 3–4 minutes.
7

In the same pan, add butter (10 g from the prepared 30 g). When the butter has melted, add the onion and sauté for 4–5 minutes over medium heat until it becomes soft and translucent. Add the garlic for the last 30 seconds and stir. Remove from heat.

Ingredients: Butter, Onion, Garlic
Use a wooden spoon for stirring. The onion should be soft and translucent, not brown — this will give a gentle sweetness without bitterness.
8

In a bowl, mix the mustard (60 g) with the sautéed onion and garlic, along with the sliced cucumber and half of the previously chopped bacon. Add the beaten egg (60 g) and mix gently — the filling should be moist but not watery.

Ingredients: Mustard, Onion, Garlic, Cucumber, Bacon
Use a medium mixing bowl. If the filling is too runny, drain the cucumbers in a colander or squeeze out the excess juice with a paper towel.

Rolling and baking

9

Lay the flattened pork loin on a board with the inner side facing up. Evenly spread a layer of mustard-onion filling, leaving a 2 cm margin at the shorter edges. Place the remaining slices of bacon on the filling so that they slightly overlap (this creates a 'marbled' effect). In the center, lay long strips of cucumber.

Ingredients: pork loin, Mustard, Bacon, Cucumber, Onion, Garlic
Use a spatula or spoon to spread the filling so as not to tear the meat. The margins are important to prevent the filling from leaking out while rolling.
10

Start rolling the roulade from the longer side tightly, guiding your hands evenly so that even layers are formed. After rolling, tie the roulade with kitchen twine every 3–4 cm (usually 4–5 knots) to maintain its shape while baking.

Ingredients: pork loin
Use a 3–4 m length of string and scissors to trim the ends. The roll should be tightly rolled — air pockets inside will cause uneven baking.
11

In a hot skillet (it can be the same one you used to fry the bacon), heat 1 tablespoon of oil (15 g). Sear the roll on each side for 2–3 minutes until the surface is nicely browned (the skin should be golden).

Ingredients: Rapeseed oil, pork loin
Use a cast iron skillet or a heavy-bottomed pan; searing seals in the meat's juices and enhances the flavor. Turn the roll with a spatula every 2–3 minutes to ensure even browning.
12

Transfer the browned roll to a baking dish. Pour in the broth (300 ml) so that it reaches about 1 cm up the bottom of the roll (do not cover the roll with broth). Cover with aluminum foil and bake in an oven preheated to 180°C for 40 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 20–25 minutes, until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 68–72°C.

Ingredients: pork loin
Use a meat thermometer — it's the most reliable way to avoid drying out. If you don't have a thermometer, pierce the roll in the thickest part; clear juice means the meat is ready.

Sauce

13

Remove the roll from the oven and transfer it to a cutting board. Let it rest for 10–15 minutes without removing the string — this resting period will allow the juices to distribute evenly. In the meantime, prepare the sauce: pour the juices from the dish into a small saucepan, strain through a sieve, add 50–100 ml of broth if needed, and cook for 5–7 minutes, reducing over medium heat. Add the remaining butter (20 g) and mix vigorously to give the sauce a glossy finish.

Ingredients: Butter, Salt, Black pepper
Use a spoon to skim the fat from the surface of the sauce if you want a less greasy sauce. The sauce should lightly coat the spoon — this is a sign of the right consistency.

Serving

14

Remove the string from the cooled roll. When slicing, use a sharp, long knife and cut slices about 1–1.5 cm thick. Lightly drizzle each slice with the prepared sauce and serve topped with fresh parsley and a few slices of pickled cucumber. Optionally, serve horseradish on the side.

Ingredients: pork loin, Parsley, Cucumber, horseradish
Slicing after resting ensures that the slices will be firm and juicy. For serving, use a large platter or individual plates — a light plate provides a nice contrast to the dark roll and green accents.
15

Serve the rolls with summer sides: young potatoes with butter, a cool tomato and onion salad, or cottage cheese with dill; this will highlight the saltiness of the bacon and the sourness of the cucumber.

Ingredients: pork loin, Cucumber
For a cool salad, use seasonal vegetables — tomato, butter lettuce, fresh cucumber. The roll pairs well with light, refreshing additions in the summer.

Fun Fact

💡

The Greater Poland roll has its roots in the rural cuisine of Greater Poland, where meat was stuffed with local products — bacon and pickled cucumber — to add flavor and extend shelf life. In many homes, the recipe is passed down through the family as a holiday dish.

Best for

obiad rodzinny letnia biesiada święta regionalne

Tips

🍽️ Serving

Serve the slices slightly warm; pour the sauce onto the plate before placing the meat or directly onto the slices. Young potatoes with dill, seasonal salads, and cold drinks based on sour fruits (e.g., rhubarb compote) pair well with the roll. If you want to garnish the plate, add parsley and thin slices of cucumber.

🥡 Storage

Store the chilled roll in the refrigerator in a closed container for up to 3 days. To reheat, slice and warm in an oven preheated to 160°C for 10–12 minutes covered, or in a pan over low heat, adding a little broth to maintain moisture. Repeated reheating is not recommended.

📸 Cooked by the community

Log in to add a photo
Add a photo of the finished dish

After moderator approval, you will receive 10 experience points.

🍲

No one has added a photo yet. Be the first!

Comments (0)

Be the first to comment on this recipe!

Add a comment

You might also like

Grilled pork neck in mustard marinade with bulgur and asparagus 60 min

Grilled pork neck in mustard marinade with...

Main Dishes
Polish broth with pasta and vegetables 180 min

Polish broth with pasta and vegetables

Soups
Country-style kebab with pork neck, grilled vegetables, and garlic-mayonnaise sauce 60 min

Country-style kebab with pork neck, grille...

Main dishes
Winter beef stew braised in dark beer with creamy celery and potato puree 180 min

Winter beef stew braised in dark beer with...

Main dishes
Grilled cod fillets with herbs 20 min

Grilled cod fillets with herbs

Main Dishes
Mediterranean Orzo Salad with Lemon-Herb Shrimp 45 min

Mediterranean Orzo Salad with Lemon-Herb S...

Salads

Recipe Categories

European cuisine
European cuisine

European cuisine is a mosaic of culinary traditions from the Old Continent - from Spain to Scandinavia. Valencian paella and tapas from Spain - sunshine on a plate. Boeuf bourguignon and ratatouille from France - elegance and finesse. Wiener schnitzel and strudel from Austria - Central European c...

See all recipes in this category
Regional Cuisine of Poland
Regional Cuisine of Poland

Traditional recipes from various regions of Poland that showcase the richness of local flavors and ingredients.

See all recipes in this category
Main dishes
Main dishes

Main courses are the heart of every meal - hearty, nutritious, and full of flavor. In this category, we present a rich selection of recipes for lunches and dinners that will satisfy even the most discerning palates. From classic Polish pork chops to aromatic chicken dishes, to exquisite steaks an...

See all recipes in this category
Advertisement