While serving a magnificent roast at dinner can feel extremely gratifying, it can equally induce stress, particularly if you're not accustomed to preparing it often. Butterflying your roast is a straightforward method that can ensure your expensive cut of meat remains juicy, incredibly flavored, and aptly seasoned.

Butterflying is a technique of cutting a boneless piece of meat into a uniformly thick and flat cut. Once the meat is flattened, you have the freedom to enrich it with your choice of herbs, cheese, and other tasty fillings. After flavouring, you can roll the roast into a uniform structure and secure it using butcher twine or skewers.

Butterflied roast presents the opportunity to explore a wide variety of flavors. Sophina Uong, the executive chef and owner at New Orleans’ Mister Mao, recommends a stuffing of garlic, vegetables, mushroom duxelle, herbs, or even cornbread.

The art of butterflying and its execution are simpler than you might think, and this guide walks you through it in four uncomplicated steps. Practically any boneless roast, including beef, lamb, pork, or turkey, can be butterflied.

"Butterflying a beef roast is a good choice as it creates a more evenly cooked piece of meat. Further, it allows the seasoning to permeate the large, dense cut of meat," points out Analisa LaPietra, chef de cuisine at Prohibition, operating in Charleston and Columbia, South Carolina.

Uong has a preference for pork loin for butterflying due to its uniform shape, quick cooking nature, and compatibility with various flavors. She asserts that a well-seasoned and stuffed skin-on pork belly rolled back together after butterflying can be a true show-stopper.

LaPietra advises placing the fat-side roast on a cutting board lengthwise. Position your knife one-third from the bottom of the roast and start slicing horizontally through the meat, parallel to the board, stopping roughly an inch before reaching the other side. Open the flaps of meat as if turning a book page.

For the subsequent slice, place the thick part of the roast on the board, cut horizontally through the segment towards its outer edge, folding out as you cut. Stop about an inch from the roast's edge. The roast's thinner section should guide the thickness. Your work is complete once the meat reaches approximately one-inch uniform thickness.

You can proceed to season, stuff, and roll the roast once it's butterflied and uniformly flattened. A simple seasoning mix of garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper spread on the butterflied roast works well, according to LaPietra.

Once the roast is seasoned or stuffed to your liking, roll it back up tightly in the same direction you originally sliced through. Secure this roll with butcher's twine or wooden skewers spaced out about an inch apart, then cook it to your preferred temperature.

For first-timers, a sharp knife and a large, sturdy cutting board are essential tools. Remember, it's okay to make mistakes. As Uong suggests, any sewing errors can often be hidden by simply tying the roast up well. She adds, “Don’t fret about the roast looking ugly when raw. You’re the only one who’s going to see it before it’s sliced to serve.”