Name: Punjena vešalica
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 53 min
Yield: 4 stuffed pork cutlets
Cuisine: Serbian
Ingredients: 800 g boneless pork loin — four 200 g thick slices, trimmed; whole-muscle cut; 8 g fine salt — seasoning; 2 g ground black pepper — seasoning; 15 ml sunflower oil — light surface coating; 120 g semi-hard cow's-milk cheese — pasteurized; cut into batons; melting filling; 100 g ready-to-eat smoked ham — thinly sliced; savory filling

Yield 4 stuffed pork cutlets

Preparation time 30 minutes

Cooking time 20 minutes

Passive time 3 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Punjena vešalica with pork loin, smoked ham and melted cheese

Punjena vešalica is a stuffed whole-muscle pork preparation, not a minced-meat patty. The cut used here is boneless pork loin, often described in Serbian butchery and restaurant language as laks kare. A thick slice is opened so it becomes a broad cutlet, then a modest filling of smoked ham and semi-hard cheese is enclosed before the meat goes to the grill or pan.

That distinction in the cut explains the different texture from punjena pljeskavica. Pork loin has long, intact muscle fibres and comparatively little internal fat. Pounding makes the slice easier to fold and gives heat a shorter, more even path, but it should not reduce the meat to a paper-thin sheet. Holes created by over-pounding are difficult to repair and become escape points for melted cheese.

The filling remains compact. Ready-to-eat smoked ham contributes salt and cured flavour without requiring a separate raw-meat cook inside the pocket; pasteurized semi-hard cheese gives melt without excessive free moisture. Both stay inside a broad meat border. The folded edge can be secured with toothpicks or short skewers, which must be counted and removed before the plate reaches the table.

A moderate cooking temperature is preferable to a fierce sear. The outside needs browning, but the folded centre has roughly twice the meat thickness of a single cutlet. The thermometer should enter the thickest pork layer from the side and avoid the filling. The whole-cut endpoint is at least 62.8 °C followed by a full 3-minute rest. That rest is part of the safety control rather than an optional pause for presentation.

Because the filling is hotter and softer than the surrounding meat, a probe that passes through cheese may report a temperature that does not represent the pork. Recheck from a second angle when placement is doubtful. After the three minutes have elapsed, remove every fastener and slice through the centre. The pork should remain moist, while the ham and cheese form a distinct interior layer rather than leaking across the pan.

Practical

ControlPound to even thickness without making holes.
ControlKeep cheese away from the perimeter before sealing.
ControlCheck temperature in the thickest pork layer, then complete the 3-minute rest.

Ingredients

Pork and seasoning

800 g boneless pork loin — four 200 g thick slices, trimmed; whole-muscle cut
8 g fine salt — seasoning
2 g ground black pepper — seasoning
15 ml sunflower oil — light surface coating

Filling

120 g semi-hard cow's-milk cheese — pasteurized; cut into batons; melting filling
100 g ready-to-eat smoked ham — thinly sliced; savory filling

Directions

Open and fill the pork

Butterfly the pork loinCut 800 g boneless pork loin into four thick 200 g slices. Butterfly each slice, cover it and pound gently until it opens into an even broad cutlet with no holes. Keep the raw-pork board separate from the tray used for cooked meat. Each cutlet should open flat with an even meat layer and no holes through which filling can escape.
Fill and fasten the cutletsSeason the four cutlets with 8 g salt and 2 g black pepper. Divide 100 g ready-to-eat smoked ham and 120 g pasteurized semi-hard cheese over one half of each cutlet, leaving a broad clean border. Fold the meat over the filling, press the edge and secure it with toothpicks or short skewers. Rub the outside with 15 ml sunflower oil. The filling should sit inside a continuous meat border and the closure should hold when the cutlet is lifted.

Cook and rest

Cook the thickest meat layerCook over medium grill or pan heat for about 20 minutes in total, turning for even browning. Probe the thickest pork layer from the side and avoid both ham and cheese. The pork is ready to leave the heat when the thickest meat layer, measured away from cheese and ham, reaches at least 62.8 °C.
Complete the whole-cut restTransfer the cutlets to a clean warm plate as soon as the pork reaches the endpoint, then leave them untouched for the full rest before removing the fasteners. The 3-minute rest is complete before the cutlets are cut open.

Practical

Serving

Count and remove every toothpick or skewer before slicing. A diagonal cut after the rest shows the filling clearly without sacrificing the juices during cooking.

Advance work

The pork can be opened, filled and fastened a few hours ahead. Keep it covered at 4 °C or below and do not leave the stuffed cutlets on the counter while the grill heats.

Storage

Refrigerate cooked leftovers within 2 hours and use within 3–4 days. Reheat leftovers to 74 °C. Because loin is lean, gentler covered reheating reduces moisture loss.

Filling changes

Another fully cooked ready-to-eat cured pork slice can replace the smoked ham. If it is saltier or fattier, the finished filling will be more intense and may release more fat; the whole-cut pork endpoint does not change.

Control points

Cheese runs into the panGuidance: The filling reached the perimeter or a hole was made while pounding.Adjustment: Leave a broad meat margin and stop pounding before the muscle tears.
Thermometer reads high but pork near the fold is underdoneGuidance: The probe passed through hot cheese.Adjustment: Reinsert the probe into the thickest meat layer away from the filling.

Nutrition

Serving size1 of 4 stuffed cutlets
Calories520 kcal
Carbohydrates1 g
Protein61 g
Fat30 g
Fibre0 g
Sodium890 mg

These values are approximate; ingredient brands, trimming, frying absorption and exact portioning can change the final figures as applicable.

Allergens and food safety

Contains milk. Use cheese made from pasteurized milk and ready-to-eat smoked ham. Cook whole pork to at least 62.8 °C in the thickest meat layer and then give it a 3-minute rest. Avoid measuring through the filling, and refrigerate raw or cooked pork at 4 °C or below.

FAQ

Why is the temperature checked away from the filling?

Cheese can become hotter than the adjacent pork and give a misleadingly high reading. The safety measurement belongs in the thickest meat layer.

Can the cutlet be sliced as soon as it reaches temperature?

No. This whole-pork endpoint includes a full 3-minute rest after the meat reaches 62.8 °C.

Result: The finished vešalica has browned pork around a defined ham-and-cheese centre, with moist whole-muscle texture rather than a compressed minced filling.

Key: Even butterflying and correct probe placement are inseparable from the 62.8 °C plus 3-minute-rest safety control.