Cold meat cuts are an integral part of Russian culinary traditions. No festive table comes without large platters with slices of roasts, all kind of sausages and smoked poultry. In that selection, buzhenina – cold pork roast with garlic, dry herbs and seasonings – holds a special place. This classic recipe yields reliably tender meat with a flavourful coating, perfect as a starter, snack or in a sandwich.

The Flavour Affair:

Pork + Garlic + Paprika + Dry Herbs + Salt + Mustard

A fair sized chunk of meat is rubbed with an aromatic blend, coated with mustard, marinated and sent off to its cooking journey.

Pork: choose a cut that has some fat on it – that helps prevent the meat from drying during cooking. Shoulder is a great option, or you can also go for neck which is only slightly fattier.

Garlic: whole cloves of garlic are tucked into cuts on the surface of the meat. As the meat cooks, garlic softens, imparting deep, warm, sweet notes to the roast. Once cooled down, those garlic cloves add a satisfying creamy texture to the bite.

Paprika: brings in a delicious smokiness. Hot or sweet smoked paprika is mixed with dry herbs, salt and other spices to create the rub.

Dry Herbs: typically, we use rosemary and thyme for this recipe.

Other Seasonings: you can do with just salt. Alternatively, you can also add some onion or garlic powder, a barbecue mix or any other meat seasoning of your choice.

Mustard: after the rub, we coat the meat with a layer of mustard to add spicy, slightly tart notes.

Preparation Tips for Cold Pork Roast with Garlic, Mustard and Herbs:

Making buzhenina is very simple, yet it is a lengthy process. The meat needs time during the different stages to soak up all the flavours. You main job is to keep track of when to move to the next stage. Below is the summary of steps with timings.

Step 1: Marinate. This is the most active part. Here, you prepare the rub by mixing together equal parts of paprika, dried herbs, extra seasonings with 1/2 part of salt. You make cuts into the meat with a small knife and stuff them with garlic cloves. Then, you coat the roast with mustard (best use a silicon spoon for that). Lastly, you place it in a deep-ish dish and cover with cling film, trying to avoid the film touching the meat.

The hardest part’s over! Now, send it into the fridge for 5-8 hours.

Step 2: Take the pork out and leave at room temperature for one hour. It is important for even cooking to bring the internal temperature of the meat up before roasting it.

Step 3: Take the cling film off and wrap the pork into foil. Make sure wrap it into a few layers to avoid any liquid coming through.

Step 4: Switch the oven on at 180C. Send the tray into the oven without waiting for it to heat up. Roast for 1.5-2 hours depending on the size of the cut.

Step 5: Switch the heat off and leave the meat in the oven for another two hours while it is cooling down.

Step 6: Take the roast out and unwrap. There will be liquid in the foil – discard it. Place the meat onto a dish, cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for minimum four hours.

After that, it is finally ready to be devoured!

Serving Suggestions:

Our favourite way to enjoy buzhenina is on its own or over a slice of rye bread. Whichever it is, loads of creamy horseradish or mustard is a must! It also works great in a sandwich with lettuce, crunchy cucumbers and fried onions:

Buzhenina keeps well in the fridge for up to a week, so go for a bigger pork cut or two smaller ones not to run out too fast!

Looking for more Russian classics? Try out these delicious syrniki – Russian Cottage Cheese Pancakes!

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