Instructions

1. Use butcher's twine, a thick, food-safe twine made entirely of some natural material such as linen or cotton without any dyes or other chemicals. String made from nylon or polyester will melt under the heat and any chemicals can leech into the meat when it is cooked.

2. Place the twine horizontally in front of you and place a long roll of meat such as a pork loin on top of it. Draw both ends of twine over the top of the meat.

3. Bring the working end behind the standing end and pull it around to the front. Push the working end over itself to form a loop and bring the working end through this loop from the back.

4. Pull the standing end through the overhand knot completed in Step 3 to the desired level of tension with one hand and tighten the overhand knot with the other to maintain the tension. Tie another overhand knot as described in Step 3 to lock down the first one.

5. Repeat Steps 2, 3 and 4 to tie another butcher's knot with a separate piece of twine about an inch or so away from the first one. Continue this process down the meat until it has been completely trussed.