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Rullepolse (Scandinavian Spiced Cold Cut)

Prep Time:  7 Days

     Cook Time:  2 Hours

     Serves:  40

Many of Wisconsin’s Norwegian-Americans crave this specialty at Christmastime. Terese isn’t Scandinavian, but after learning how to make it from a friend, she craves it, too.

Ingredients

  • Meat Rolls
  • 2 beef flank steaks, each about 1 1/2 lbs., trimmed of fat and sinew
  • 1 to 1 ¼ lbs. beef sirloin steak
  • 1 to 1 ¼ lbs. boneless pork roast
  • ½ lb. ground pork
  • ½ lb. ground beef
  • 1 big onion, very finely chopped
  • Salt
  • Allspice
  • Pepper
  • Brine
  • ½ lb. pickling salt
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • Simmer Seasonings
  • 2 whole allspice
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • Also
  • Bread or julekake (fruit-filled Scandinavian bread)
  • Softened butter

Directions

  1. Day 1: Using a sharp knife, horizontally cut open each flank into a single, two-sided, book-like piece. Lay wax paper over the top and flatten each “book” by thumping it with a rolling pin. Working with the grain, slice sirloin and pork roast into long strips no more than 1/2-inch thick. Mix onions and ground meat; spread over flanks. Season liberally with salt, pepper, and allspice. Layer meat strips over longer length of flanks; season again. Roll up flanks lengthwise (with the grain) into tight bundles. Use a large needle and heavy kitchen twine to sew them up along the edges. Tightly wrap rolls in cheesecloth and wind with twine again. Mix brine ingredients with 2 quarts water. Immerse meat rolls in brine, weighting with a heavy plate to submerge them. Refrigerate 4 days.
  2. Day 5: Rinse the rolls (do not remove twine or cheesecloth). Place in kettle, cover with cold water, and add simmer seasonings. Bring to a gentle simmer; cook until fork-tender, 2 hours or longer. Remove rolls to a platter, place another platter over them, and add a weight on top. Cool and then chill them 2 days.
  3. Day 7: Remove twine and cheesecloth. Slice rolls thinly and serve on bread or julekake spread with butter.

Notes