Rullepolse (Scandinavian Spiced Cold Cut)
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
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.
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.
Day 7: Remove twine and cheesecloth. Slice rolls thinly and serve on bread or julekake spread with butter.
More Recipes
More Recipes by This Author
Edible in your mailbox
