Tried and Tested: Norwegian Sylterull (Pork Roll)

picture borrowed from matprat.no

To me, Christmas is in particular about culinary traditions. 

We all eat food and prepare elaborate dishes with spices that we NEVER eat the rest of the year. Recipes and traditions handed down through the generations. But THAT is all part of what makes Christmas special, at least to me.

Being in a foreign land with other traditions means that you either adopt new traditions,

make some new ones yourself or try to adapt the old ones.

Our Christmas is celebrated in rather traditionally Norwegian style.
Being married to somebody without childhood Christmas traditions means I get it all MY way!
Actually, that is the ONLY way he knows how to celebrate Christmas.

No need for compromise here - I rule!

:-)
A couple of weeks ago I made traditional Norwegian sylterull or Norwegian pork roll (I think sylte sounds nicer than the English name...). Sylte is traditional lunchmeat normally only made and eaten at Christmas. I have seen many bloggers using different techniques and recipes, but the description below became my way. I first made it out of a 2 kg slice of pork belly, but as I didn't hide it in the freezer quick enough, I had to make another one this weekend which is now safely in the freezer. Sylte is originally  made of the meat in the pig's head, but THAT is such a sloppy and messy business, so I made it the easy way (besides, I had no pig's head handy):

This is what you need:

1.8 kg pork belly (no bones) with the rind

4 tblsp. salt to 3 liters of water (you might need more water)

Mix in a bowl:

2 tblsp salt

2 teasp pepper

2 teasp clove (nellik)

2 teasp ginger (ingefær)

2 teasp all-spice (allehånde)

3 teasp gelatin powder

Open the slab of pork belly with the rind side down and slice it into two or three slices that hang together so you end up with one long piece of meat. Ensure the rind side is at one end of this piece.

Smear the spice mixture all over the meat and

start rolling the slab together ensuring the rind side is the last bit on the outside enclosing the roll.

Wrap it in a tea towel and fasten well using a good cotton string so it makes a nice tight roll.

Put the roll in boiling water and let it simmer for 1.5-2 hrs.
Let it rest out of the water for about 20 mins before you

Take it out and let it cool for 20 mins
before putting it under pressure (about 6 kg) until it is cold.
If you don't have a special press for this purpose you can balance some books on top of a tray on the sylte.

Some store it in brine, but I prefer to pop it in the freezer.
Serve thinly sliced on bread with a good mustard, pickles or pickled beetroots.

The smell of those lovely spices, the meat and the condiments
- now THAT is Christmas!

to me