Smørrebrød with Roast Pork, Red Cabbage and Pickled Cucumber
Roast pork with red cabbage and pickled cucumber © kvalifood.com
Roast pork on rye is the undisputed centrepiece of the Danish Christmas lunch and the smørrebrød consumed in the greatest quantities in December. The cold roast pork must have crisp crackling — that is a non-negotiable requirement, and it should crunch loudly when you bite into it. The red cabbage is cooked slowly with butter, vinegar, blackcurrant juice and spices for over an hour until soft and sweet-sharp, and it is the classic counterpoint to the fatty pork. Pickled cucumber adds acidity and crunch, and an orange slice is the traditional garnish that appears year after year. This is a smørrebrød with an almost ritual status in Danish culture — it is served every year, and the formula does not change.
Ingredients
Yields 4 servings
Home-made red cabbage
- ½ red cabbage, finely shredded
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 dl red wine vinegar
- 1 dl blackcurrant juice
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cloves
- salt
Pickled cucumber
- 1 cucumber, sliced
- ½ dl apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- dill seeds
Assembly
- 4 slices dark rye bread
- butter, for the bread
- 8–12 thin slices cold roast pork with crisp crackling
- orange slices (traditional garnish)
- fresh thyme
- flaky salt
Directions
Red cabbage
Melt the butter in a pan. Add the red cabbage and sugar and cook for 5 minutes. Add the vinegar, blackcurrant juice, bay leaves and cloves. Simmer covered for 1–1½ hours. Season with salt and more vinegar if needed. The cabbage should be sweet and tangy.
Pickled cucumber
Bring the vinegar, sugar, salt and dill seeds to the boil. Pour over the cucumber slices. Leave for 1 hour.
Assembly
Butter the rye bread. Lay the pork slices on top — make sure each piece has a section of crisp crackling. Distribute red cabbage alongside. Add pickled cucumber and an orange slice. Garnish with fresh thyme and flaky salt.