Smørrebrød with Rullepølse, Meat Jelly and Mustard
Prep 10 min Total 81 hr 40 min
Smørrebrød with rullepølse, meat jelly and mustard © kvalifood.com
Rullepølse is one of the most iconic Danish cold cuts with a long history rooted in farmhouse cooking, where the pork shoulder was salted, seasoned, rolled and boiled as a way to preserve the meat. The process takes several days — the meat is rubbed with salt, pepper and allspice, brined for three days, boiled for an hour and a half, then pressed overnight — but the result is a firm, spiced sausage cut into paper-thin slices. The flavour is salty and well-spiced with a soft, fatty texture that melts on the tongue. Meat jelly in cubes and raw red onion are the classic accompaniments, and a stripe of Dijon mustard provides the necessary sharpness. It is the fixed pairing of the Danish Christmas lunch alongside roast pork and herring.
Ingredients
Yields 4 servings
Homemade rullepølse
- 1 pork shoulder (about 1.5 kg), butterflied flat
- 2 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp black pepper, coarsely crushed
- 1 tsp allspice
- 2 bay leaves, crushed
- 1 onion, diced (for boiling)
- 5 peppercorns (for boiling)
Assembly
- 4 slices rye bread (or sifted rye bread)
- butter, for the bread
- meat jelly (see recipe #36)
- 1 red onion, cut into thin rings
- Dijon mustard
- watercress
- coarsely crushed black pepper
Directions
Rullepølse
Rub the flat piece of meat with salt, sugar, pepper, allspice and bay leaves. Roll it tightly and tie with string. Place in a brine of 1 litre water plus 100 g salt for 3 days in the fridge. Then boil in water with onion and peppercorns for 1½ hours. Leave to cool in the cooking liquid, then press under a heavy weight in the fridge overnight.
Assembly
Butter the bread. Cut the rullepølse into paper-thin slices and cover the bread. Scatter the meat jelly cubes on top. Lay on the red onion rings and a stripe of mustard. Garnish with watercress and pepper.
See Also
Smørrebrød with Salt Beef, Meat Jelly and Mustard Vinaigrette
Smørrebrød with Beef Brisket, Mustard and Pickled Cucumber
Smørrebrød with Sylte, Mustard Cream and Pickled Beetroot
Smørrebrød with Danish Salami, Meat Jelly and Red Onion
Smørrebrød with Skipper's Herring, Cream Cheese and Onion
