Traditional Christmas porky lunchmeat from Scandinavia. Sylte.


 

Geir Widar

TVWBB Wizard
I thought some of you might like to see a traditional Scandinavian Christmas lunchmeat/Smorgasbord tradition. Sylte/Sylta. It is made mainly from pork meat, and in some areas, calf as well.
You can make this from different parts of the pig, and one old tradition is to use cooked pig heads. I’ve done that, but I must admit that the smell of a steaming hot pig head is, well overwhelming. No Sylte for me that year, to be frank.

An easy way out is to use some ribs and rind, easy to find, and cheap here before Christmas.
You will need some kind of press. I have used a food press, but a cheesecloth, a bowl, a cutting board and something to apply pressure, lets say 10 pounds on top of that will do the trick.
To see my press, have a look here, where I do mean things to pieces of lamb meat: http://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?37563-A-recipe-for-those-who-like-lamb-and-are-afraid-of-vampires

Now, you need to take your rib/rind meat and cook it for a couple of hours in unsalted water. It’s not supposed to boil, just simmer. Remove any bones beforehand.
Here is a pic of a couple of pounds of meat, with the spices needed. If someone wants to try this, please ask for the accurate recipe.
P1020825.jpg

Now, while the rib/rind is still hot, try to separate the fat and the meat, and put the pieces of meat in layers in your chosen bowl/press/bread form. Add spices between the layers, plan to put together let’s say five layers, three lyers of meat an two layers of fat. Start with some rind at the bottom, and top your creation with another layer of rind.
Let the meat cool down after applying your pressure, open up the next day, after storing overnight at temps like 40 degrees f, and this is what you will see:
P1020826.jpg

Sharpen up your best knife, or your meat cutter, and after a few cuts, it looks like this.
P1020827.jpg


Enjoy this meat with rye bread, a nice, strong mustard, or even more traditional lefse, mustard, and a nice lager beer. And maybe an aquavite. Or two. Works best if you get one shot in each leg. The aquavite.
 
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That look absolutely beautiful. If it tastes even half as good as it looks, I would be more than content with this. Thanks for this.
 
Geir, how come there's not a layer of lutefisk?;)

I live in a small city with a very strong Norwegian heritage but I don't think I've ever heard of sylte before.
 
Geir this looks amazing! I have had this a few times but probably not as good as yours!! Just a thought? What about throwing the whole works in the smoker and add some smoke flavor to it? Just a thought...little cool smoke to about 150..low enought to not render fat?...probably kills the tradition bit might be interesting!

Take care!
 
Hi, GEIR. Yes, I am following you into SYLTA land.I have been trying to find that stainless press. LOVE GADGETS...but cannot find where to buy..Hope you have a source for this beauty.
 
Hi, GEIR. Yes, I am following you into SYLTA land.I have been trying to find that stainless press. LOVE GADGETS...but cannot find where to buy..Hope you have a source for this beauty.

I can find a couple of shops that sells this here in Norway. I bought mine second- hand, and I'm quite sure this is made by a metal worker on the spare time. It has a couple of "non- professional touches" that a manufacturer would not use.

To make a long story short, you can make just as nice and tasty Sylte with a suitable cake mold, round or rectangular. A cheesecloth, a piece of wood or plastic, like a cutting board, and something like a few bricks, some vices and so on to apply pressure works just as good. I've been using that for at least twenty years.

The reason for repeating those pieces of information, is that the presses I have found are horribly expensive.
But, it you are up to it, you'll need to pay about 400 USD for a new one, plus shipping. I do not think it is worth it, as long as you're not a professional that needs a press that can be sterilized like the food industry needs to do.
 
Now I know what to do, my friend. Thanks for your patience. A common red brick here is about 5 pounds.....so two of them. ( just about the same bricks that I use when I make gravlax, and it is the BEST !!)
Just use a common, rectangular meatloaf, bread pan. Top the cloth covered loaf with clear plastic wrap then top this with a rigid something that will just fit inside the loaf pan, place the 2 bricks on top and instant press. ( Oh, better stabilize the bricks !!, a small technical challenge , and make sure that the bricks will not come to rest on the pan edges, thereby ...no, or less compression. ) Thanks, Geir.
 
It seems that you already have full control of the finer details of the press- process. An american making gravlaks? Way cool, I thought we were the only ones still crazy enough to enjoy fermented fish!

May I suggest that you apply let's say one brick to start with, and then a couple more when the meats starts to cool down. You do not want to press out all of the broth from the sylte. Some broth is OK, too much makes it hard to keep the bits and pieces hang together during slicing.

Now, please report back, and if you want me to supply a detailed recipe, I will give you one, but as with all traditional food there are lots and lots of almost similar recipes, all claiming to be "The best".

A bit off topic, but still, I know that "lutefisk and lefse" are quite common in some areas in the US. That's fine by me, but here in Norway, lutefisk is used as a dinner meal, with hot potatoes and a looong list of condiments, based on quite local traditions. The only place I know where they eat cold lutefisk with the lefse is in Gudbrandsdalen. That area is not a large part of Norway.

So, if you'd ask a native Norwegian what he/she eats before and during Christmas when it comes to traditional food, I'd guess that almost everybode enjoys a few "Lefse and Sylte" with mustard for lunch, and only a handful will eat "lefse and lutefisk".
 
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Geir, how come there's not a layer of lutefisk?;)

I live in a small city with a very strong Norwegian heritage but I don't think I've ever heard of sylte before.

Maybe because the taste would be more fitting to scare away racoons than food ment for humans?

Well, now is your chance to introduce a real Norwegian tradition in your home town. I'd supply you with all the details you need.

I used a few minutes on Google Earth, and I must admit I was touched, and quite proud to see all the Norwegian flags displayed in your nice home town. I wish I could make a visit.
 
An EXCELLENT post my friend Geir!

Butt, i gotta ask, since no one else did....
What Weber product did you employ to create this? ;)
 
Seeing your sylte brings back memories of my grandmother's sylte when I was a kid. She always served it with little vinegar and lefse and butter on the side. About this time of year I miss her krumkake, fatiman, sankake (apologies for spelling) and other Christmas cookies.

Thanks for sharing!
 
An EXCELLENT post my friend Geir!

Butt, i gotta ask, since no one else did....
What Weber product did you employ to create this? ;)

Well, first of all I used my gasser to cook the meat outside, since I did not want to cook it in the kitchen. And as usual, I used my Weber (C) apron during the cutting and making of the sylte.
Good enough? :p

But I see your point. This is a BBQ- forum, and this dish has no connection what so ever to BBQ. I'll keep that in mind the next time I do something like this. I'll keep it to myself.
 
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