Bierock Skillet – Ground Beef and Cabbage

I have a grand assortment of food memories from my childhood.  Both of my grandmothers loved to cook and bake and many of those memories involve dishes they made.  Somewhere near the top of the list is my paternal grandmother’s bierock.

I grew up eating bierock at my grandparent’s house in Western Kansas.  The dish is a rustic preparation that was brought to the states by German immigrants. It’s simple, delicious, and filled to the brim with warm memories of being in my Grandmother’s kitchen.

Her bierock were tender pockets of homemade dough filled with seasoned ground beef, onion, and cabbage.  They were baked until the dough was pillow soft and then a light cream sauce was spooned over the top.  It was comfort food of the very best kind.  Nearly four decades have passed since I last enjoyed one of her bierocks, but the memory of them is as clear as if I had tasted one yesterday.

I have dutifully attempted to recreate those tender bierock on many occasions.  Nothing I made came close.  My family enjoyed them, but I couldn’t help comparing them to my grandmother’s.  Mine just couldn’t come close to the memory of hers.

I consider myself a capable bread baker, but the dough I made each time didn’t hold a candle to hers.  I know that she had made those little pockets so many times that she no longer measured the ingredients.  She made them by muscle memory.  Sadly, the batches I made were missing an ingredient I couldn’t replicate.  They were missing her touch.

One night as I was making a skillet full of homemade sloppy Joes, I had a revelation.  I could easily make a cast iron skillet full of bierock filling and bake up a loaf of the Rustic Dutch Oven Bread we love to serve alongside it.  It didn’t take long for that idea to take shape and for “Bierock Skillet and Bread” to show up on our weekly menu board in the farmhouse kitchen.

I am happy to have my own version of bierock to serve at our family table. I like to think that my Grandmother would wholeheartedly approve. I also think that she’d be proud to know that I carry memories of the food she made with such love in her tiny kitchen all these years later.  If I’m lucky, my family will have food memories that last half as long.

Once you’ve made this recipe, you might want to try…

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Bierock Skillet – Ground Beef and Cabbage

Jennifer from 1840 Farm

I like to make a double batch of this meal in a large cast iron Dutch oven. It can be made a bit ahead of time and kept warm and tastes even more delicious the second day. With a hearty loaf of Rustic Dutch Oven Bread, it’s the perfect meal on a cold winter’s day.

Author: Jennifer from 1840 Farm

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage , removed from the casing
• 2 large onions , diced
• 1 large green cabbage , cored and finely shredded or sliced (approximately 6 cups)
• 4 stalks celery , sliced
• 4 cloves garlic , minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• ¼ cup dry vermouth
• ½ cup bone broth or stock

Instructions

• Place a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the ground beef and sausage to the pan. Brown the meat, breaking it apart into small pieces with a large spoon or other implement as it cooks. When the meat is almost cooked through, add the onions to the pan. Stir to combine and cook for 4-5 minutes until the onions are translucent. Adjust the heat as needed to prevent the onions from burning.
• Add the finely shredded cabbage to the pot. Don’t worry about the volume of the cabbage. It will shrink greatly as the cabbage cooks and releases all of its liquid. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté the cabbage, stirring occasionally to encourage even cooking. The cabbage should wilt, release its liquid, and then take on a nearly translucent appearance when fully cooked. The time needed to achieve this state will vary based on the size of your pan and how finely the cabbage is shredded.
• Add the celery, garlic, and thyme to the pan, stirring to incorporate. Cook for 4-5 minutes, adjusting the heat on the pan if needed to prevent the garlic from burning and imparting a bitter flavor.
• Move the ingredients to expose the middle of the pan, pushing everything to the sides. You should see a bit of browned natural sugars from the meat and vegetables on the bottom of the pan. Add the dry vermouth (or other white wine) to the pan to deglaze and immediately use a wooden spoon to scrape the browned bits up from the pan. They will impart delicious flavor and color to the dish. Move the ingredients back into the middle of the pot, add the bone broth, and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper as needed.
• Serve warm with fresh bread and enjoy!

Notes

This dish can be kept warm in a slow cooker for several hours or on the lowest setting on the stovetop with a lid slightly askew. It also rewarms deliciously the next day as leftovers. In both cases, you can easily add a bit of bone broth if needed to prevent it from being dry.

This recipe is delicious made using homemade bone broth and served with a loaf of homemade Rustic Dutch Oven Bread.

Tried this recipe?Mention @1840Farm or tag #1840FarmFood! We can’t wait to see what you make!