Pellet Smoker Cooking: Bierocks to Celebrate the 4th

July 04 2014

For our July 4^th meal I did something a little different this year; Bierocks, pronounced beer rocks. It is an Eastern European recipe thought to have started in Germany or Russia; other European countries have some by different names. It is basically browned ground beef and cabbage cooked down stuffed into sweet bread dough and baked.

Over the 31 years we have lived here our celebrating the 4^th was to go to the St. Joseph 4^th of July picnic. It runs 3 days and usually ends on the 4^th; with fireworks that evening. This year was their 64^th year for the picnic. When the kids were small we always went on the 4^th and the routine was the same; get some lemon shake ups, and then to the French fry stand to get fries covered with malt vinegar and salt, then head for the little red barn for some whole hog sausage sandwiches. The sausage patties are fried on a flat iron grill.

After we ate the kids rode rides, and then Mom ended up at the bingo hall and Dad went to the beer tent and played some show down poker. We all met at 11:00 for the fireworks display and then headed home. This year we went yesterday the 3^rd, had are usual food and took the grandson to a truck and tractor pull at 6:00. My wife and grandson pooped out on me at 8:00 and wanted to go home; we never got to see the big semi rigs pull.

While I am writing this the daughter in law and grandson just came and took Grandma to see the fireworks. Neighbors are shooting off fireworks.

I had some Georgia sweet corn and Tennessee tomatoes to have with my Bierocks. I fried up a pound of ground chuck and chopped onions early and made up the Bierocks. I mixed in about a pint of my homemade sauerkraut, chopped some and used Grand’s biscuits for my bread; I rolled it thin and added about 2 TBS. of the meat mix; pulled up the dough and pinched together. I made up 8 biscuits and had meat mix left, would have done a dozen. They went in the fridge until supper time.

I had water heating on my gas burner for the corn and got my Traeger running at 350 deg. grill level for baking the Bierocks. I did the Bierocks for 20 minutes and the corn for 10 minutes.

Tasted pretty well but the Georgia corn was not good; probably too old and not typical of good Georgia corn. I liked the Bierocks but they needed the mustard I had with them. An afterthought was some sour cream would have been good with them and the tomatoes.

I will be making the Bierocks again but next time I think I will do the cabbage and add some shredded cheese too. Homemade sweet bread dough would be better but for convenience I will stay with the Grand’s biscuits. You could opt for all kinds of ground meat filling mixes.

Cooking the beef mix