Traditional Cabbage Rolls With Elk And Wild Boar Bacon

For many families with Eastern European heritage, cabbage rolls are a familiar comfort food. Many cultures claim the credit for inventing this popular dish, including the Persians, Russians, Ukrainians and Polish. There are many variations for the filling ingredients and ways to put a unique twist on this humble dish.

Around the world there are many traditional methods for what the sauce poured on top should be. For this recipe we stuck with the classic Eastern European tomato based sauce. Order meat online to try this one out as soon as possible, everyone loves it.

Also Read: Wild Boar Recipes: 7 Great Ways to Prepare and Eat Wild Boar

We chose to use wild boar bacon and ground elk for this recipe. Traditionally, it calls for ground beef and pork. To be honest, any of our ground meats would taste amazing in these. Our grass-fed beef, bison, lamb, ground wild boar, or shredded chicken would all be delicious.

But the delicate, distinctive flavor of the ground elk mixed with the nutty, rich taste of the bacon were definitely a winning combination. We think you will be happy with the results no matter which of our varieties of meat you choose to fill these cabbage rolls with.

Our elk live free range, essentially wild on 20,000-100,000 acre ranches. They’re never given any amount of hormones, steroids or antibiotics. This meat has delicious flavor and is sought after by local chefs for its versatility. Elk is some of the most nutrient dense and leanest meat you can eat. It’s easier than ever to have this meat delivered straight to your door from Beck & Bulow.

We work exclusively with master local butchers who handle every cut with precision and care. Everything is pressure sealed and flash frozen immediately after butchering to keep the meat at its optimal freshness. We hand pack every order in our Santa Fe warehouse, and ship your meat in reusable coolers with dry ice.

Also Read: Wild Boar Meat: So Much Better Than Domestic Pork

Free Range Elk Meat For Delivery From Beck & Bulow

Wild boar bacon is one of our best selling products of all time. We sell out of it constantly at farmers markets and online. This bacon has a unique flavor that comes from the natural diet the wild boars consume. They love to forage for berries, nuts roots and tubers giving this meat a wonderful and complex taste.

It’s like the pork bacon you know and love, but even better in every way. Wild boar meat is one of the most sustainable foods you can consume since they’re an invasive species. When they’re allowed to overpopulate, these boars destroy crops and disrupt the growth of endangered tree species by digging up the soil in the forests of the southwest.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium head of cabbage
• ½ pound ground elk and ½ pound wild boar bacon, or choose your own combination of meats.
• 1 can organic tomato sauce, divided
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• ½ cup uncooked rice
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 can organic diced tomatoes
• ½ teaspoon coconut sugar

Also Read: Everything You Need To Know About Eating Elk Meat

Instructions:

1. Cook the cabbage by boiling it whole. You’ll be able to tell when it’s finished because the leaves will be easy to pull away. Select 12 large leaves that will be good to make rolls with.
2. While the cabbage is cooking, chop the wild boar bacon into small pieces.
3. In a bowl, combine the bacon, ground elk meat, parsley, salt, cayenne, ½ cup of the tomato sauce, onion, and rice. Combine thoroughly.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. Use a sharp knife to remove the vein from the bottom of each leaf. Create a neat, V shaped section.
6. Fill each cabbage leaf with the elk and wild boar mixture. It should take about ¼ cup while still leaving enough room to wrap them up. Cross the cut ends of the cabbage leaf across each other. Then, fold in the sides and roll up from the bottom.
7. When each cabbage roll is completed, slice up the leftover, unused cabbage that was cooked.
8. In a Dutch oven, make a layer in the bottom of the extra cabbage. Place the cabbage rolls on top with the folded sides facing downwards.
9. In a small dish, combine the can of tomatoes (including the liquid), coconut sugar and the rest of the tomato sauce. Pour it on top of the cabbage rolls.
10. Put the lid on and bake for about 1 ½ hours, or until tender.
11. Serve and enjoy. They keep wonderfully in the refrigerator or freezer.

Also Read: Elk Osso Buco: A Wild & Tender Twist On The Italian Classic