Pinnekjøtt
Pinnekjøtt is one of the must-have traditional Norwegian Christmas dishes. It is made from ribs of lamb or mutton that has been salted and dried, and so it has a very strong flavour. Pinnekjøtt directly translates into “stick meat” in English, but the name doesn’t come from the shape of the meat (e.g. the ribs forming sticks) as some may think. The name comes from the birch sticks that are used as a steamer to cook the meat. The birch sticks also add a subtle sweet-minty flavour to the meat.
Pinnekjøtt is very easy to make, but it requires some time. Normally a portion of 400g, including bone, will be enough for each person as the meat is very rich. You can buy the meat ready cut or as a whole side in which you will need to sepapate it into individual ribs. The meat then needs to soak in water for at least 30 hours before cooking, in order to rehydrate and draw out the salt. You may also need to change the water one or two times, depending on how salty you want it.
Once the meat has been rehydrated, it’s time for the sticks. You can buy ready-cut sticks in most Norwegian supermarkets, but if you want to go all out you can cut and wittle your own birch sticks to be cool and have something to brag about to your guests (or, just to provide a fresher flavour). Just make sure you get rid of all the bark.
Build a grid in the bottom of a large pot by criss-crossing layers of sticks. Fill water to the top of (but not over) the grid.
Then, simply put the pieces of meat on top of the sticks. No salt or spices needed, just put the lid on and let the dish steam for about 3 hours on low heat. Check occasionally that the water doesn’t evaporate completely – add more if needed. When the meat falls off the bone, it’s done.
Swede is one of the traditional trimmings with pinnekjøtt. While the meat is cooking, you can start preparing the swede mash. Cut a large swede into pieces and boil until soft. Strain out most of the water and mash either by hand or in a blender. Add a tablespoon of butter and some cooking juice from the meat until you reach a nice consistency.
Pinnekjøtt is served on warm plates with mashed swede, boiled potatoes with skin and a good amount of mustard. The meat is very tender and juicy, so gravy is not needed. Some also like boiled carrots, but any form of salad is out of the question!
Like many traditional Norwegian dishes, pinnekjøtt has the unfortunate side-effect of cooking smell. If your dining area is in the same room as the kitchen, it is probably a good idea to air out the place before guests are seated.
Now all we can say is: ENJOY!
Subscribe
RSS
Many English words actually come from old Norse language – brought by Vikings to England in medieval times. Here are some words you have probably uttered without realising you are speaking Norwegian!
Many Norwegians know what they are doing when they pick wild mushrooms. This knowledge is passed down the family during mushroom hunting trips. The hard-core mushroom hunters go into the mountain wilderness for days to get the best finds.
The further ‘out of the way’ you go the more common it is to see folk cottages standing by the side of roads, along fjords or in a thicket of trees, minding their own business. 
Even in the peak of summer our mountains have touches of snow.
Nisse parties happen in many kindergartens, primary schools, church and community groups in Norway. They are a casual celebration of the julenisse (Christmas elf) tradition especially for children (but the big kids love them too).
Wow, now that looks delicious.
We made our pinnekjøtt a few months back in the Australian winter. It’s the first time we’ve made it – wasn’t hard at all and I LOVED showing guests my whole lamb rib side just drying out in the cupboard XD After a month or so of drying we cut it up and popped it in the freezer, waiting waiting waiting for Christmas. Only a couple more weeks for our pinnekjøtt! Yummo
____________________
from L-Jay:
wow! you make your own? I’m impressed. Norwegians just go to the store but I guess at some time they had to make it from scratch…lol.
LittleL,
How did you prepare and then salt the meat before setting it out to dry at room tempterature? How long did the drying process take? I’d like to try making the dish but would need to salt/dry the meat myself because meat so treated is not available where I live.
TIA!
At the butcher we asked for one whole lamb rib side (make sure the butcher doesn’t trim any fat or meat from the top of the ribs). We rubbed table salt into the rib side on both sides. We put it in a container that was full of rock salt, and made sure both sides were covered then refigerated for three days. You can turn the side over in the salt once per day to make sure it’s completely covered.
After the 3 days of salt in the fridge, we brushed off the salt and hung it to air dry for around 6 weeks. You’ll need to put it in a cool place, we put ours in an unsed wardrobe, pantry would also work If you’re worried about flies or other nasties I’ve heard you can put an old pillow case around the meat but we didn’t have any problems. After the 6 weeks, we cut (using a saw!) the ribs up into individual pieces and put in the freezer.
Wow that sounds like a lot of work but in fact was quite easy
The hardest part was trying to convince the butcher that we didn’t want the lamb trimmed!
____________________
From Moose:
Thanks for the details!
On the farm we used to salt our own meat in an old plastic oil barrel. Farfar would simply lay the pieces in layers with a shovel of salt in between. After drying over summer (no need for protection – the flies wouldn’t touch the stuff) it would simply hang there for anyone to have a bite when we felt like something salty and chewy.
And of course you don’t trim the meat – that’s where the flavour is!
Little L! Where in the world did you get your birch sticks in Australia? Im in Perth and currently have my pinnekjøtt hanging at the moment but dont know where to get birch sticks!
So glad I stumbled across this. My boyfriend is Norwegian and we’ve had the last 2 Christmas in Norway but we’re having an Australian Christmas next year. We were wondering about the Pinnekjøtt!
I know that here we just used a normal steamer instead of sticks works exactly the same way so that’s what we’ll do in Aus this year.
Thanks a lot for the info and explanations! As of this writing, pinnekjott is cooking in my kitchen, and your site gave the best explanation on how to cook it.
Looks really good and tasty! Have to do it!