Some time ago I got one kilo of reindeer sirloin, 900 gr reindeer shoulder, 500 gr reindeer shank, 600 gr reindeer neck, 500 gr reindeer roast beef and one kilogram of something I don’t know before I open the plastic freezer bag. So, so much meat to make amazing food from.
Reindeer meat is absolutely one of the tastiest meats in the whole world and moreover it contains a lot of different healthy ingredients: proteins, minerals, A and B vitamins and unsaturated fatty acids. It contains only 2-4 % fat and it resembles fish.
Unfortunately reindeer meat is produced only in limited quantities and demand exceeds supply. The surest way to get meat is to buy it directly from the producer, but the reservation has to be done well before the beginning of muster season (august/september). The Price is quite high, so it is understandable that this delicacy isn’t just any everyday food.
Firstly we made a reindeer shoulder in a slow cooker at the request of the family. I haven’t made reindeer this way before, so I made some research on what to put in the pot. I came up to “Epätrendikäs ruokablogi” (“Untrendy food blog”) and the recipe “Pulled reindeer, id est long simmered reindeer neck”, which looked most interesting. Partly after this recipe I made my own version of pulled reindeer.
If you are interested in making this meal, remember the simmering time. I turned my cooker on at 10 am and the dinner was ready at 6 pm.
This food can absolutely be done in the oven as well. Baking heat should be quite low (100-125°C = 212-257°F)) and baking time for about 4 hours. Use a pot with a lid and use a bit more water than you would in a slow cooker.
PORTION: 3-4 servings
TIME TO MAKE: seasoning the reindeer about 8 hours, preparation 20 minutes, simmering time 8 hours
INGREDIENTS:
- 900gr reindeer shoulder
- 2 carrots
- 1 big yellow onion
- 100 gr celery root
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons of Santa Maria Scandinavian forest spice mixture
- 3 dl water
- sea salt
- 1-2 tl grounded rose pepper
- 10 black peppers
Sauce:
- 2 dl baking broth
- 2 dl cream
- 1½ tablespoons of wheat flour
- salt, black pepper
The day before:
Rub the meat surface evenly with finely roughed sea salt and rose peller. Add Scandinavian Forest spice mix evenly on the surface. Enclose completely in a towel or in parchment paper and let season overnight in the fridge.
Next day:
Peel and cut onion in slices. Peel and cut carrots and celery root. Put them all in the cooker pot.
Add water, bay leaves, black peppers and two teaspoons of Scandinavian Forest -spice. Put the meat on the top and turn on the slow cooker, use low heat and let simmer for about 8 hours.
40 minutes before the meat is ready:
Peel and cook potatoes. Make mash as you usually do it.
While the potatoes are cooking make the sauce:
Take about 2 dl cooking broth from the pot and sieve it into a suitable sized cooking dish.
Add cream and when the broth is about to boil, add 1½ tablespoons of wheat flour mixed in one dl of cold water. Pour in while continuing stirring well. Taste if it has enough salt and pepper and add more, if needed.
reindeer shoulder slow cooker pulled reindeer Finnish cuisine
Ruokasirkusta 