Sweet Pickled Cottage Roll

A sweet pickled cottage roll is a boneless pork shoulder butt cured (or lightly “pickled”) in a sweet brine.

It is an inexpensive cut but tasty. It will taste somewhat like ham, because it’s salty.

The brine it is cured in typically consists of water, salt, sugar, sodium erythorbate and sodium nitrate; ingredients may vary by brand. The sugar is what makes the meat taste sweet.

You can buy a whole one, or half of one. Either way, the cut is sold raw, and needing full cooking. An average size one is around 1.5 kg (3 lbs) in weight.

Sweet pickled cottage roll is sold wrapped in netting, then in plastic.

Serve as you would ham, either as part of a meal, or on rolls and sandwiches, or in soups.

Ideal for slow cooker cooking or pressure cooking.

Cooking Tips

Cook a sweet pickled cottage roll either by simmering it in water or pressure cooking.

Cook from thawed, not frozen. If frozen, thaw before cooking.

However you cook it, prepare it in the following ways:

• Remove any plastic packaging, but leave the netting on. The purpose of the netting is to hold it together while cooking.
• Rinse or not rinse, depending on your liking of / tolerance of salt. Some people suggest to rinse about 5 minutes. Other people say that just a quick rinse will suffice to get some of the salt off the surface, others don’t rinse at all. Again, it’s your preference. If you do rinse, be sure to wipe off work surfaces around sink afterward to remove the raw pork spray that will surely have misted out on them.

After cooking:

• However you cooked it, it is done when the internal temperature is 70 C (160 F.)
• Remove netting before serving.
• The cooking water makes an excellent stock for soup the next day. Put it in the fridge overnight, then take it out of the fridge and before it warms up, skim the chilled fat off the top and discard, then proceed with making your soup, or freeze.

To simmer a sweet pickled cottage roll

Put in a pot fattiest side up. Cover in water — just enough water to cover it.

Add some seasonings to the water if desired, such as a bay leaf, cloves and / or garlic, peppercorns, celery pieces, onion, etc. Some people add 125 ml ( ½ cup / 4 oz ) of beer or apple juice to the cooking water. Some people, though, just cook it in plain water, figuring that the flavour from the pickling brine it was cured in is all that is really needed.

Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook according to package directions, or if none provided, use these guidelines:

• under 2 kg (4 pounds ), cook 35 minutes per 500 g (pound);
• over 2 kg (4 pounds ), cook 30 minutes per 500 g (pound).

About half hour before the meat is done (if you are doing it in a pot on a stove top), you can turn it into a boiled dinner by adding root veg, cabbage, etc. Add the veg, bring to boil, then reduce to simmer until meat is cooked and veg are tender.

To check doneness: it is done when the internal temperature is 70 C (160 F.)

To pressure cook a sweet pickled cottage roll

For liquid in the pressure cooker, put either 750 ml (3 cups / 24 oz) of water or 625 ml (2 ½ cups / 20 oz) of water and 125 ml (½ cup / 4 oz) of apple cider vinegar. If desired, add as well to the liquid some aromatics such as a few bay leaves, a few cloves and / or garlic, a few peppercorns, celery pieces, a few slices of onion, etc. [Note: if your pressure cooker manual calls for more liquid to be added as a minimum, then follow its directions.]

Put the roll, still in its netting, fat-side up on a tray in the pressure cooker. Bring to 10 lbs pressure, and cook for 25 minutes per ½ kg (1 lb).

Let pressure release naturally.

To check doneness: it is done when the internal temperature is 70 C (160 F.)

Serve hot.

Sweet pickled cottage roll in pressure cooker basket. © CooksInfo / 2016

To cook a sweet pickled cottage roll in a slow cooker

Put in a slow cooker pot fattiest side up. Cover in water — just enough water to cover it. Add some seasonings to the water if desired, such as a bay leaf, cloves and / or garlic, peppercorns, celery pieces, onion, etc. Some people add 125 ml ( ½ cup / 4 oz ) of beer or apple juice to the cooking water. Some people, though, just cook it in plain water, figuring that the flavour from the pickling brine it was cured in is all that is really needed.

Cook a standard-sized 1.5 kg (3 lb) one for 4 to 6 hours. Large ones may require up to 8 to 10 hours. Add any vegetables (typically root veg, cabbage, etc.) desired at the start of the final hour of cooking.

Optional glaze finish for either method

To glaze: remove netting on already-cooked roll. Place roll in baking dish. Glaze with a jam of your cheese, usually something like apricot or peach jam, or barbeque sauce, etc. Put in hot oven (175 C / 350 F) for 15 minutes.

Glazed sweet pickled cottage roll. © CooksInfo / 2005

Nutrition

Nutrition will vary by brand. Check the package labelling. However you cook this, this is definitely a salty treat to enjoy as such.

The following info is for Maple Leaf brand, as of spring 2016.

Storage hints

Store in refrigerator. The “pickling” referred to in the name was just a light pickling, and is insufficient for unrefrigerated storage. You can also freeze.

History Notes

The T. Eaton Company store was selling it in their meat department in Winnipeg, Manitoba as early as 1923. “Sweet pickled pork cottage roll, 22 c lb. T. Eaton Co. Ltd.” ^[1]Winnipeg Tribune. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. 12 February 1923. Page 17, col. 8.

Winnipeg Tribune. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. 12 February 1923. Page 17, col. 8.

A small-town newspaper writer has a theory as to where the “cottage roll” part came from:

“The Cottage Ham or Cottage Roll is a boneless pork shoulder butt that has been cured in sweetened brine similar to the brine used for peameal bacon. It was named a Cottage Ham to bring one the dignity of eating high on the hog without the cost. It is an easily prepared and is perfect for one pot cooking and making a boiled dinner.” ^[2]Henry, Brian. Are you living high on the hog? Peterborough, Ontario, Canada: The Peterborough Examiner. 3 April 2014.

Sweet pickled cottage roll. © Denzil Green / 2005