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Pinnekjøtt (Steamed Salt-Cured Lamb Ribs)

Name: Pinnekjøtt (Steamed Salt-Cured Lamb Ribs)
Prep time: 3 h 46 min
Total time: 33 h 46 min
Cuisine: Norwegian
Ingredients: salt-cured lamb ribs — 2000 g; cold water — 6000 g; peeled birch sticks — 300 g; rutabaga — 1000 g; potatoes — 400 g; butter — 60 g; lamb steaming liquid — 150 g; freshly grated nutmeg — 1 g; salt — 5 g; black pepper — 3 g; measures akevitt — 80 g

Pinnekjøtt (Steamed Salt-Cured Lamb Ribs) reads richness 5.5, salinity 4.8 and umami 2.9 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Norwegian main, about 33 hr 46 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 5.1 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 1.9 / 10
Sour & Bright — 0.5 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 3.4 / 10
Rich & Fat — 6.0 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 2.4 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Richness 5.5 · Salinity 4.8 · Umami 2.9 · Earthy 2.9 · Warm Spice 2.3 · Smoke 2.2 · Sweetness 1.9 · Nutty 1.7 · Heat 1.0 · Bitterness 0.9 · Herbaceous 0.5 · Sourness 0.5

What's in it (11)

salt-cured lamb ribs — 2000 g
cold water — 6000 g
peeled birch sticks — 300 g
rutabaga — 1000 g
potatoes — 400 g
butter — 60 g
lamb steaming liquid — 150 g
freshly grated nutmeg — 1 g
salt — 5 g
black pepper — 3 g
measures akevitt — 80 g

Time & effort: about 33 hr 46 min (3 hr 46 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 10.4 kcal, 0.2 g protein, 0.5 g fat, 1.4 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (7 steps)

Soak the ribs in cold water for 30 hours, changing the water twice. Pinnekjøtt is cured hard — in Vestlandet often smoked as well — and this soak is not optional: unsoaked ribs are inedibly salty, and oversoaked ones lose the cure entirely. Thirty hours is the middle of the range for a plain salted rib and 24 is enough for a smoked one.
Lay the birch sticks in a criss-cross layer across the bottom of a tall heavy pot, then pour in water to just below the top of the sticks. The sticks give the dish its name — pinnekjøtt is stick-meat — and they hold the ribs clear of the water so that the meat steams rather than boils. A metal rack does the same job but the birch also perfumes the steam faintly.
Pack the ribs on top of the sticks, cover tightly, and steam over low heat for 3 hours, topping up with boiling water whenever the pot threatens to run dry. The meat is ready when it slides off the bone under light pressure.
Boil the swede and potatoes together in lightly salted water for 30 minutes, until both are completely soft.
Drain them very well and let them steam dry in the pan for 2 minutes, then mash them with the butter, the nutmeg, salt, pepper and 150 ml of the salty lamb liquid from the steaming pot. This is kålrabistappe, and it should be coarse rather than smooth.
For the last 8 minutes, spread the ribs on a tray and put them under a hot grill until the fat blisters and browns. This step is modern and optional, and it is also very good.
Serve the ribs on a warm platter with the mashed swede, and pour the akevitt. This is Christmas Eve dinner across western Norway, eaten with the fingers as much as with cutlery.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Muhlama (Kuymak, Cornmeal and Melting Cheese) — Turkish
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Cajun Pinto Beans — Cajun/Creole
Tex-Mex Migas — Tex-Mex
Stamppot Boerenkool met Rookworst (Kale Mash with Smoked Sausage) — Dutch

Keep reading: what richness, salinity, umami mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.