Falukorv

Falukorv is possibly the most popular Swedish sausage of all time. The red-cased ring bologna is known to every Swede as a national symbol. Falukorv was introduced to Sweden by German miners working at the Falu copper mine in the 16th/17th century. The excess meat remaining after slaughtering the countless cattle used to make leather ropes needed to be preserved and consumed quickly.

This type of sausage was revitalized by Melker’s Chark and Scan in the early 1900’s. The recipe is basically the same as that used for Wienerkorv and Varmkorv, but with a different casing. 

Falukorv is a lightly smoked, boiled emulsified sausage. It is lightly seasoned with the classic German emulsified sausage seasoning and extended with up to 10% potato starch and 15-30% water/ice. 

My recipe builds upon years of reverse engineering Swedish Falukorv brands and personal preference. The result is a soft, lightly-smoked, perfectly-seasoned ring bologna. These are the steps to make your own authentic Swedish Falukorv:

For every 12 oz/340 grams raw meat, add:

-2 tsp (2%) salt
-1/8th tsp cure #1
-1 tsp (1%) dextrose or sugar
-5 tsp (5%) potato starch
-3 fl. Oz (15%)/ ~85 mL ice cold water or crushed ice
-Optional 1/4th tsp liquid smoke
-1/4th tsp black or white pepper
-1/4th tsp coriander powder*
-1/4th tsp onion powder
-1/4th tsp cayenne pepper**
-1/4th tsp nutmeg powder
~10 inches dried beef collagen round casing OR 12 inches synthetic cellulose fibrous casing 

*1/4th tsp coriander can be replaced with 1/8th tsp ginger or cardamom powder
**cayenne pepper can be replaced with paprika or any kind of finely-ground red pepper powder.

1. Fully freeze the raw meat. Nowadays I use pre-ground pork/beef blend I buy at my local supermarket. You can use any combination of pork or beef, as long as it has at least 20-30% fat content. If your meat is not pre-ground, grind it once fine and re-freeze it, then grind it again with your smallest plate after frozen to get an extremely-fine grind. 

Double-Ground Frozen "Bork"

  

2. Mix the ground meat with the rest of the ingredients. I like to dissolve the salt, starch, cure, and spices with the ice water before mixing for even distribution. If you own a stand mixer, beat the meat with the mixture on the highest speed for ~5 minutes. If you don’t have a stand mixer, used a food processor or blender to fully emulsify the mixture. 

                        Seasoning Mixture                                                                          Emulsifying  

3. Once fully emulsified, proceed to stuffing. Use either synthetic cellulose casings, natural beef collagen rounds, or plastic casings. The highest quality Falukorv is made with natural beef collagen casings. Remember, if you use plastic casings, you cannot smoke the Falukorv. 

Raw Falukorv in a Beef Collagen Round Casing

4. For the best flavor, let the Falukorv cure overnight in your refrigerator. If you’re in a hurry, you can proceed to step 5.

5. Hang the Falukorv in front of a fan or another well-ventilated area for around 1 hour. This ensures that the sausage will retain a good smoke flavor and dark outer color.

6. Smoke the Falukorv for up to 4 hours at no more than 100 degrees C/212 degrees F.

7. Immediately boil your Falukorv at 80 degrees C/176 degrees F for 30 minutes to 1 hour. The sausage is done when the internal temperature reaches 74 degrees C/165 degrees F. 

Smoked, Cooked Falukorv

8. Once done, cool your Falukorv in an ice-water bath for around 30 minutes. Then dry it off and package the sausage. Your completed Falukorv will last up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. My favorite way to eat Falukorv is sliced cold on a sandwich, but you can fry or bake it as you wish. 

Sliced Falukorv, Perfect for Sandwiches!