Karelian Hot Pot
Three meats, an onion, some peppercorns and water, in a low oven for three and a half hours. There is nothing else in it, and that restraint is the recipe.
Photograph credit: Karelskastek1 by Sari Moo · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Before You Start
Do not brown the meat. It sounds wrong and it is the point of the dish.
Whole allspice, not ground. Ground allspice turns it muddy and grey.
It is better the next day, and traditionally made the day before.
How to Make Karelian Hot Pot
Tap a step to highlight it, or turn on Cook Mode for large type and step-by-step focus.
-
Heat the oven to 150°C / 300°F.
-
Layer the meats, onions and carrots in a heavy casserole in alternating layers, seasoning each layer with some of the salt as you go. Do not brown anything.
-
Scatter the allspice, peppercorns and bay leaves over.
-
Pour in just enough cold water to come about two-thirds of the way up — roughly 600 ml. The meat should not be submerged; it will release plenty of its own liquid.
-
Cover with a tight lid and put it in the oven for 3 hours 30 minutes.
-
Check once at 2 hours 30 minutes: the liquid should be simmering very gently at the surface. If it is boiling, drop the oven by 10°C / 50°F.
-
It is ready when the pork and lamb pull apart under a fork with no resistance at all.
-
Skim the fat from the surface if you like, taste for salt, and serve with boiled potatoes and lingonberry jam.
Something wrong or unclear in this recipe? Report a problem with this recipe.
Why It Works
This is one of the few stews with no browning stage, and it is deliberate: everything goes into a cold pot raw, and the long low cook draws the meat juices out to make their own stock. Browning would add Maillard flavours the dish is not supposed to have. The three meats are not interchangeable either — pork brings fat, beef brings depth, and lamb brings the aromatic note that makes it taste of more than the sum. Whole allspice berries are the only spice and they are the signature.
After You've Cooked It
Refrigerated for 4 days. Freezes for 3 months. Reheat gently in a low oven rather than on the hob.
Good With
- Boiled new potatoes
- Lingonberry jam
- A dark beer
Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Karelian Pies.
The Numbers per Serving
Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: an ingredient listed without an amount is not counted, so the figures run low. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
Cooked this? Keep a note for next time
Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
You Might Also Like
More Finnish cooking and dinner ideas from Weekly Delight.
Lohikeitto
Finnish salmon soup: potatoes and leek in a light stock, cream stirred in, salmon poached off the heat, and dill…
Poronkaristys
Thin slices of reindeer or venison sautéed with onion and served over mashed potatoes with lingonberries. The meat…
Makaronilaatikko
A Finnish baked macaroni casserole of minced beef, onion, milk and egg, baked for 45 minutes and served with ketchup…
Kabuli Pulao
Afghanistan's national dish: lamb and brown-gold basmati rice topped with caramelised carrot strips, raisins and nuts.
Kjötsúpa
Icelandic lamb soup: lamb on the bone, swede, potatoes, carrots and rice, simmered slowly in a light broth. The…
Mafé
A rich West African stew of beef and vegetables in a thick, savoury peanut sauce. Also known as maafe, and eaten…