Oma's Peameal Bacon Recipe tastes like Kasseler!

➤ by Gerhild Fulson

Heidi's peameal bacon recipe is one way I satisfied my desire for German "Kasseler" (or "Kassler"). Kasseler was always a special treat as I was growing up. Mutti didn't make it often.

We lived in northern Ontario and the closest German deli seldom had this delicacy. When it was available, it was very, very expensive. It was saved for a company dinner. One we all enjoyed! (One reason we kids loved having company because it meant those special German meals would be had .... kasseler or rouladen!)

This is Heidi's secret recipe for making an alternative to Kassler -- so easy and so delicious! Using a Canadian peameal bacon roast produces a very similar result, at a much, much lower cost!

This is so easy to make. It's simply putting that peameal roast (after I wash off the cornmeal that's surrounding it) into my slow cooker. I add a jar or two of sauerkraut. Turn on and forget it until supper time. Then, it's just a matter of thickening the liquid with a cornstarch slurry. 

Served together with some boiled or mashed potatoes, this is comfort food that hubby and I really enjoy. Add a bit of German mustard on the side, if you wish. Yum!

My Kasseler Adventure ...

I carried my Mutti's tradition over into my own family. That meant, we rarely ever had Kasseler! Rarely, because it's expensive. I kept it as a real treat, and then, only when it was on sale.

Imagine my surprise when I dropped in on my friend, Heidi, and she invited me to join them for supper. They were having Kasseler! It was the middle of the week!

Heidi shared her secret. Instead of spending a fortune at the deli, she uses Canadian Peameal Bacon and a slow cooker. It really tastes like traditional German Smoked Pork Chops or Kassler (my husband said it tastes better!)

Use Slow Cooker for German Foods?

Even though this is to be a site of QUICK German recipes, using the slow cooker really does fit.

However, slow cookers are not that common in Germany. It's the one kitchen appliance my Mutti came to love after we immigrated to Canada. In fact, it's one she used all the time.

She converted her famous Sauerbraten recipe for the slow cooker. And, following her lead, I converted a roast beef recipe that tastes like Rouladen, by using the slow cooker as well. 

The preparation is quick. In the morning, once it's all in the pot, just turn it on and walk away. Go to work, go shopping, or just go and do what you want.

Come back at night, dinner's ready with very little else to do. My kind of cooking!

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Ready to make this Peameal Bacon dish?

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