Smoked Cabbage Rolls

The other day I asked my wife if there was anything special she wanted for dinner this week. She said cabbage rolls. I instantly thought smoked cabbage rolls. I didn’t necessarily run the ‘smoked’ part of the idea by her. But that’s what I made, and they came out tasting absolutely fantastic. Juicy, moist, flavorful stuffing, wrapped in tender steamed cabbage leaves, all in a simple but still yummy tomato sauce. Smoked for about an hour, these cabbage rolls combine the traditional with just a hint of smoky flavor. We both agree, these are fantastic and that it’s ok that I didn’t run the idea by her first!

Smoked Cabbage Rolls

You can also make these awesome cabbage rolls in the oven, baking them at 350 F. Smoking them does give them a different, unique, wonderful flavor, but they are still great in the oven. If you have a smoker, I definitely recommend the little bit of extra effort it takes to fire it up to make these rolls.

I prefer to use fruit or nut woods when I smoke unless I want a heavier smoke flavor. Pecan, apple or cherry are my favorites. For these rolls I went with apple. The results were amazing!

Also try my slow cooker stuffed cabbage rolls.

Smoked Cabbage Rolls
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4 from 3 votes

Smoked Cabbage Rolls

Tender, moist, flavorful stuffing, wrapped in steamed cabbage leaves, all in a simple tomato sauce. Smoked for about an hour, these cabbage rolls combine the traditional with just a hint of smoky flavor. They are fantastic.
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword cabbage, rolls, smoked
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings 10 rolls
Calories 323kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

For the rolls

  • 1 medium green cabbage core removed but keep the head intact
  • 1 ¼ pounds ground beef
  • ¼ pound bulk pork sausage
  • 1 cup white rice cooked ,cooled
  • 1 small sweet onion chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
  • 1 egg
  • 1 ½ tablespoons Cajun seasoning

For the sauce

Instructions

  • Fire up your smoker for high heat (350 F) cooking. Use whatever wood you prefer. You can also cook the rolls in the oven at 350 F.

For the rolls

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
  • Add the cabbage with the hole where the core was facing down.
  • Cover and boil for 10 minutes.
  • Remove the head from the water and let cool slightly. Gently remove 10 large leaves. You might need more or less depending on how large they are.
  • Lay the leaves flat so that the stem side is up. Using a sharp knife, gently cut the stem section horizontally, removing as much of the stem as you can without cutting the leaves.
  • Combine remaining roll ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well.
  • Working in batches, form meat into a miniature log that is about 1″ or so in diameter, and about 2″ long.
  • Place each log onto a leaf near the stem. Fold in the sides then roll up from the bottom (stem area), like you would a burrito.
  • Place into a disposable aluminum pan, seam-side down.

For the sauce

  • Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
  • Pour sauce over the rolls.
  • Place onto smoker and smoke for 15-20 minutes.
  • Cover pan tightly in foil and continue smoking for up to 45 minutes or until the internal temperature of the rolls reaches 160 F.
  • Let cool slightly then serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 323kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 307mg | Potassium: 725mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 914IU | Vitamin C: 44mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Rapid Rolls

These rapid rolls from Kelsey Nixon are superb! They are flaky and sweet. Perfect for soppin’, or biscuits and gravy, or even as slider rolls. They are also very easy to make. All you need is a blender and a 12″ cast-iron skillet. The heck with buying pre-made rolls. These are way, way better!

Rapid Rolls

This recipe for rapid rolls makes a big ole batch. So it is perfect for a family get-together! The rolls are just as great the next day so don’t worry that it makes so many.

Also, the dough is (supposedly) great as a pizza dough. I’ll try that next!

Rapid Rolls
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5 from 1 vote

Rapid Rolls

These rapid rolls are superb! They are flaky and sweet. Perfect for soppin’, or biscuits and gravy, or even as slider rolls. They are also very easy to make.
Course Side
Cuisine American
Keyword rolls
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 24
Calories 165kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 packets active dry yeast .25 ounce packets, or about 6 3/4 teaspoons jarred yeast
  • 1 ¾ cups warm water
  • ½ cup honey
  • ½ cup unsalted butter melted
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
  • 3 teaspoons kosher salt divided, plus more for sprinkling
  • 2 large eggs beaten
  • 5 cups all-purpose flour you might need more

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 F.
  • Place warm water into the bowl of a mixer fitted with a mixing paddle. Add the yeast and let sit for 5 minutes until bubbling.
  • Add in the honey,
  • Turn the mixer on low. Pour in 1/2 cup of the butter, 2 teaspoons of the salt, and both eggs.
  • Begin adding the flour, slowly. After about 4 cups keep an eye on the mixture as you add more dough. You want the dough to be only slightly sticky, forming a ball that does not stick to the sides of the bowl.
  • Lightly dust a work surface with flour.
  • Shape the dough into a large log and cut into thirds. Then cut each third in half, for a total of 6 pieces. Cut each portion in half again, and then one more time. You’ll end up with 24 pieces all roughly the same size.
  • Form dough pieces into small balls.
  • Lightly butter a 12″ cast-iron skillet.
  • Add dough balls. Let rise for 20 minutes or until they double in size.
  • Brush tops of dough with melted butter.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Brush with more melted butter and sprinkle with salt.

Nutrition

Calories: 165kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 298mg | Potassium: 40mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 170IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Mini Cinnamon Rolls

I’ve made my share of homemade cinnamon rolls, but always the full-sized ones. These mini cinnamon rolls from Iowa Girl Eats are fantastically sweet, easy, and a nice lighter alternative to large, morning nap-inducing rolls. I woke up early one morning and made these for my wife to take in to work. Everyone really enjoyed them.

Mini Cinnamon Rolls

Mini cinnamon rolls are a great thing for feeding a crowd. Well, if you can keep everyone from grabbing two handfuls at a time, that is!

Keep the mini theme going with some mini corn dog muffins and some mini baked ham and Swiss sandwiches. And wow everyone with my homemade cinnamon brown sugar Pop Tarts.

Mini Cinnamon Rolls
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5 from 1 vote

Mini Cinnamon Rolls

 These mini cinnamon rolls are fantastically sweet, easy, and a nice lighter alternative to large, morning nap-inducing rolls. I woke up early one morning and made these for my wife to take in to work. Everyone really enjoyed them.
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Keyword cinnamon rolls
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 172kcal

Ingredients

For the maple icing:

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 F.
  • Unroll the dough into two squares of 4 triangles each.
  • Pinch the seams between the dough triangles together. Lightly roll out with a rolling pin until it is about 1/4″ thick.
  • Brush the dough with the butter.
  • Sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon and brown sugar. Don’t go crazy, just enough to lightly cover the dough.
  • Roll up the dough pieces into tight logs. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut each dough log into 8 pieces. Place into miniature muffin pans that have been sprayed with non-stick spray.
  • Bake 9-15 minutes until the rolls have risen and are golden in color.
  • Meanwhile, whisk together the ingredients for the icing.
  • Remove the rolls from the oven. Remove from the pan and drizzle with the icing.

Nutrition

Calories: 172kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 224mg | Potassium: 6mg | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 91IU | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.