Bierocks are soft rolls stuffed with ground beef, cabbage and onions. This recipe kicks things up a notch with sauerkraut and gruyère.
Sometimes it’s the simplest of ingredients that make for the BEST recipes. This handy little meat pocket calls for 10 pantry staples. I think it’s safe to bet you probably already have most on hand. Go ahead and mosey on over to your kitchen to check… I’ll be here when you return. 😉
Bierocks, if you’ve never heard of them, are the unofficial food of the Volga Germans (ethnic Germans who lived in isolation in Russia for 150 years). They’re also popular in the Midwest, where they are referred to as Runzas.
PREFERRED INGREDIENTS FOR BIEROCKS:
A key factor in my grandma’s recipe for bierocks is the ratio of ground meat and sauerkraut. You truly want it to be half-and-half. 16 ounces of ground beef (or a pound), 16 ounces of drained sauerkraut. I like to use Bavarian sauerkraut because the addition of caraway seeds, however the regular kind works as well.
I can’t remember if my grandma added shredded cheese to hers, but I’ve always added it to mine. I mean, you can never go wrong with the addition of cheese. Right? Gruyère is my favorite for this recipe, but Swiss and Jarlsberg are tasty substitutions.
OTHER RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE:
Tomato Bruschetta with Pesto, Blue Cheese and Hot Honey
Mind-Blowing Southern Macaroni and Cheese
Crispy Cheesy Dill Pickle Chips
HOW TO ASSEMBLE BIEROCKS:
Traditional recipes require you to make the dough, however I take a shortcut and use store-bought biscuits. Roll them out flat on a floured surface and place some filling in the middle. Voila… you just saved yourself an hour worth of bread prep!
HOW TO SEAL BIEROCKS:
I’ve always folded mine together like little steam buns. Then I bake them, seam side down, until golden. The biscuit package will advise that you to cook them between 11 – 15 minutes, but since these are stuffed with the filling, they will take a little longer. Usually between 17 – 19 minuets depending on your oven.
DO BIEROCKS FREEZE WELL?
Of course! This recipe will make 16 of these little gems. Not gonna lie, I’m known to hoover down one or two before freezing the rest. They’ll keep in the freezer for up to 2 months, but I promise that they won’t last that long. Simply allow them to come to room temperature on a cooling rack, and then wrap them individually with cling wrap. Pop them in a freezer bag and voila… you’ve got yourself a quick and easy meal for weeknights where you don’t have time to cook.
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- 1 lb. Ground Beef
- 1 Yellow Onion, thinly sliced
- 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 1 tsp. Smoked Paprika
- ½ tsp. Cayenne Pepper
- 1 tsp. Cumin
- 6 oz. Gruyère, shredded
- 16 oz. Bavarian Sauerkraut
- 2 cans Grands Southern Homestyle Buttermilk Biscuits
- All Purpose Flour, as needed
- Sauté ground beef with sliced onion, minced garlic, smoked paprika, cayenne and cumin until browned and crumbly. About 10 minutes. Drain the excess fat and allow the meat to cool in the strainer for a few minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F, shred the Gruyère and drain the sauerkraut.
- Gently mix together the ground beef mixture, shredded cheese and sauerkraut in a large bowl.
- Roll out each biscuit flat on a floured surface. Place 3 - 4 tablespoons of the filling in the center of each biscuit and fold up the sides like a steam bun to seal.
- Place uncooked bierocks, seam side down, split among two parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 17 - 19 minutes, or until golden. Allow the bierocks to cool on a wired baking rack for 2 - 3 minutes before consuming. Enjoy!
NOTES ON THIS RECIPE:
- If you’re a fan of horseradish, I highly recommend the addition of it! Totally optional but tastes fantastic. Mixing in 2 – 4 tablespoons with the filling should do the trick, depending on your heat preference.
- When cooking this recipe, I usually prepare one baking sheet and cook them while I’m prepping the second baking sheet. I find that the coloring is better, and they cook more evenly when the sheets are baked individually.
- If you happen to freeze these: Place them in the refrigerator overnight to thaw. Then the next day, place them in a 300F oven or toaster oven for about 10 – 15 minutes to reheat. If they start to brown too quickly, you can place a piece of foil over to top. I don’t recommend placing them in the microwave, as I feel like they get soggy.
- Traditional Bierocks recipes are made with sautéed cabbage. If you prefer to go that route, I’d add a little pickle juice to deglaze the pan, as it will help make the cabbage tangy. The savory-tang mixture in this recipe is my fav!
PIN THIS FOR LATER:
I almost never leave reviews, but I had to write one for these. They’re absolutely delicious! These bierocks have quickly become one of my favorite foods. Thank you so much for this lovely recipe!
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoy these as much as we do! One of my favorite recipes. 🙂
I just made these, but I tried using coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage & carrot) instead, and added mushrooms as well. They were amazing, and using the coleslaw mix as well as the canned biscuits was a huge time saver!
Did you use the coleslaw mix instead of the sauerkraut? I love the extra tang the sauerkraut adds. I also use canned biscuits. So glad you enjoyed it! I’ll have to try your coleslaw hack, but I might add a little rice or wine vinegar to get the same flavor profile I remember from my grandma.
Delicious! Thank you.
Yay! So glad you liked them!
I put a small amount of black pepper to mine. Works well and I like them.very much.
Black pepper is a great addition! So glad you liked them.
Best I’ve ever made! Will be using this rescipe fron now on. Thanks so much. Alot less time consuming than making your own dough,
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! They’re definitely a favorite around here. Will be posting more canned biscuit dough recipes/hacks soon, so stay tuned! 🙂 Happy New Year!
Great recipe, thanks for the biscuit trick. I mix mayonaaise, mustard and pickle relish as a dipping sauce
Ooooh… that sounds a lot like my in-n-out burger sauce! Perfect for dippin!
These were a huge hit in my family. I had butter grand biscuits which worked perfectly. I also added the horseradish which added an extra tang. Years ago I had a Bierock recipe that used Bridgeford frozen bread. These canned biscuits were much easier to work with. Loved this recipe and will be using it for a Super Bowl party. Thank you!
Awesome, I’m so glad everyone enjoyed! Horseradish is the perfect addition when everyone enjoys a bit of a kick! Hope you have a wonderful Super Bowl Party!
I made this and everyone loved it 💕
Yay! I’m so happy to hear this. Thank you for trying our recipe! 🙂
These little pockets are absolutely delicious! Made exactly as written and served with grainy mustard on the side. Next time, we’ll add the horseradish, as that sounds right up our alley! Thanks for sharing this keeper!
Yay! I’m so glad you were able to try them. We LOVE them with horseradish, too!
dip in Brown Mustard for the best flavor
Yum! We do that from time to time but horseradish is my favorite!
I’m just learning about bierocks, and this recipe looks fabulous!
I have one question: Can you freeze them before cooking … as well as (as you mentioned above) after they’re cooked?
(If I can freeze them raw, I’d thaw and bring them to room temperature and then would I cook them at 375F for 17-19 min, as if they’d just been made?)
I’m not quite sure how the dough will hold up to thawing, it may become a bit mushy. I’ll try to give it a shot though and if it works, I’ll add directions here on the post! Hope you love them as much as we do!
Made these last night. Half the recipe went into homestyle butter rolls, the other half went into puff pastry. Different textures and flavors, but both super delicious. The filling recipe is excellent. Next time, I will double the amazing of horseradish as I feared the heat level and only used about 1 1/2 tablespoons. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Glad you got good use out of the recipe! And yes, I recommend the horseradish if you enjoy a bit of a kick! Thanks for trying my recipe! 🙂
These are delicious and easy peasy! I almost feel like they need a dip for some reason…but I don’t know what.
You could serve these with sour cream for dipping. Or even better yet, sour cream mixed with a little horseradish!
Made this recipe for the first time. We loved them. Dipped in spicy brown mustard, This will become one of my freezer essentials.
Loe these in mustard! So glad you tried and liked them! They’re a freezer essential here at our home as well!
These were wonderful thank you
So glad you liked them! They’re a childhood favorite for me and remind me of my late grandma every time I make them.
Ooh i am making these tomorrow. Lost my usual recipe. So happy to try this biscuit hack. I previously have used homemade dough or hot roll mix or thawed bread dough. This seems so much easier. Yay. I can make bierocks more often! I usually use a can of cheese soup , thinned with just a bit of milk to pour over my bierocks. Not sure how that would do with sauerkraut. I usually use coleslaw mix.
Glad you found an easier recipe! Hope you enjoyed them. Did you try the sauerkraut with the cheese soup? That would be an interesting combo.
I’ve never had Bierocks before, so I don’t know how they should taste. But, following your recipe to the tee, the buttermilk biscuit is too sweet for me (filling is great). I’ll try using a “plain” biscuit version next time. (p.s. you didn’t indicate which size “can” of biscuits. There’s a couple sizes available.)
Hey Scott, thanks for trying them! I prefer the slight sweetness of the buttermilk biscuit, but you can certainly use any biscuit you enjoy most. The recipe says it’ll make 16 biscuits, so that’s two 8-biscuit cans (the regular size). I’ll make a note to indicate that for next time. Thanks again for visiting and let me know how you like the “plain” biscuit version! 🙂
Thank you for posting this with the history. I’m a descendant of the Volga Germans from Kratzke Russia and I have been poking around the internet looking for the recipe my uncle always made but never passed down. This sounds as close as I’ve found so far and knowing it is from the Volga German recipe book convinces me it’s what I’ve been looking for. The only difference I can tell is my uncle added bacon but no cheese. I’ll let you know how it goes. Thanks again!
Oh, wonderful! Adding bacon sounds delicious! My grandma would always add the cheese, but it’s not a mandatory ingredient. Let me know how they turn out! 🙂
I had these when I was a kid in Oregon made by my aunt from Kansas, Never knew how she made them but was so happy to find your recipe. Didn’t even know how to spell the word, but thanks to you and Google. Going to make these tomorrow.
I’m so happy you found the recipe and can make them. They’re seriously one of my favorite comfort foods. 🙂
I usually make these with cabbage but the sauerkraut is wonderful and so much easier. Becase i use the bread recipe with kitchen aid, I also serve these just with sweet cream butter on the side. yum!Thanks for a really good recipe.
So glad you enjoyed it!
Farmers food from when I grew up on n Kansas. Good hot, good cold, good reheated. Very good with ketchup or mustard.
I also love them hot or cold!
Omg. Soooooooo good. I have not had one since Octoberfest in Hays,KS I’ve craved them off and on since then. They are not popular in Massachusetts. Lol This hits the spot. Thank you!!
I’m so glad you tried them! 🙂
At 66 I finally made my first batch of bierocks using this recipe, and they were a hit. The ones I remember from my childhood in western Kansas used just hamburger, onion, and cabbage in the stuffing (maybe some salt and pepper). I was hesitant about the spices in this recipe, but they really kicked the flavor up a notch. I used packaged sauerkraut and swiss cheese (I don’t recall cheese in my mother’s), and I made one batch using Grands Southern Homestyle Buttermilk Biscuits and the other with regular Grands Southern Homestyle. For some reason we liked the plain better. I took one over to a friend, who’s been wanting to try them since I first described them to her, and she wants me to host a bierock party now. My husband couldn’t get his head wrapped around what these were, and now he calls them the original hot pockets. Thanks so much for the recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Traditional bierocks don’t have cheese, but my grandma always added it. Hope you throw a beirock party! That sounds TASTY!
We were served these for school lunch in South Dakota in the 70’s. I’ve talked about them since! Can’t wait to try them again!
I’m so excited for you to try them!