Bierocks (Kansas)

A Kansas classic. If you can’t find the frozen rolls, you can use a homemade dough.

24 frozen dough Texas-size whole wheat dinner rolls (3 lbs total), thawed
1½ lbs lean ground beef (90% lean)
½ lb pork sausage
1 large onion, chopped
1 lb carrots, grated
2 (4 oz) cans green chiles, chopped
2 Tbsp. prepared mustard
½ tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. black pepper, freshly cracked
1 small head cabbage, shredded
2 large egg whites
2 tsp. water
caraway seeds

Let dough stand at room temperature 30-40 minutes or until softened. In a Dutch oven, cook beef, sausage and onion over medium heat 12-15 minutes or until meat is no longer pink, breaking meat into crumbles; drain. Stir in carrots, chiles, mustard, sea salt and pepper. Add cabbage in batches; cook and stir until tender.

On a lightly floured surface, press or roll each dinner roll into a 5” circle. Top with a heaping 1/3 cup filling; bring edges of dough up over filling and pinch to seal.

Place on baking sheets coated with cooking spray, seam side down. Cover with kitchen towels; let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Whisk egg whites and water; brush over tops. Sprinkle with caraway seeds. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Freeze option: Freeze baked and cooled pockets in an airtight container. To use, reheat pockets on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray in a preheated 350°F oven 30-35 minutes or until heated through; cover loosely with foil if needed to prevent overbrowning.

Makes 2 dozen.