Rocks! aka Beerox
I loved it when my mom would make rocks. It was a special treat as it seemed to my childhood self that these took all day to make. A special winter treat where the bread would rise by the fireplace. I was delighted to recently recreate this recipe for my own children this January
The Reipe
My mom had this binder where she compiled all of her favorite recipes. The Beerox recipe appears to have come from another recipe book. I don’t know which one, but the carrot cake recipe appears in the same font later in the binder. The Rocks recipe was marked with “*very good” in red ink.
Hot Mix!
Upon first glance of the recipe, I questioned, “What is Hot Mix?” Unfortunately, I am in possession of the recipe binder because my mom passed away in 2019. So I couldn’t call her up and ask, “What is Hot Mix?” A quick google search and I was able to find it in our local grocery store. If your store does not carry hot mix, you might be able to use a premade dough from your store (think pizza dough) or follow a simple pizza dough recipe at home.
Brown the Beef
While the dough is rising, begin to prep the meat mixture for inside of the rocks. Brown the ground beef in a LARGE skillet. Do you have one of these ground beef smasher things? They’re great. Life changing over the pounding with the wooden spoon.
Slice the Veggies
While the meat is browning and the dough is rising, slice the onion and cabbage. Research shows that onions should rest for at least 10 minutes after chopping to release the sulfuric compound allicin which has been known for its medicinal benefits for centuries, including more recently lowering blood pressure, protective against heart disease and it also appears to have anti-cancer effects.
Simmer Down
Add the sliced cabbage and onion to the browned beef. Your skillet will be very full, but trust that it will cook down. Pour over the 1/4 of beer. Feel free to enjoy all remaining contents of your beer can…part of the joy of cooking.
Putting it all Together!
Divide the dough into about 18 section. I did this in a bit of one by one process instead of all 18 balls at a time. Roll out your dough to be about a 6″ round. Plop the mixture into the center of each circle (about a 1/2 a cup?….I’m not the most precise chef). Fold up the edges and squeeze the ends, kind of like a dumpling. Place the folded side down on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
Serve it up!
Now the recipe says to serve with “hot sauce or catsup” and I definitely love hot sauce, but my mom always served Rocks with Pace picante mild salsa. I continue to eat my Rocks the same way that mama made it for me.
Prep Time
1 hour
Cook Time
25-30 minutes
Serves
6-8
Ingredients
- 1 Pkg. Hot Roll Mix
- 1 medium head of cabbage
- 1 Large Onion
- 1 1/2 Lbs. Ground Beef (I used 2 lbs)
- 1/4 cup of Beer
- Salt to taste
- Hot Sauce or Catsup
Steps
1
Follow directions on package for hot roll mix. After it has risen, punch down and roll out like pie dough. Cut into the square that you want. (for space purposes in my kitchen I chose to roll as I go)
2
While dough is rising, chop cabbage and onion. Brown ground beef then add the cabbage and onion to ground beef; add beer and let simmer until cabbage and onion are tender, about 30 minutes.
3
Put a portion off mixture onto each square of hot roll mix. Bring ends over and seal together, then bring sides together and seal.
4
Bake at 350 degrees until bread is golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Serve with hot sauce or catsup. Add a green salad and cooked, buttered carrots.