Ever wondered how to make kielbasa at home? It's actually not that difficult, and really worth it, so there is no excuse not to make your own kielbasa. Homemade smoked Polish and Ukrainian sausages are in the league of their own.
When I was growing up my grandpa would make these sausages once or twice a year - the event that everyone was looking forward to. His sausages were so flavorful, so well-textured that you could just eat them on their own, without bread or any side dishes.
Here is my attempt to recreate his Polish Swojska kielbasa, which translates to Polish homemade (or self-made) sausage. Actually, this is my 20th or 30th attempt. I think it's pretty close now. This sausage is probably my favorite smoked sausage by far.
Grinding the meat
Preparation is very easy. Grind meat and fat. Add spices and mix. Staff into hog casings and smoke. That's it. Though, there are a few things to keep in mind, and I will talk about them below.
The choice of meat is important. Pick the best and the freshest meat you can. The better and the fresher the meat, the better your sausage will taste. Grind the meat and the fat on a medium grinder plate: 4.5mm (3/16") to 6mm (1/4"). Grind it too fine and you will lose the texture.
If you plan on making sausages at home for years to come, which is an excellent idea from where I stand, get yourself a good meat grinder. If you get a cheapo consumer grade grinder, it will be a waste of money and you will be cursing it every time you use it. I know, I've been there. A good commercial quality meat grinder makes a huge difference - it grinds much faster, it accepts a wider range of grinder plates, it's more powerful and grinds clean and with definition instead of squishing the meat and smearing the fat. It's also easier to clean and it lasts longer.
When the time came to replace my consumer grade meat grinder I settled on a LEM Products Stainless Steel #8 Meat Grinder and could not be happier with it. At 36 lbs, it's a bit heavy but quite manageable even for my wife to handle when she needs to use it and I am not around. But, boy, can it grind! It grinds just about anything with ease and speed. For example, it can grind 10-15 lbs of meat in a matter of 2 minutes. It puts a smile on my face every time I use it. It's built like a tank and I have a feeling I will never have to buy another grinder.
Stuffing
When stuffing your sausages try not to stuff too tight as that may result in burst casings. You want the sausages to feel slightly firm, but not too tight.
I find that manual sausage stuffers are the best, like the LEM Products 5 Pound Stainless Steel Vertical Sausage Stuffer
I like to use natural hog casings, which are available at pretty much any grocery store's meat counter. They don't usually have them on display, but ask and they will be happy to sell them to you. If that fails, they are available for purchasing online too: Hog Home Pack Sausage Casings 32mm.
Update on June 30, 2016
Amazon now sells relatively inexpensive sausage stuffers like the ARKSEN 8 Pound Vertical Sausage Stuffer and the ARKSEN 15 Pound Vertical Sausage Stuffer. I don't know how they compare to LEM stuffers quality-wise, but the reviews seem to be very good. Price-wise, a 15 pound ARKSEN stuffer sells for about as much as the 5 pound LEM stuffer does. I think these are definitely worth looking at if you are on the market for a new sausage stuffer.
If you own a KitchenAid stand mixer you may be tempted to try the KitchenAid Sausage Stuffer Kit Attachment
Smoking your kielbasa
I suppose you could cook this kielbasa in the oven, without smoke and get a tasty sausage, but it won't be even close to Swojska kielbasa. For that you need a smoker. Smoke flavor is a seasoning by itself, and there is no substitution for it. No, liquid smoke is not a substitute for real smoke!
If you use a charcoal or a wood smoker, smoke generation is simple: throw a few wood chunks in the pit and off you go. Gas and electric smokers require some sort of a smoke generator.
There are many ways to go about smoke generation, from DIY solutions (a tin can with a handful of wood chips) to inexpensive pre-made devices like A-MAZE-N Pellet Smoker or it's sibling A-MAZE-N Pellet Tube Smoker, to fairly expensive ones like Smoke Daddy Smoke Generator.
I've been using the A-MAZE-N Pellet Smoker in my vertical Masterbuilt XL gas smoker for many years and it does the trick really well. Here are a few tips on using these smoke generators based on my experience:
Tip #1
Start the smoke with a propane torch with a Pencil Flame Propane Torch Head. This makes things very easy. You can pick it up on Amazon or at most local hardware stores.
Tip #2
Use very good quality pellets. Read carefully what's included and make sure you are buying pellets made from 100% the wood you want, and that there are no binders or fillers are added. My wood of choice is cherry wood. I once bought cherry wood pellets only to realize that they were made mostly of oak and maple with only 30% cherry wood. Needless to say, I was not happy with the flavor of the smoke. BBQrs Delight Wood Pellets are one example of very good quality wood pellets.
Smoker temperature
The key to smoking Swojska kielbasa sausage is low temperature. If you raise the temperature too high, the fat will start melting and you will end up with holes in the sausage. It's best to smoke this sausage at around 140F. If you can't go that low, try 150F or 160F max. You may raise the temperature slightly to 170-175F at the end of the cooking process for a brief period of time if internal temperature is not rising to target internal temperature of 154F.
Sometimes the internal temperature just won't rise and you may have to go as high as 195F, and that's fine. It does happen every now and again. Better yet, try the poaching method I will talk about below.
The best smoker for smoking sausages is the one that can maintain low enough temperature. A lot of people successfully use electric smokers, like the very popular Masterbuilt Electric Digital Smoker
Update on June 30, 2016
If you have a propane smoker and have trouble maintaining low enough temperature for smoking sausages, you will need to install a needle valve. Or you can buy a pre-made assembly that comes with the needle valve already installed, like the Bayou Classic M5HPR-1 10 PSI Hose, Regulator, Valve Assembly. Before you buy, make sure the assembly is compatible with the burner in your smoker. Read more about this modification here: Needle Valve for Gassers.
When I smoke Swojska even at temperatures not exceeding 170-175F I sometimes see some fat inevitably melting. When you cut into the sausage while it's still hot, you will see some hollow areas, and juices/melted fat running off.
Chilling the sausage
Let the sausage cool down, then put in the fridge overnight. Once it is properly chilled, the fat will solidify again and there will be no hollow areas.
You may or may not want to chill your sausage quickly in an ice water bath. If you do that, supposedly it will prevent wrinkling and will make the sausage full and plump. This will make the sausage lose some color but it's not bad as I initially thought. I now finish cooking my kielbasa by poaching then give it a cold shower to cool off quickly.
Update on November 23, 2019
My kielbasa recipe has not changed, this is still the best tasting kielbasa for me and family, and I've tried dozens of new very good recipes. What changed is I've finally built my dream smokehouse, and I've been smoking sausages in it like there is no tomorrow. Check out the garlic sausage, beef sticks, Krakowska kielbasa, Lisiecka kielbasa, Andouille sausage and the traditional Polish kabanos sausage that I made in it. This thing is a beast and performs just like I wanted.
Another thing that has changed is how I now finish cooking my kielbasa. Finishing in the smoker is long and tedious. It may take hours to get kielbasa to 154F internal temperature. By the way, I changed the target internal temperature from 152F to 154F, seeing how many traditional Polish kielbasa recipes use it. I resisted the poaching method for as long as I could. Then I gave up and finally tried it. I am glad I did as I loved it. That's what I do for most of my smoked sausages now.
I use a 36-qt stainless stock pot with a basket. It's as effective and convenient for sausage making as it is for crawfish boils, which our family loves. It easily fits 10 lbs of sausage. The water is heated up to 167F. It takes about 20-30 minutes for 10 lbs of sausage to reach 154F internal temperature. I normally don't have to heat the water during poaching, the burner is off all the time.
The basket makes removing kielbasa, moving it around and giving it a cold shower a breeze.
I don't feel like the sausage is not smoky enough or doesn't have sufficient color. It smells, looks and tastes just as good, but this makes my job so much easier.
Last but not least, in colder months I dry my smoked kielbasa at around 38F-55F in my unheated veranda.
Ideal drying conditions are 52F - 58F and 75% RH. Dried kielbasa has a longer shelf life, and has a richer taste and color.
The kielbasa on the picture above has a finer grind, I used a 4.5mm plate to grind the meat.
Great recipes using kielbasa
Homemade Swojska Polish Kielbasa
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 lbs pork butt about 2,000 g
- 1 lb beef chuck about 450 g
- 1 lb pork belly about 450 g; or back fat
- 3 garlic cloves about 10 g; large, pressed
- 2 tsp dried marjoram about 1.2 g
- 2 tsp ground black pepper about 4.5 g
- 2 Tbsp kosher salt about 36 g; plus more to taste, if needed
- 1 1/3 tsp Cure #1 about 6.5 g; see notes
- 1 cup ice water about 240 g
Instructions
- Grind pork, beef and pork belly/back fat on a medium size plate, 4.5mm (3/16") - 6mm (1/4").
- Add the ice water, all of the spices and mix well.
- Stuff into small size hog casings (28-32mm), tie into rings and hang to dry at room temperature for 2-3 hours.
- Preheat smoker to 140F, or 150F-160F max if your smoker can't get that low.
- Hang sausages in the smoker and dry for 30-60 minutes, until the skin is dry to touch. Then apply smoke for 3-4 hours.
- Remove sausages once the internal temperature has reached 154F. If the internal temperature is not rising too well after 3-4 hours of smoking, raise the temperature to 170F-175F. You may have to go to 195F if necessary. Alternatively, poach the sausages in 167F water for 25 - 30 minutes or until the internal temperature is at least 154F. Poaching is a much quicker and more effective method.
- Cool the sausage down and store in a refrigerator or a freezer.Cooling can be achieved by placing sausage in an ice bath to cool it down quickly. It with result in a fuller, more plump product.Alternatively, you may let the sausage cool down at room temperature and then refrigerate. This will result in the sausage less plump and slightly wrinkled, but this this is my preferred method. Ice water bath removes smoke residue from surface making the sausage less smoky in flavor and pale in color.A reader suggested another effective cooling technique - placing the sausage flat on a cool surface, like a counter top.
Yuni says
Hi Victor, thanks for the recipe! I just made this today, it’s delicious, better than any available around me. I have questions regarding how to better store them and how long? Also when you mention you cure them outdoors in winter, for how long? Is there anything else needed to cure them? Won’t they go bad? Thanks again for all your help
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi Yuni, great to hear that. This sausage is ready to eat, so no curing needed. Drying - you can do that. I like my smoked sausage dried a little - it firms up the texture, which I like a lot, intensifies flavor, and extends shelf life. You want to do it at temps around 45F - 60F, ideally closer to 55F, and relative humidity below 70%.
Storing - 1-2 months in the fridge wrapped in unglazed butchers paper, even longer... if you open it, let it breathe, and rotate, it will dry in the fridge and that will extend shelf life. Otherwise, vacuum seal and freeze, it will last 6-12 months in the freezer, then defrost in the fridge for 12-24 hours. Hope this helps.
Yuni says
Thank you, Victor. Very useful. How long should I dry it if I follow the conditions you described above?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
It will depend on your taste/preference and ambient conditions - temp, humidity, and air flow. Usually, after a week they firm up and most people like that texture. Personally, I like them even firmer, so I dry for up to 2-3 weeks.
Krysia says
I bought the kitchen aid meat grinder and sausage stuffing kit, I was so excited to unbox it to have my go at making some Polish kiebasa until I read your review!. Is it a total bust for a novice chef like me? Or is there some way I can make this work with tastey results
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Krysia, it will work just fine for smaller batches. If you intend on making sausage in larger batches and more frequently, then then you may find that stuffing sausage with this piece of equipment is awkward and slow. A good grinder and a dedicated good stuffer make sausage making a breeze. Good luck!
Ron Purnell says
I just turned 60 and live in an area without a Polish market. I tried this recipe twice and it is absolutely amazing. Just like Babcia use to make! I am confused by one part. Preheat the smoker to 140 and then smoke until sausage reaches 154F degrees. Obviously, that is not going to work! I think the instructions (for those of us who would rather not poach) Would be smoke for 3 hours at 140F, then another hour at 170F, then 190F until internal temperature reaches 154. What would you suggest? Does that make sense? It makes a great bossy!
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Good to hear it, Ron.
Yeah, I hear you. I may have to tweak the wording. In step 3 I say "Preheat smoker to 140F, or 150F-160F max if your smoker can't get that low." So, I kind of follow up on that and in step 6 I say "Remove sausages once the internal temperature has reached 154F. If the internal temperature is not rising too well after 3-4 hours of smoking, raise the temperature to 170F-175F. You may have to go to 195F if necessary." Meaning, start at 140F to 150-160F max, then smoke to 154F, and if needed, raise the temp in the smoker up to 195F if needed.
Basically, you smoke at 140F until you get the desired color, then start raising the temp to 170-175F, then 185F, then 195F if needed, until the sausage reaches 140F.
But I'd highly recommend poaching instead. I now only finish thin sausage (sheep casings, 19-21mm) in the smoker, and anything thicker gets poached. So much better and quicker!
wayne1952t says
I agree with poaching. At a young 72, and making different sausages for a few years, Victor has increased my game dramatically. Instead of smoking until the temp reaches 154, after I get the color I'm shooting for, they then go into my 5 gallon brew pot at 165 degrees. Saves hours of time, not to mention the fuel used to reach the desired temp you're shooting for. I was a little hesitant at first, but the results outweigh any slight variance. It's what I do constantly anymore, and not one person has said a thing about texture or taste. All I can say is, try it on just a couple of links to try it out, and you'll be hooked too. Thanks again for all your helpful knowledge Victor.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Glad I could help, Wayne. Thank you for the kind words.
paul david straw says
Hey there Victor ,Paul Straw here . My latest batch of Sauage is in the freezer ,and is the best so far! I am gonna do the choriso Flavor next. I have some close friends that I trust ,to be honest to give me feed back about what I share , they said it was the best yet. thanks again Victor
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi Paul, glad to hear it. Amazing! I'd love you to try my other smoked sausage recipes... plenty of great ones here... Enjoy!
William DeLove says
I would love to try your sausage recipe except the space I have to work with is too small for the needed equipment. Is it possible that I could buy some from you?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Sorry, I don't make sausage for sale, and I am not even licensed to do that, unfortunately.
Kim Johnson says
Thank you so much for your recipe with detailed instructions! Not only were we able to make fantastic sausage, but we have gained prestige with our auto mechanic and praise from my Polish coworker who says that your recipe holds its own against sausage shops in Poland. Marzena and Maciek have been in the states for 8 years and say it tastes like home! They also approved of the recipe for kabanos! Delicious!
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Wow! Quite a compliment. I am glad your sausage turned out great. Thank you for your feedback. Enjoy!
Wayne says
Hi Victor,
Going to make another batch of your Swojska, turning into my favorite go to sausage for almost everything, from dinner to late night snacking. I love your idea on poaching, it has saved me so much time it's unbelievable. Thank you for this info.
Got a question for you on the poaching though. When making this sausage, or any other for that matter, how high do you get the internal temperature of the meat in general, before poaching. I always heat smoked and believed in at least 152 degrees, but now it's 154.degrees. I know every smoker is different, I still use my old propane Masterbuilt XL, so it'd be hard to go by a time, so is there a temperature you recommend of achieving before actually poaching a sausage, whether it's Polish, Cajun, or whatever I'm smoking at the time? Thinking about cutting my Polish amount of pork butt in half and turning that half into your Sremska. (Got to try them all!!!!)
Once again, thanks for your web site and all the knowledge and help you give.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi Wayne, it's been a while 🙂 Yeah, I now mostly use poaching to finish smoked sausage thicker than 26mm. It's too convenient and makes the whole process much easier.
The beauty of the poaching method is that you don't need to reach a certain temperature before you poach. I believe my sausage smoked at 135F-140F is somewhere at 110F-120F internally before I start poaching. You need to reach 154F to 158F during poaching. During colder days I heat my crawfish pot to 176F and in summer I heat it to 167F. 30 minutes later the sausage is perfect 154F. If not, I may heat the water up a bit and give it another 10 min. Hope this helps. Enjoy Sremska, it's so good. I just bought more pork butt and will be making another batch in the next few days. But I will be stuffing in sheep casings, I want it made as sticks. Easier to dry during summer as I can't use my garage or the cold room and the curing chamber is busy.
Andy Gibbs says
I made the Kielbasa the recipe was perfect.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Enjoy!
Victoria says
Thank you fir sharing, what can I use as a substitute for casing ?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
You are very welcome. If you don't have access to or don't want to use natural casings, a good substitute would be edible collagen casings.
Other than that, you can shape the sausage meat as logs and smoke them on a tray, like you would a 'fatty' or a meatloaf. Another way would be to shape the meat as patties and fry on a pan. Pan-fried sausage meat is really good. When I make sausage, my wife and kids always ask me to leave some to be fried as patties. Good luck!
Terry says
Do you fill the water pan while smoking?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
No, no water pan while smoking.
Bruce Damen says
I know you poach it, but I have a Sous Vide and was wondering if that would work. Set to temp and it is done? What are your thoughts? More control.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Bruce, I have a sous vide machine too and that's what I wanted to use too until I realized that using a large crawfish boil pot with a propane burner would fit more sausage and I could heat water much faster. But yes, you can use it, it's the same idea.
Ahtisham says
Wow, what a fantastic recipe for Polish kielbasa! I love how detailed and easy-to-follow your instructions are. Making homemade kielbasa has always been a bit intimidating for me, but your blog post has given me the confidence to give it a try. Thank you for sharing your culinary expertise and helping us all enjoy delicious Polish flavors at home!
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Enjoy!
Glenn Teeple says
Has anyone used a Traegar smoker to make these?
Plumber says
Yes. We useca pit boss and it works amazingly well. Make them in winter for cooler smoke temp. When done we bury them in snow. Great recipes here. Thank you.
Ed says
Great recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
You are welcome. Enjoy!
George Roberts says
What spices do you add to the meat?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Listed in the ingredients section.
Rich says
Great recipe great advice thank you very much. I’ve been making sausage for a while and found some of your tips in this particular method of making sausage helped.
My families heritage came from Poland and I’ve been eating Polish sausage my whole life. Your recipe is spot on to what I grew upon.
Thank you ever so much.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
You are very welcome, Rich. Glad you found helpful information on my blog. Thank you for the kinds words.
paul david straw says
Hi Victor, I finished my 4th batch of kielbasa recently. Every one has gotten better,i been tweeking as i go .I have changed to a natural casing that is on a tube,that i think works better as far as loading the stuffer tube,.I have shared with a couple neighbors, just to get feed back.All have said the Kielbasa is very very good,thanks to your recipe,I also have been doing summer sausage and beef sticks. I have been kicking around doing some pepperone i seen you have a recipe for it. thanks again Victor.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi Paul, thank you for the detailed feedback and kind words. I am glad to see a positive progress and improvements in your sausage making endeavor. Soon you will be making salami and cured solid muscles;) I will be posting more kielbasa and other recipes, so stay tuned. Thank you for the feedback again, it helps me see what my readers like and don't like, what helps them, and what to write next about. It's also a great confirmation that what I write about is needed and helpful:)
Frank Wisniski says
Hello again Vic.
You mentioned in the buckboard bacon section about checking out your kielbasa recipes.
I grew up on this stuff. My grandfather used to make swojka, lisiecka and especially krakowska which is where I learned it from. Incidentally, your swojka recipe is almost identical to mine except for meat ratio. I use all pork butt at 70/30 meat to fat ratio.
There's nothing in the world like Sunday afternoon, swojka kielbasa with boiled potatoes and some of our homemade red cabbage.
I've occasionally boiled it with a half head of green cabbage, as well.
I look at as "food that feeds the body as well as the soul".
Thanks!
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
True soul food, simple yet delicious. A thick slice of homemade bread with some butter on it, a fresh cucumber or a bell pepper, a large piece of sausage - heavenly.
Rosalie Bycz says
This was awesome. Everyone enjoyed it. My brother said it was the best sausage he ever had! Going to make more for family Christmas! Followed recipe exactly as written. Thanks for all the helpful hints.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Glad to hear it, Rosalie. Enjoy and please try my other recipe, plenty of good stuff here.
John says
Can I add hot pepper flakes and or cayenne pepper to give it a little heat?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Yes, you can. Cayenne is my favorite to add to sausages. I usually add 4% to meat ratio to get a mild heat that appeals to most people or more if I want the sausage to have a stronger kick.
MechaManiaBoy says
Thanks for sharing this recipe and for your clear instructions. I’m awaiting delivery of my sausage stuffer but I’ll definitely be giving this a go very soon! 🍻
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
You will love it. Good luck and I would love to hear your feedback.
Ken says
Hi Victor. I would like to use your recipe to make 4 times the amount that you have listed. Are the values of the spices such as salt the same or do they need to be changed? Thank you.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi Ken, every ingredient should increase 4x. You can use a bit less water than 4x but it's up to you. I usually put just enough to help me evenly distribute the salt and spices.
Janis Hart says
Hi there! Have you ever come across a salmon kielbasa recipe? I tried some years ago in Poland and I’ve never been able to recreate it. It tasted like pork! Not fishy, full of spices, and it had larger chunks of salmon in it so if wasn’t too ground up. Would love any direction to who might know a recipe! Thank you!
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Marianski iun his Home Production of Quality Meats and Sausages has several fish/salmon recipes as well as pretty good guidelines on how to make fish sausage, with or without pork fat.
An interesting side note, in Poland kielbasa may be called salmon or salmon-style and not contain any fish in it. It's simply to note that the sausage is of high quality. This comes from the fact that pork loin (high quality lean meat and no fat) resembles salmon filet, hence the name. So, Kiełbasa łososiowa (Salmon sausage) in Poland may contain no fish at all, as per Marianski's Polish Sausages Authentic Recipes And Instructions.
Wayne Tomaszewski says
Finally made a batch of your Swojska, excellent. Thought I had some 28-32 casings, but didn't and put it 32-35. Took a little longer to get to the 154 temp, but was worth it. Wanting to know, if you ever ran across a Kielbasa recipe that used whole mustard seed? Growing up outside East Saint Louis, Il, we had the luxury of some of the finest packing houses in the Country back then. I believe it was Swift that had a "special" Kielbasa they made for Easter and Christmas , and was wondering if you seen any Kielbasa recipes that incorporated whole mustard seed? I know this will be made again and again. Anyway, thanks for the great recipe and taking the time to run your web site and answering everyone's questions.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi Wayne, my apologies for the late response. Glad you liked the recipe.
I've seen a few recipes with whole mustard seeds, Polish and German, and I've had sausage with whole mustard seeds, but can't recall which one and where I tried it.
I took a look at Marianski's Polish Sausages, Authentic Recipes And Instructions book, and he lists a few recipes with whole mustard seeds. Those include Kroliwiecka made from pork, beef and veal, Starowiejska made of pork, Mortadella made of pork and beef, some sausage links made of pork and beef, and a couple more.
If you don't have the book and want just a specific recipe, let me know and I will share it to you.
Rob says
Do you poach the sausage before you smoke it or after you smoke it
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Always after smoking. Good luck!
Barry C says
Maybe you could help me: when I was a kid, 60 years ago, in Maryland, in a regular grocery store my mom bout a 5 or 10 lb bag of "polish sausage". Frozen. It was essentially like a commercial sized wholesale package maybe sold to grill or hot dog vendors. This was before Costco and big wholesale or bulk sellers even appeared. The polish was the best I ever had before or since. No way to know which maker or brand names. But it had specific qualities you may recognize. It was fat in natural skin as big as a commercial store bought kielbasa or even a little fatter. Not slender like a lot of dried, smoke products. I don't think it was smoked. The meat was ground coarse. Fat and meat integrated. The spices were tangy, not hot. I'm not sure if there were fennel seeds, but I want to say there were a few. But the thing I can't find in any recipe, that were definitely in the one I had as a child was CORIANDER SEEDS, which were soft and plump and made interesting flavor and texture. Most every bite you'd get one or two seeds. I can tell you the flavor is not close to most kielbasa I've eaten. I'd say it's more peppery, and spiced. I consider most kielbasa to be good but more like a rough grind beef hot dog. It's kind of like a bologna to me because it's not spicy
Does this ring any bells for you? Do you have and/or can you refer me to whom may have such a recipe?.
I can still imagine the taste.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Barry, it won't be easy to find the exact or even similar existing recipe, but I am sure you can fairly easily re-create this recipe. If you want to find the recipe, I suggest getting Marianski's Polish Sausages book. It has a fair number of recipes with coriander.
If you want to recreate, start with meat (pork, or pork/beef) and salt/Cure #1. Use this or other of my sausage recipes as a guide. You want 1g Cure#1 per lb of meat and 5-6g salt per lb of meat. Tang comes from natural fermentation (check my Summer sausage recipe) or Fermento/Buttermilk powder. Add some pepper, some coriander - in Polish sausages it's .5g (1/4 tsp) to 1 g (1/2 tsp) per kilo of meat. Add other spices/seasonings and off you go. Taste, then adjust and try again. Good luck! I am sure you will get what you want after a few tries.
Susan says
When you say fat back do you mean the salted type or should it be unsalted?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
No, I refer to fresh fat harvested from the pig's back. The one on top of neck and loin area.
martin says
Hello there. For the first time, I'm going to try your recipe. This week, we're butchering a whole hog, and I want to get it right. I plan to smoke in my stick burner pit before poaching in water according to your instructions. A couple of questions... Doesn't poaching remove smoke in the same way that ice water does to cool it down...? Is it necessary to hang and dry the sausages again after this process is completed...? Thank you very much.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi, in short, the answers are 'yes' and 'no.' There are many ways to make good sausage, this is just one of them. If you don't want to lose some smokiness, don't poach, finish in the smoker, or vac seal and poach in a bag. Or finish in the oven. We've actually discussed this in the past, take a look through the comments. I like my smoked sausage slightly dried so I now always dry it, at least some of it. It's like regular steak vs dry aged one. Some don't care, some love the dry-aged one. I love my sausage either hot, freshly made, dripping juices when I bite into it, or dried for a couple of weeks. Some of my family members prefer the non-dried version. Tastes differ. Good luck!
ChrisJ says
Hi There. I’m about to try your recipe for the first time. We are butchering a whole hog this week and I want to make sure I get it right. I intend to smoke in my stick burner pit and then poach in water per your instruction. A couple questions…doesn’t the poaching remove smoke just like the ice water to cool it down would…?? After this process is complete am I supposed to hang and let sausages dry more time…?? Please and thank you.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi, I am not familiar with a stick burner pit, I hope it can maintain a low enough temp. You can finish in the pit, but it's usually a problem for most home smokers. Commercial smokers seem to increase humidity to expedite internal (sausage) temp increase. You can also finish in the oven at around 180F - 200F with convection. That will retain the smoky flavor. Poaching is very easy, for me at least, and very predictable. Many commercial sausage recipes use poaching. Yes, it will remove some smoky flavor and color, but plenty will be left for anyone eating that sausage to know that it's a smoked sausage. You can vac seal (gentle cycle) or place the sausage in Ziploc bags to retain the smoky flavor if you want. Lots of options. Drying afterwards will remove some water from the sausage, that will improve the texture and intensify the flavor. It's optional, but I like the sausage better when its dried a little. Good luck!
Dan says
So my first batch will us nearly done and want to get your thoughts on 2 things. First I screwed up a bit 😅 and transposed 2 paragraphs and only left it to dry at room temp for a bit over 30 min. How much will that screw me up? Second I don't have and adequate smoker yet but didn't want to wait to finish building one. My oven is a convection oven and has a dehydrate where it has 150 degrees of indirect heat. I'm trying that i may poach using your meatbod if it takes more then 3 hours, im at hour 2... I'm brand new, this is my first sausage ever. So far everything else seemed to go quite well. What do you thin with the screw up drying and they way I'm cooking will do overall?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Dan, I think you can get away with shorter drying time, especially since you aren't smoking them. Convection drying is very different from smoking. I can't really comment on the quality of the sausage you will get from that because I've never tried making it that way. I wonder how it turned out and did you end up poaching it. Hope it tasted great despite the limitations.
Richard says
Hi Victor
I’m starting to make my fourth batch of your kielbasa recipe and I plan on blanching this batch. My question is have you ever smoked the sausage after blanching to get the color?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Richard, it's a very good question. I haven't done it. Ususally, poaching is done after smoking. I suspect there maybe good reasons for not doing it that way but I am not very familiar with those and can only guess.
Richard Plante says
Thanks for your reply. The reason I wanted to do it that way is because my last batch took 7 hours to reach 154 in 30 degree weather and I ended up getting very dry sausage. It was still good but not as good as my first batches. Best Regard
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
I've had that happen to me before, hence the reason I stopped finishing in the smoker, well, any sausage that is thicker than 22-23 mm. Nowadays, I smoke until I get a good color, then poach.
Joe says
Hi, I want to try this. My kids got me a meat grinder for my birthday. I’m concerned about the heat, though. I have a Recteq and the lowest setting is 200(and then LOW- not sure what that is) any suggestions? Thanks
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Joe, the best way to really know the temperature is to use a good thermometer with probes. I own a variety of Thermoworks thermometers and can't praise them highly enough.
Don't worry about the heat not being low enough though. The sausage will still taste good. It will have a slightly different texture but will be very good. I've smoked lots of sausage on my BGE and in my propane smoker where I could not maintain low temps and the sausage was better than anything storebought. Good luck!
Dan says
Just made this recipe and it turned out fantastic. The problem I had is, if I’m smoking at 140 degrees, it isn’t possible to ever reach a temperature of 154 degrees. The lowest temperature to smoke at to reach a temperature of 154 degrees would be, 154 degrees. So that’s what I did. I smoked at 154 degrees, took about 6 hours but it finally got there. Nice red color, great flavor, great texture. Fantastic results
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Dan, glad it worked out for you. My experience has been a little different. I see about 20-30 degree difference between the smoker temp and the sausage temp. At the end of smoking at 140F the sausage will be at about 120F. Typically, you'd be slowly raising the temp in the smoker to 155, 165, 175, 185 degrees to raise the temp in the sausage to 154F. You want to do it fairly quickly, withing 20-30 minutes to preserve the moisture. That's what commercial productions facilities in Poland do. BUt I suspect they jack up the humidity very high to be able to do it, there is no way you can get the sausage from 120F to 154F in 20 minutes at low humidity, which my backyard smoker has. My attempts to just keep on smoking until I get there resulted in many hours of smoking, like in your case, and I also noticed quite a bit of drying out and surface hardening. So I poach instead now. It's quick, predictable and the sausage is plump and juicy. If you like it that way. I actually prefer to dry it for 5-7 days in my curing chamber, but that results in a different kind of drying, different texture, without dried out surface. Different smokers smoke differently though, hard to get identical resutls even if following all the steps to the tee.
Beverly Leszczynski says
2-3 hours is plenty, 6 hours is too much, kielbasa will be dry
Cheryl says
I'd love to make this but I'm incredibly sensitive to additives. Why the cure salt instead of just plain salt? Could I just use sea salt?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Cheryl, coincidentally, I just had a discussion on this this morning;) Kielbasa is made such that it stays in the danger zone - 40F to 140F - for hours, where pathogenic bacteria, if present, multiply exponentially. This poses a health risk. Pink salt is used to prevent pathogens from growing rapidly. It also prevents botulism poisoning. It also enhances color, flavor and shelf life of sausage. However, USDA says that you can omit nitrites and use just plain salt if you cook sausage/kilebasa at 225F or higher. I have a recipe for such a sausage, even though I use pink salt in it, it's not required. Essentially, you can make Swojska the same way, just substitute pink salt for regular salt and smoke right away, without resting or drying, at 225F or higher.
Ray says
Could I use pure pork lard for the fat it calls for?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
You want to use hard fat for making sausages. Lard is too soft, not good for sausage.
Paul d Straw says
hey Victor just to keep you up on my sausage career LOL .i did my 3rd batch of Kielbasa last week.My wife got me a sausage stuffer for our anniversary, gee does she love me or what .it did well it made a difference in the texture and moisture. I used your recipe with the exception i used 2# chuck roast to make the final product a little leaner. iam stuck on your recipe its awesome thanks again Victor ....
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi Paul, good to hear that. Congrats on your new piece of equipment. I am still doing all the mixing by hand but as I am getting older, I am strongly considering getting one. Oh, don't get stuck on this recipe, you have to try my other recipes;) Happy sausage making!
Ken says
I'm perfectly happy with the way this recipe turns out, but I've noticed that when I prepare this kielbasa by lightly pan-frying or grilling it, it tends to dry out a bit–especially when compared to the mass produced, store-bought stuff that's served to me when I visit friends. I have to imagine that this has to do with the fat content rendering away. Is that store-bought stuff just so loaded with fat that it never dries out? Should I try to compensate by adding extra fat if I intend to grill it, or is there some other trick to it? Thanks.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Ken, many factors can affect that. In this recipe, I think there is plenty of fat for sausage not to be dry when grilled, but many commercial sausages do use more fat, up to 50% or even more sometimes. I posted a recipe for my favorite hot smoked sausage that is smoked then grilled at the end, it's always juicy and it only uses pork butt, which would make it about 30% fat, no extra fat added. What could make sausage dry is meat and fat not mixed well enough, meat and fat mixed at too high temperature, which could cause fat separation during cooking. The same can happen if not letting meat come up to room temp before cooking. I think your issue is fat separation, not that there isn't enough fat. Sometimes cooking at too high temp and/or cooking for too long can dry the meat too. You want to pull it at 160F. Perhaps something else, I can't say. I've encountered this issue a long, long time ago when I was starting to make sausages, I remember my oven-baked sausage had the texture of sawdust. But I can't recall what what I did wrong and how I fixed that. Here is my favorite method for pan-frying sausage, try it, it works well and makes very nice, juicy sausages. Good luck!
Ken says
Victor, thanks for your insight. You mention that mixing could be a factor. Do you think that me mixing this recipe by hand might have something to do with it?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Ken, I personally don't. I don't have a mixer, yet, and do all the mixing by hand. But, you want to keep the meat cold and mix well, until it's very sticky. This not an easy or pleasant (freezing hands) task. A meat mixer would definitely help.
Ken says
Victor, I’ve done some research since the last time I raised the issue of moisture. You were right to bring up the issue of mixing. I didn’t realize there was a connection between mixing time and protein extraction which helps to fix the moisture in the finished product. I don’t know if I’m ready to spring for a meat mixer. Do you think something like a stand mixer with a paddle might work? Thanks.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Ken, I make a lot of sausage but haven't invested in a meat mixer either, I see more cons than pros using it in my case. But I do use my 8qt stand mixer with a paddle attachment every now and again, I wrote about it in my Andouille sausage post, and it works quite well. I find that mixing by hand works well too but you need to use rubber gloves to prevent hand freeze. I think hand mixing produces decent results as long as you have some practice and know what consistency you are looking for.
OBH says
Victor. I’ve made the Swojska Kielbasa three times with great success. Do I do anything differently to extrapolate the 6 lb. recipe to make a 25 or 30 lb batch?
Many thanks in advance.
The OBH.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi OBH, no it will be a simple linear scaling. Just multiply all ingredients by the same factor. Good luck!
OBH says
Thanks Victor! I’m on it!!!
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
You are welcome. Good luck!
John says
Instead of fresh garlic , Can I roast my garlic in the oven ? Would the taste of garlic be the same ?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
John, roasted or otherwise cooked/microwaved/blanched garlic will have less garlicky flavor, less pungency. Some like it, some don't. When I add roasted garlic to my sausage I usually add more of it, like 3x more. It really depends on how you like it. Also, the higher the cooking temperature, the less garlic flavor will remain. If you smoke kilebasa at over 225F, garlic flavor will be barely perceptible. If you cold-smoke the same kielbasa, garlic flavor will be very strong.
Ken says
I made your recipe this past weekend and like nearly everyone else who commented on it, it came out fantastic! I gave much of it away to some very appreciative friends; but not to all. Some of my friends have a thing against nitrites. I'd like to make a batch that omits the Prague Powder. Will doing this mean that I'll have to significantly change the recipe and approach? I'm using a Big Chief smoker that smokes at around 165 degrees. I typically smoke for about 3 hours, then poach until the 155 degree mark it met. Thanks.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Happy to hear it, Ken. Glad you liked it.
In general, the guidelines that I've read advise using curing salt when the meat stays in the danger zone of above 40F and below 140F for longer than 3 hours. Bacteria multiplies exponentially when in the danger zone so the shorter the smoking/cooking time the better. Some instruct using Cure #1 if smoking below 200F. A quick check on USDA's website for smoked sausages says you should smoke sausages to 160F at at least 225F. This reason for that is that all potential harmful bacteria will be killed at 212F.
They want you to follow a fool-proof process. Just like they instruct cooking chicken meat to 165F, while back in 2013 or so they posted a guide where they elaborated a little more on that, saying that you can cook chicken to 150F if you keep the chicken at that temp for at leat 3 minutes ro something like that, or 155F and keep it at that temp for 58 seconds or something, can't recall the exact numbers. But they later removed that guide, I suppose because many people didn't have the right equipment for that or didn't do it right. Maybe for another reason. I still use that guideline when cooking chicken.
So, can you make a safe-to-eat sausage without curing salt if you process (grind, mix, stuff) the meat at below 40F, then smoke it for less than 3 hours, cook it to 160F, then quickly chill and refrigerate it? Probably, but I am going to let you answer that question. Good luck!
Dana says
Hi, I hope you are doing great. I was wondering if I omit the cure do I add more salt and I will be smoking it on 225 Will that change the flavor?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Dana, whenever smoking at temps over 225F and/or the combined time (initial drying plus smoking) in the danger zone (40F to 140F) is less than 3 hours you don't have to use the cure. When smoking at temps above 200F the texture will be slightly different. Not worse, but different. When not using Cure #1, the sausage will taste a little different too. Pink salt enhances flavor, gives sausage pink color, and lengthens shelf life by quite a bit. If you smoke sausage at 225F, you don't need to add more salt, not for food safety reasons like when making dry-cured sausage, you can use as much or as little as you want. Good luck!
Dana says
Thank you
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
You are very welcome.
Derrick says
Hey Victor. After stalking and studying this blog for about three months I finally decided to attempt your kielbasa recipe for a Fourth of July picnic. I'm half Italian and half Polish but I feel like the Italian side gets all the attention when it comes to food. Determined to show what my Polish side could bring to the table I decided to make a Polish charcuterie board with your kielbasa as a centerpiece.
It's only been out of the smoker for about 2hrs. And it's already fantastic. I can't to show it off tomorrow.
I did finish it in my bayou classic 32qt. Pot at 167°. Definitely glad I did. It retained all the smokiness and color I was hoping for. Thanks again!
Oh and of course a mandatory picture:
Kielbasa https://imgur.com/gallery/7oyDI1c
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Derrick, your kielbasa looks really good. Glad my recipe helped, my first attempts at smoked sausage were quite subpar. Enjoy! Happy Fourth of July!
Julian says
Hi Victor, thanks so much for all the great info. I’m about to make up a batch right now. I just have one question. If smoked to 154f internal and once cooled, vac sealed. How long will they last in the fridge? Or what is the best method to get longer shelf life?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Julian, smoked, cooled and vac sealed, then refrigerated... I don't know for sure but a month or two is not unreasonable. Possibly more but I haven't tested this myself. If you let it dry for a week or two, it will last many months, sealed or unsealed. I've had sausages sit in the fridge for a year and smelling and tasting great. If not sealed, they will dry in the fridge, as long as they have air circulation around them. If you pile them up, they may sweat, change color in some places and begin to deteriorate. Had that happen to me.
Ann says
When you dry sausage do you smoke it first to 154F?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Yes, this type of sausage with Cure #1 is smoked to the safe internal temp of 154F. It's ready to be consumed at this stage, but if you dry it, it will only get better IMHO and will have a much longer shelf life.
Richard says
Victor
I’m looking forward to using your kielbasa recipe My question is can I grind all the meat the night before and refrigerate overnight
Thank you
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Richard, I've done that, no problem. The meat will absorb the liquid and stiffen up, you may need to mix in some water the next day if you find it hard to stuff. Should be OK though.
Richard says
Victor thank you for your advice. I made the kielbasa yesterday and I have to say it was the best sausage that I have eaten. Looking forward to making it again.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
You are welcome. Enjoy!
Tom says
Gotta give credit where credit it due. This is eyes-in-the-back-of-your-head, toe-curling, delicious old-world kielbasa. Followed the recipe to the hilt, and it turned out beautifully in my Grilla Chimp. I wish I could add photos here. Gorgeous color, and perfect texture. Thank you for making old-world, artisan recipes approachable and easy. FWIW, my local grocer was out of pork belly, but subbed thick cut bacon and it worked fine.
https://tasteofartisan.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/homemade-kielbasa.jpg
https://tasteofartisan.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/homemade-kielbasa-1.jpg
https://tasteofartisan.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/homemade-kielbasa-2.jpg
https://tasteofartisan.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/homemade-kielbasa-3.jpg
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi Tom, glad to hear it. Never heard of Grilla Chimp before, had to look it up - looks cool. I've never used a pellet smoker but I imagine it makes good smoke production a breeze. I've emailed you so you can send me your pics and I can attach them here for you. Try my other sausage recipes, I only post my favorite recipes here, I am sure you will like them.
Mary says
Tried your recipe for first time yesterday. Planning on making it again, however, mine came out a little dry. Did I do something wrong?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Mary, it's hard for me to say without knowing what exactly you did. In general, sausage comes out dry when there isn't enough fat. I.e. the meat was too lean to begin with, or the fat separated and melted out, which happens when the meat was mixed at too high a temperature, not mixed well enough, and/or cooked at a too high temp. If can share more details I could help pin-point the problem.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Thanks for sharing pictures, Tom. Your kielbasa looks really, really good.
Mike B says
Victor
I have a 2nd question. I've made your sausage per the qty's in your recipe a few times, did it as fresh instead of a long smoke, and it's outstanding. I've tried to do a 10 LB. batch a couple times and it didn't come out as well as the 5lb. batches. Do I have to increase any ingredients as i make more at one time? Maybe more garlic?
Thx
Mike
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Mike, sausage recipes scale linearly - e.g. for a double batch you double all ingredients. I don't think the ingredients were the problem, rather the cooking itself. My old smoker could handle smaller batches but once I loaded it with more sausage it wouldn't cook as well causing all sorts of issues. Another issue can be the preparation - with large batches proper mixing becomes more critical and can be where the problem is... there could be other things like meat temperature, etc. When you say it wasn't as good, what didn't you like?
Mike B says
Victor
Have you ever subbed garlic powder or granulated garlic for fresh? If so, what's your thoughts on it and what was the ratio?
Thanks
Mike
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Use fresh garlic quite often in my sausages as we all like garlic, I even started growing a little bit of my own garlic in the backyard. Have you seen my garlic kielbasa recipe? It recommends 5g of garlic per kilo/2.2 lbs of meat. That's a good ratio. You can go higher but be careful as the sausage will become very garlicky. If I want to use a lot of garlic without the harshness I denature it in the microwave or a frying pan before adding it.
John Balanik says
Victor,
Yesterday was my first attempt at Swojska took about 6 hours to hit 154 in my Masterbuilt electric smoker. I live I N.E. Ohio Yesterday the high was about 19 degrees. I have to say I was very impressed with the results "outstanding " . Thank you for sharing your experience with the rest of us newbies. My question is you mention drying kielbasa on your veranda. My garage maintains about 40 -50 degrees in this weather. How long do you allow sausage to air dry before you call it good? Thanks again for your awesome recipes and help.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi John, good to hear about your results. Every time I read feedback like that it puts a big smile on my face. I love making artisanal foods and love it when others do too and have great results.
Your question is surprisingly timely. We moved to a new place a little over a year ago and I now have no veranda but have an unheated garage. I believe most of them are. Anyway, I've used my garage to dry smoked sausage twice by now and it worked perfectly fine for me. One time the temp inside the garage fluctuated between 30F and 45F, and another time it was warmer, probably close to what you have - 38F-50F. With the warmer temps, it dried a bit faster, I think I held it there for about 2 weeks. When it was colder, I just left it hanging there for 2 months or so, until we finished it. It didn't feel like it was too dry.
There is no right or wrong here. You can pull it as soon as it feels dry enough for your taste. It can be as soon as 1 week or as long as several weeks. I can only say that in my family we tend to prefer the drier version of most of the smoked sausage that I make. I once had a ring of smoked kielbasa forgotten about and sitting wrapped in butcher's paper at the back of the fridge for 8-9 months IIRC. It turned quite dry but, man, it disappeared in the blink of an eye once my kids found out about it. It sort of tasted like my sujuk.
Here is the picture of smoked German sausage that was dried in my garage for about 2 weeks at approximately the temps that you mentioned. I liked the texture a lot.
https://tasteofartisan.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/knackwurst.jpg
John Karas says
when making hot sausage how long can I leave the mix pork in the fridge ? Also how long with mixed kielbasa? Do I need to add pink cure to fresh hot sausage?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
What are you trying to do, John?
You don't need cure #1 when making fresh sausages, only if making sausages that will be cooked/cured/dried at low temps - below 200F (but above 40F) - for longer than 3 hours. Doesn't matter hot or sweet sausage.
JimNex says
Turned out really good!
BARBARA JASINSKI says
Hi Everyone,
I'm using a picnic shoulder for part of my recipe. Has anyone else used a picnic shoulder? If so, what have you done with the bone and skin? I hate to have it go to waste?
Liz says
Roast it in the oven at 350 degrees F, turning every 15 minutes or so until it's browned a bit all over. Then put it in a stock pot with celery, onion, carrots, garlic, parsley, bay leaf, 8 black pepper corns, (hot dry peppers if you want spicy), pour in water to about 1.5" below rim of pot, bring to almost a boil then turn down to a simmer for about 2.5 hours, let cool on stovetop, skim off fat then strain stock. Either pressure can in jars, freeze in either 2 to 4 cup containers or ice cube trays for when you need just a little stock. Now you can make some really good tasting soups & sauces! I compost everything that's left, including the bone, but we have a good size homestead and nothing goes to waste. If you don't just toss what's left.
Harvey Mcshane says
Great site. A lot of helpful information here. I’m sending it to some friends ans additionally sharing in delicious. And naturally, thank you to your effort!
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Thank you for the kind words, Harvey, it's inspiring to hear feedback like this. Glad you find my blog helpful. All the best!
paul straw says
HEY VICTOR i am soooo glad i found your recipe for Kielbasa !!!! i started today just to grind my meat. the longer i went the more i wanted to finish today. i used the hog casings, but i wasnt sure if i was doing it right .i ended up using the small tube, because i couldnt get the casing on the medium tube. but the out come is still the same with small one the color is nearly perfect, and the flavor is very good.i will defiantly making more.i dont have a stuffer i used my LEM grinder to grind (i used the 1/4 inch plate and the stuffer plate a little slow but worked ok.and i finished in my electric pellet smoker. i had no problems getting the temps.to 154 and i took it to 160 it turned out GREAT thanks again Victor
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
You are very welcome, Paul. Enjoy! Try my other sausage recipes, plenty of good ones here. I will be smoking hot links, kabanos and chicken sausage tomorrow.
Thomas E Mayer Jr says
Wow, your grandfather would be so proud of this website. What a treasure of information. Thank you for this great read. Your tip and info is valuable.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
You are very welcome. Thank you for the kind words, Thomas.
paul straw says
hi victor i am going to do my kielbasa soon, i tried the collagen casings , i was disappointed in the results. but i have natural casings and i am grinding a little courser
grind i have an electric smoker, can i use the smoker for the whole process? And will it be safe to eat right from the smoker? The smoker will heat to 250 deg. and i have done summer sausage and beef sticks and have gotten an internal temp 159 to 160 on both. i will be using your recipe. by the way how do pronounce swojksa i would like to impress every one here lol
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi Paul, agree with you on the collagen casings... Don't like them but I've used collagen casings extensively to make thin sausages like beef sticks, kabanos, chicken sausage, but now I fully switched to natural as I've found a good supplier for sheep casings. The ones that I used before were too fragile and ripped all the time during stuffing so I had to use collagen.
Smoked pork sausage, like this one, is perfectly safe to eat as long as it's properly prepared (clean tools/hands, meat kept chilled, the right amount of salt/pink salt) and cooked to at least 154F. Usually, 154F - 158F, don't go higher. The grind doesn't matter in this case, just cook it to at least 154F internal temp and yes, you can cook it in the smoker all the way and eat straight from the smoker or chilled from the fridge, no need to reheat or anything. Just cool it down quickly, handle with clean hands/tools, and refrigerate as soon as it cools down. It will be good in the fridge for many weeks. Keep it wrapped in plain red butcher's paper.
The pronunciation is 'swoy-ska', emphasis on the first syllable. You can actually listen how it's pronounced here.
Enjoy! Happy smoking!
paul straw says
thanks victor i will update you when i get every thing done
Tom says
Hey Victor, can you add some dried non fat milk powder to retain moisture and if you can then how much.
Thanks
Tom
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Tom, I am probably not a good person to ask about this as I dry my smoked sausages in the garage, cold room or my curing chamber to remove moisture as opposed to finding ways to retain it. I like the texture and the more intense flavor of a drier sausage. That said, half a cup per 5 lbs of meat should do it, you can even double that. I only add powdered buttermilk (used to be Femento which is the same thing) to my smoked sausages to add some tang when I am too lazy or don't have the time to ferment. Hope this helps.
Reid Dibbles says
certainly like your website but you have to check the spelling on several of your posts. Many of them are rife with spelling problems and I find it very bothersome to tell the truth nevertheless I will definitely come back again.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Won't argue with that... guilty as charged. I could use 'Enlgish is not my native language' excuse but there are spellcheckers and whatnot so there is no excuse for me;) Grammarly to the rescue, been using it lately but need to go back and check my older posts. Even a hobby blog needs to look professional, doesn't it? 😉
CMW says
The audacity.
Victor it’s perfect and you’ve given our family a kielbasa Easter tradition, insignificant grammatical errors and all.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Enjoy!
Rick says
Hi Victor and Thank for your earlier response. I am smoking the kielbasa now. I will be smoking at 135 for about 5 hours. When I sous vide, what temperature and time do you recommend? Thanks!
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
No problem, Rick. 167F for 25-30 minutes and they are perfectly cooked (154-158F internal). Good luck!
Garry Barile says
I'm looking forward to making your recipe. Wish me luck. Thank you 😊
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Good luck, Garry! Happy smoking!
Chris says
Can I make this sausage recipe as an unsmoked polish sausage?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Yes, you can. Treat it as fresh sausage then grill, bake, pan-fry, fry like brats with onions and beer, air-fry - I love air fried sausage, You can choose to substitute Cure #1 for regular salt or leave it as is... you don't need curing salt if not smoking for hours over low heat but curing salt makes the meat pink, improves flavor and will give the sausage a longer shelf life - as in you cook it and in the fridge it will be good for well over a week as opposed to a few days. Your choice.
OBH says
Made the kielbasa today. Followed the instructions to a T. I smoked the links to 154* with apple wood. It took almost 7 hours but the kielbasa looks great and tastes amazing. My wife can’t believe how good and easy this is. Just in time for New Years Day celebration!!!
Absolutely will try again and highly recommend this recipe!
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Happy to hear that, OBH. Enjoy! Applewood gives a very subtle smoke flavor, if you want something stronger, I like cherry, hickory, pecan and oak. Cherry gives kielbasa a beautiful mahogany color and sweet smoky flavor. Be sure to try my other sausage recipes... the chicken sausage is very good if you get tired of pork... Happy holidays!
OBH says
Thank you Victor! I did use cherrywood for smoke on my second batch of kielbasa. I also toned down the garlic from three to two cloves. I used a VERY FATTY pork shoulder so I omitted the fatback. The results were magnificent! Cherrywood gave a much darker color. In addition, the outside was dryer and more wrinkled providing a nicer eye appeal!
I’m looking forward to using this kielbasa recipe again and again. It’s easy and so much better than store bought! Thanks again!
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Happy to hear about your success, OBH. Couldn't agree more, you can't find anything like this at a store... there are some exceptions but for the most part, the art of proper sausage making is left at the hands of artisans and enthusiasts.
Speaking about garlic, if you like more garlic flavor but less of its harshness (low and slow cooking doesn't denature garlic too well), then zap it in a microwave for about 60 seconds. I have another really good kielbasa recipe that uses a lot of garlic but it has to be denatured otherwise the sausage will be too garlicky.
Try my other smoked sausage recipes, plenty of really good ones there to try. Happy smoking!
Rick says
Great looking recipe!! Can I smoke for 4 hours at, say, 150, then sous vide at 167 for 25 to 30 minutes?? Thanks
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Rick, you can smoke for however many hours you like, some sausages are smoked for many hours even days but I wouldn't smoke at 150F - the temperature when fat begins to melt. I would stay in the 130F - 140F range if smoking for 4 hours, then finish in a sous vide bath.
CJ says
My plan is to smoke my garlic sausage rings for 4 hrs.(Prague Pink #1 is mixed in the stuffing). I am not trying to get the meat at a done temp of 152+ so much as I’m trying to infuse a good amount of smoke. So at the end of the 4 hours, I will take the rings in to an ice bath then I will wrap and freeze the rings. When I decide to eat a ring I will always boil, grill or bake to the desired 165 temp. Is there anything wrong with this approach?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
I've never done this before but it looks like the safety process is followed here and I don't see any issues. I also checked some of my books and found a few references to this very same process. One is in Marianski's Home Production of Quality Meats and Sausages book, it's a recipe for fresh Andouille that is stuffed, dried for two hours at room temp, smoked for 2 hours at 130F and then chilled and refrigerated until ready to cook. You can freeze too, then thaw and cook. So, what you want to do is a perfectly fine approach. Good luck and happy smoking!
Michael Klansek says
I have a grill master electric smoker. We are making Kielbasa. We used hog casings and have been smoking the links at 140 degrees for about three hours now. The smoke vent is open at the smallest opening possible. We are using Apple wook chips in the smoker and Apple wood pellets in a smoking tub. The casings still look pale. Very frustrating.
Please tell me what I need to do to get them to brown up.
Thank you.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Michael, there are two things that make sausage brown up - temperature and the right wood. If your thermometer is not malfunctioning, your temperature is great and you should have a good color after a couple of hours. At lower temps, it will take longer.
Now, the second part is where you need to make a change right away - the wood. Applewood makes VERY weak and VERY pale smoke. They say it's good for poultry but I don't even use it for that. You need pecan, cherry, or hickory. Even white oak would do. Cherry gives a very nice color, dark red. Pecan is very nice and rich. Hickory is more brown than red but also very nice. These are my favorite. I like oak a lot and use it all the time but if I need more color I add some cherry or hickory or pecan. All work good for color and the aroma is very nice.
Joe Catoir says
Can’t wait to try the hot links. Send me the recipe.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi Joe, will be posting it today or tomorrow at the latest.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hey Joe, the recipe is now posted - https://tasteofartisan.com/hot-links-sausage/.
Joe Catoir says
I have made your recipe several times and everyone loves it. I do lots of research on different sausages and found out there are several different kielbasas. Is there any books you would recommend on polish and German sausages? I’m in Louisiana and have made andouille since I was a child. Many of my family members worked at Jacobs years ago. Great great uncle’s. I’m trying to show people here in Louisiana just how much different sausages they buy here are by no means close to the real deal.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Joe, thanks for the kind words. I am about to publish my favorite recipe for hot links sausage. It's outstanding, I highly recommend it.
As far as books go, I have so many... For Polish sausage recipes the best is Marianski's Polish Sausages book. Mariasnki's German Sausages book is very good. Lot's of good recipes here too.
Joe Catoir says
I totally agree. I have spent months no making different sausages. I want to get the sausages as authentic as post. So many ingredients have been left out of different kinds over the years. I’m sure mainly because they just weren’t available when people came here from all over the world. Now with the internet and families such as yours everything is possible to get. Look forward to trying many more! Thanks
Jay says
Did your Grandpa use curing salt ? .. I don’t want to use it and most I know from Central Europe do not bother with it
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Like you, I used to want to do it the old-fashioned way, the natural way. It's not the same, tastes different. Doesn't keep as long. Unappetising grey color. So I use it... for safety, nice pink color, better keeping properties, and improved flavor. Wouldn't do it any other way.
I hang around one Italian forum where a bunch of charcuterie makers hang out. I remember a long heated discussion about using curing salt. There was no consensus and those who were anti-cure admitted that they'd only use it when curing meat only from their farm, fresh, properly handled, etc. They also admitted that without curing salt and bacterial cultures their results weren't always consistent and were more prone to spoilage. Those who make salami for sale also noted that their customers did not like the color and taste as much. So, there. Hey, just because someone didn't use curing salts 100 years ago doesn't mean it was the right way... if they still don't use it in Central Europe, doesn't mean it's the right/best way either. It's different with its one pros and cons. Things improve, get better. I view curing salts and bacterial cultures in sausage-making as a breakthrough. Why not take advantage?
P.S. Yes, my grandpa used selitra, also known as saltpeter.
Anna says
I just finish my 1st ever batch of polish-kielbasa using your recipe. It looks and tests GREAT!!!!!! Thank you. Your instructions were clear and to the point.
I staffed my kielbasa one day, but it was to late to smoke it so I dry it over night (in my garage. Hihihi) in the 7C temperature. Next day I smoked it as per your recipe. I was able to reach 154F internal temperature without problem. But then decided to pouch half of the kielbasas any way. Just to see how it turns out. I look forward to more recipes from you. 🙂
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi Anna, happy to hear that you've achieved great results. I will be posting more recipes soon for sure. Happy smoking!
Jay says
Why do you need Prague salt if poaching ?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Because before poaching the sausage is smoked at sub-200F temps (danger zone) for hours.
William Reaves says
Victor, your recipe is dead on, old school. The only things I do differently is to crush my own black pepper and I cold smoke with an amazen tube for 4 hrs, first, and add charcoal and hickory chunks and slowly bring to temp.(I'm using an offset smoker) Water bath optional, in my opinion. The double smoking is the bomb . I also double up on the garlic, but I do that in a lot of my recipes.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
HI William, thanks for your feedback. Lots of variations can be had here... that's the beauty of homemade sausage - you can make it any way you like. Correct, poaching is not required at all but sometimes it can be very helpful and if you've tried it, you may actually like it. For one, it makes the skin very soft. If you are having a problem getting to temperature in your smoker, and many of us have experienced this, it may take hours before you finally do. And if that happened to you, you know how tough/dehydrated the skin will be. So, there is a benefit to both methods.
By the way, I recently finished a couple of batches inside the smokehouse where I had a small bowl of boiling hot water sitting on top of the heat deflector. It helped and I was able to get to target temp quicker but I don't think this solution is very effective as the steam production is very small. Humidity definitely helps. Next, I am going to drill a hole in the bottom of the smokehouse and inject humidity with my ultrasonic humidifier that I use in my curing chamber. If it works, it will speed up the 'baking' stage and keep the sausage skins hydrated. If not, injecting actual steam will help but it will require a more elaborate setup.
John Karas says
will do . thanks
John says
during smoking kielbasa can I rearrange the meat due to uneven temps in smoke box ? Is it possible to even out the temp inside?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Yes, it's perfectly fine to move sausages around if you have hot/cold spots. I find that the best way to deal with that is to install a baffle in your smokehouse, like I did in mine:
https://tasteofartisan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/smokehouse-tasteofartisan.com-2-1.jpg
Carlos says
Hi Victor, amazing information and tips on this post, congratulations. I’m making kielbasas but had a problem that is delaying the smoking. I’ve dried most of a batch for a couple hours with a fan. It’s in the fridge now. Will be in the fridge for at least 48 hours before smoking. I wonder if it could get spoiled or develop C. botulinum.
Also by mistake I left a small batch inside of an oven for 24 hours. It doesn’t smell or look bad. It’s dry and waiting in the fridge to get smoked.
I added nitrite (#1) to the recipe.
Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks!
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi Carlos,
Meat that has been handled properly, mixed with Cure #1 and left in the fridge for 48 hours is perfectly fine. I many of my recipes I cure my sausage meat for 24-48 hours in the fridge. It's a good thing.
Leaving sausage in the oven for 24 hours may present a health problem. I ferment some of my sausages in the oven or another warm place for 12-18 hours but I do add sugar and bacterial culture to make sure that the right bacteria grows. This gives the sausage a nice tang and the increased acidity also acts as a barrier for pathogenic bacteria growth. If you don't add a culture, any type of bacteria may grow in the meat. I would be reluctant to smoke such sausage low and slow and consume.
Jarek says
Hi,
I am polish, we use pork shoulder meat, not beef for polish sausage.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi Jarek, as a Polak, you most likely know very well that there isn't one Polish sausage, there are dozens, even hundreds of them. Not all of them are made from pork shoulder.
Raeford E Carter says
I am anxious to try the polish sausage but I am not sure about the instructions. Do you recommend smoking and then poaching the sausage or simply poaching the sausage and avoid the smoking. I apologize for my misunderstanding. thanks for you help.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
No worries. When making smoked sausages you want them to have a smoky flavor so we definitely want to smoke them. When making traditional Polish sausages, smoking is done at around 120F - 140F. At these temps, the meat won't get cooked enough to be safe to eat so, after smoking, we need to bring the internal temp of the sausage to at least 154F. Typically 154F - 158F. That's accomplished either by slowly raising the temperature in the smoker/smokehouse up to about 195F or by poaching in very warm water. The challenge when doing it in a backyard smoker is that it may take hours to do and your sausage will dry out a little, the skin will harden and a lot of fat will melt. In commercial smokers, I suspect, they increase humidity which increases heat transfer to the sausage and they can finish in 20 minutes or so. That's what Polish recipe books specify anyway. I could never achieve that. An easier way to raise the sausage temp is by poaching it, which is also a method widely used by Polish sausage makers, including commercial ones.
Karri says
Very happy with the results - the sausage turned out excellent. Haven't tried your poaching method but will do it next time. Thanks!
Stevie D says
Victor, I’m waiting for the PNW weather to cool before attempting this since I don’t have a dedicated smoker but in the meantime I have all my specialty ingredients found like Prague powder #1 and hog casings. I just wanted to say thank you for this incredibly detailed and thoughtful recipe/blog description and especially for your patient and thorough responses to your fans’ questions on food safety, smoker design, every step of the recipe process, sausage types, recipe adaptations, troubleshooting, etc. while waiting for the weather to cool down, I’ve had plenty of time to read all of the entries. You are a scientist, scholar, teacher, craftsman and a fine gentleman indeed. I look forward to making a go of this recipe.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi Stevie, you are very welcome and thank you for the kind words, I really appreciate it. Good luck with your sausage smoking, hope it turns out very well. Give me a shout if you have any questions. And be sure to try my other recipes, plenty of good stuff here.
Zack says
Thank you so much for all your hard work, I can't wait to try this. It's been very hard to find a good recipe and this looks legit! As a Ukrainian Canadian this looks exactly like what we get here and it is an absolute favorite. Going to try this using moose or venison instead of beef, ever tried that?
Thank you Victor,
Zack
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Oh, I wish but I am not a hunter. But I've had quite a few people make a few of my sausages with game meat with good results. The principle is the same, keep the fat at about 25%, use pork fatback or belly, it will turn out fine.
Darius says
This recipe is fantastic. I grew up eating kielbasa from a polish smoke house in Philadelphia and I thought their stuff could never be beat, but after making this for the first time, WOW! It's perfect. Not too salty, not too fatty and still delicious. I made the full recipe a couple weeks ago and it disappeared in days. My family is already begging me to make it again. Good job with the recipe, this is the only way I'm ever going to make it.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
🙂 Thank you. You should try my chicken and chicken andouille sausages, my family's new favorites this year.
Phil Bowman says
Hi Victor, thanks for answering. I guess I should have been more clear. When I said simmer, they keep the water at about 65 degrees C. for about an hour. My question, could I poach the sausage a little less? Before they stuff the sausage, they mix it very well, into a sticky substance. When they poach the sausage, the poaching pulls the sausage together. I have to admit the first time I tried this method it was a complete failure. After poaching, I couldn't keep the temp down and the sausage dried out, which I assume meant that I had melted all the fat? As with you, I have problems keeping the temp below 200-225. So I am trying to figure out how to possibly poach and then smoke, as they do, just until the sausage turns color? Wouldn't the poaching cook the meat to the desired temp before smoking? Then basically all I would be doing is putting some smoke flavor on it? Do all sausage need to be smoked at this low temp? Say bratwurts and so on? I smoke a lot of other meats but am just getting into sausage making....Thank you for your help...I would really like to solve this and make good polish sausage. You just can't buy it here...When you do the textures and taste are just awful...
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi Phil,
Yes, that's what it sounds like, fat melting.
Poaching at 65C (149F) sounds like sous vide cooking. If that's what you are after, follow their recommended cooking times to be on the safe side - https://recipes.anovaculinary.com/recipe/sous-vide-sausage. They recommend at least 45 minutes and up to 4 hours of cooking.
After that, you can even cold-smoke but that will take days to get good color... Ideally, you'd want to be smoking at around 130F-140F.
To be honest, if you are after good Polish sausage I'd follow the more traditional way of making kielbasa. I was never satisfied with store-bought sausage, it's very hard and sometimes impossible to find very good kielbasa anymore, so I make my own. I don't have much space and I wanted something portable so I made my own kind of a smokehouse, it works superbly. I can easily set the temperature between about 90F and 220F give or take depending on the ambient temp.
If you don't want to go through all that trouble and want something compact, I'd highly recommend an electric smoker with some sort of smoker generator. You won't get the same results like from a smokehouse but they will be good. My friend has a Masterbuilt electric smoker and we often share our creations - his sausages are very good. Don't know if you can get it where you live or get it shipped to you... but that's another option to think about.
You know, before I built my smokehouse, I'd try various other equipment. On my BGE, I'd start low and quickly go up to 225-235F, get it smoky and to proper internal temperature, cool quickly, refrigerate, and the next day that kielbasa tasted great. No one ever complained. The texture would be slightly different... some of the fat would melt but then solidify back in the fridge. It was still very good. So, not you don't have to smoke at low temps but you may notice that the results would be different. Not necessarily bad, but different.
Phil Bowman says
I have some retired polish friends who make wonderful polish sausage. After stuffing their sausage they simmer the sausage for about 1 hour, then they smoke the sausage until it just turns color. The sausage is very very good. We retired to Ecuador and don't have access to a large variety of woods and equipment that we had in the states. I have a ceramic smoker and I like to use peach wood, again because I can't get some others. Holding a low temp is difficult, although once a reach a temp in the ceramic smoker the smoker holds that temp very well. Would using their method work do you think? Have you heard of this method? I especially like the texture of their sausage. Their sausage is very very good and is not heavily smoked.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Phil, there are very many good ways to make sausage so it may very well be one of them. Personally, I've never tried it so I can't comment on it. I'll just say it's not a common traditional Polish or Ukrainian way to make kielbasa/kovbasa.
Now, simmering for an hour can lead to a lot fat melting. I poach at 168F, maybe 175F at the start which drops to about 168F or lower to get to 154F internal... Simmering would be closer to 200F... Anyway, if you like how it turns out and if tastes very good that's all that matters. Before I built my smokehouse, I'd smoke in my BGE. I's start at about 120F and the temp would slowly creep up to about 225-235F, that's the lowest I could keep it and plenty of fat would melt but it would solidify back after cooling down and a night in the fridge, and the sausage would look an taste fantastic. Like I said, lots of ways to make a good-tasting kielbasa.
Scott W. says
Very similar to my recipe and technique. I use ground mustard seed in mine. I usually use an apple and cherry wood blend but change it up now and then. I do give it an ice bath to stop it from over cooking. I then lay it out to bloom for 2 hours or so before refridgerating. I've always been pleased with the smokiness of it and everyone that tries it say it's the best they've had. I will be more adventurous in the future, as I am still a bit of a rookie compared to you, probably my 7th or 8th batch. I do enjoy making them almost as much as eating them. Thank you for sharing, I will try some of your other recipes.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
You are very welcome. Same here, I enjoy making sausages as much as I enjoy eating them. Happy smoking!
Lisa says
Hi! My husband's family is Slovenian. I am excited to see your sausages b/c they look like what we are trying to achieve. Slovenes make a Klobasa. Different then the polish version. The butcher who makes them in Cleveland gave us one tip - which was he double smokes them, and uses a specific wood. We just tried making our own and did pretty well. Flavor is there, but our sausages do not have the reddish tint to them. Is the color a result of the wood used? Or the length of time smoking. Right now we are on a master built electric (baby stepping this food exploration) AllI can say is your sausages look similar to the ones we are trying to get to . Thoughts!??? (BTW - great blog)
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Lisa, I think you've answered your question - it's the type of wood and the time. Cherry or sweet cherry give the meat a nice reddish color. The longer you smoke the more color you get. Also, the higher the smoking temp the better the color. I go as high as 140F, normally 135F, but the color at 120F-130F won't be as rich as when smoking at 140F.
Roger says
Victor, I made this over the weekend and the results were stunning although I did have some issues with melting fat. I dried them for two hours in the smoker at about 100 degrees and put the smoke to them starting at 110, slowly raising it in 10 degree per hour increments until I got to 150. At that point the sausages were at 140 and I took them off the smoker, cooled them in ice water, dried them and let them bloom.
They were great and even if the melting fat was a minor issue it detracted from the overall final appearance. Any ideas on how to fix?
Thanks for the excellent recipes.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi Roger, my sincere apologies for the delay in responding to your question.
First things first, why removing kielbasa at 140F? Unless you want to cook it later, you need to bring the internal temperature to 154F at least.
Now, melting fat is the problem that will happen no matter what but you can minimize its effects. Fat starts to melt at about 150F. That's why I find that it's always best to smoke at well below that temp, like 130F - 140F. The problem with lower temps during smoking is that the lower the temp the longer it takes to get decent color.
Then, you only start raising the temp after you get the color. You want the sausages to stay at 150F or above for as short of a time as possible. In Polish official kielbasa production books, they refer to the last stage (rating the internal temp) as 'baking'. Most recipes I've seen say you need about 20-30 minutes of baking to get to 154F while slowly raising the temp to 165F, 175 - 185F. I've always had a problem with that. I could never get that in 20-30 minutes. More like hours. I suspect that during baking production facilities raise the humidity so high that it helps shorten the process. Not easily done in a home smokehouse.
So, the solution is poaching. This works extremely well for me. I only finish thin sausages in the smokehouse, like kabanos, chicken sausage, beef sticks. The rest are poached and the fat melting issue is minimal. Whatever fat melts during the processing will solidify and will look perfect when you cut the usage. Take a look at the pictures of smoked sausage on my blog, did yours look very different. Do you have pictures? Sometimes it's easier to pinpoint the issues by looking at a picture.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any additional questions.
Roger Tarren says
Victor, unfortunately I have no pictures since I’ve eaten them already and although they didn’t look as good as yours on the outside they were similar in texture on the inside.
Next time I’ll follow your advice and recipe to the letter. No freelancing. Thanks again.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
No worries. Good luck next time. Don't hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions.
paul says
hi Victor i finally got every thing gathered together and made my first batch of kielbasa.it turned out ok. i substituted pork loin for the pork butt and 2# of chuck instead of the fat back.i also used the collagen casings. the product i made wasnt what i expected, but i will keep trying. i used the poaching method to cook it, then cold smoked. i will use hog casings next time and a courser grind. over all the process was easy to follow, i also used the lem grinder and i used the stuffing tubes that come with the machine, they seemed to work fairly good for me. thank you again for your recipe
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
You are very welcome, Paul. Leaner pork/beef is harder to make good texture with but can be done. Krakow sausage is very lean but is the favorite sausage in Poland. The key is to control the temperature.
paul says
hi Victor i finally got all my my supplies for the kielbasa i was wondering if i could sub.an extra pound of chuck for the fat back, thinking that it might the product some what leaner
thank you in advance
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi Paul, sorry for such a late response but I hope I can still help. Yes, you can. Take a look at the Krakow kielbasa recipe. It's only about 2.5% fat. The key is to smoke at a low temp and finish by poaching. That way you won't dry it out and it will be palatable. It won't be Sowjska but it will be good anyway. Let me know if you have any questons.
Todd says
Today's the day I embark on this adventure. I have two questions. One, after the finished product is done can this be eaten straight out of the fridge like I do store bought? Yeah I'm weird like that. Two, can I grind, season and let the flavors meld overnight prior to stuffing in case the weather doesn't cooperate for smoking. Also you don't mention chilling meat prior to grinding. Not necessary?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi Todd, a little too late, sorry about that, but yes, you can eat straight from the fridge. Or hot from the smoker - my family loves it hot from the smoker. I then chill it and refrigerate, then eat straight from the fridge like that. That's the way, no additional cooking or reheating needed.
You can grind, season and let the meat sit overnight, not a problem.
Chilling meat more than it already is (from the fridge) is not needed when making this type of sausage. You do want to do that when making salami for example.
Steve Toth says
Awesome recipe. I switched out the water for apple Juice witch added a hint of sweetness 👍👍
Todd says
So I've read numerous places you should use soy protein concentrate to keep moisture. I see you don't advocate. I'd prefer not to use it. Will my kielbasa be moist? Thanks!
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi Todd, I avoid using any additives unless absolutely have to, such as pink salt for safety reasons. Moist sausage is a function of two things - fat content and water content. The lower the cooking temp the less water will leave the sausage, the moister it will be. Fat content is a personal taste thing. I don't like my sausage too fatty. If you follow this recipe your kielbasa should fairly be moist.
Joe Catoir says
I have made sausage for years. I wanted to try something new. I am from and still live in Louisiana and have made all of our usual sausages from fresh pork to andouille and was looking for something different. I tried the kielbasa recipe here and it came out really good. This was the first time I tried the hot water then cooled in the ice bath then let it bloom. I will do all of my smoked sausages using the method I learned here.
Thanks,
Joe Catoir
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi Joe, apologies for the delayed response. I am glad you liked the poaching method, I now use it all the time except when I smoke really thin sausages (beef sticks, kabanos, etc.). Simple, straightforward, quick and predictable. Happy smoking!
Jim says
Made this recipe several times with my brother. Excellent. My family likes the smoked and fresh kielbasa. We found this recipe makes great fresh kielbasa. One question I have though is I saw in some of the comments that you cure the meat overnight or for a few days. I do not see that anywhere in the directions. Is it necessary to do at least overnight?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi Jim,
Sorry for the delay with my response. There are basically two ways to make smoked sausage - using the so to speak 'express curing' and 'traditional curing' methods. Express curing is when you grind the meat and mix it with curing salt, and let cure overnight in the fridge, or for a few hours at room temp. The curing process will continue in the smokehouse while you are smoking your sausage. With our busy lives and everyone wanting to make something quick, it's easy to see why this method is very popular.
Now, the traditional curing method is when you mix ground meat or 2" meat chunks with salt and curing salt and refrigerate (cure) for 24-36 hours (ground meat) and 48-72 hours (cubed meat). This method takes a significant amount of extra time but produced the highest quality meat. Curing not only make meat pink and protects from harmful bacteria which express curing accomplishes very well, but it also changes meat structure and adds that 'cured' flavor, akin to what 'cold retarding' in a fridge does to bread dough. It improves the flavor. By how much? That's not an easy question to answer. I've made sausages both ways and both were great tasting and when I asked my family members to tell me which was better they hesitated to answer. So, there you go.
kenyon says
Great recipe that a newbie was able to follow and succeed in making followed to tee except instead of poaching my oven does a low enough temp that I finish in it keep more smoke flavor.
Gina says
Great thorough walkthrough for making this sausage and understanding the purpose of all of the different steps. The details made reading the full content of this recipe very enjoyable. I am an avid smoker and have always wanted to try this style of sausage. You have sent me on my way! Thank you!
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi Gina, sorry for the tardy response. Glad to hear that my post inspired you. Would love to hear your feedback after you make this and other sausage recipes I have on my blog. And send me some pictures. Happy smoking!
Steve says
Nice informative article on making your own. My family was Polish and Ukrainian and always had some kielbasa around. I began making it over 20 years ago and do it much like you. I use straight pork shoulder, a dedicated grinder and an FDick 12 pound stuffer. I smoke in an offset wood burning pit using the upright section to hang and smoke up to 20 pounds or about 16 to 18 rings. I dry with just charcoal at low heat then apply wood and smoke at about 120 raising eventually until I get it to 165 and an internal of 155. Remove and rince with cold water, rest, them refrigerate. Wrap in butcher freezer paper then freeze. I always add some yellow mustard seeds. Yes, lots of fresh garlic. My salt rate is 6 ounces per 25 pounds of meat
I use Morton's Tenderquick for my salt and cure. Just stuffed 20 pounds today so I'll be at the smoker tending the fire tomorrow. Six hours once I apply smoke and heat.
Steve says
Nice informative article on making your own. My family was Polish and Ukrainian and always had some kielbasa around. I began making it over 20 years ago and do it much like you. I use straight pork shoulder, a dedicated grinder and an FDick 12 pound stuffer. I smoke in an offset wood burning pit using the upright section to hang and smoke up to 20 pounds or about 16 to 18 rings. I dry with just charcoal at low heat then apply wood and smoke at about 120 raising eventually until I get it to 165 and an internal of 155. Remove and rince with cold water, rest, them refrigerate. Wrap in butcher freezer paper then freeze. I always add some yellow mustard seeds. Yes, lots of fresh garlic. My salt rate is 6 ounces per 25 pounds of meat
I use Morton's Tenderquick for my salt and cure. Just stuffed 20 pounds today so I'll be at the smoker tending the fire tomorrow. Six hours once I apply smoke and heat.
Sam says
After cutting meat into 2" piece how much salt and cure do you use if I'm making 25# before letting it sit for 2 days.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi Sam,
after cutting into pieces, mix the meat with all of the salt and cure.
Joseph says
Tried the sausage and it can't be beat.Do you have prints on how to make your smoker it's remarkable?
Thanks,
Joe Catoir
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi Joe, glad to hear it. Have you checked out my DIY smokehouse post? I think it should help answer most of your questions. If you have more, post a comment on that page.
Joe Catoir says
I will check it out. I have made the sausage a couple more times since my last comments and everyone loves it here in Baton Rouge.
Carol says
Hi this was my first time making polish sausage. I can't find it so I'm making it.
I ground my meat directly into a gallon zip lock bag added my water to my spices put them in the meat. I mixed it all in the bag now its resting in the fridge.
I don't need it stuffed in casing I always take that off when I cook anyway.
Thank you so much for this recipe
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
You are very welcome, Carol. I hear you. When I make kielbasa I always leave a pound of two unstuffed to shape as patties and pan-fry, air-fry or grill. We like it a lot this way too.
Basia says
We use the leftover meat that has come out of the "stuffer" for breakfast the next morning! Easy and tastes excellent!
BTW - My parent's have found fresh kielbasa at Market Basket (a supermarket here in New England) that they say is excellent! They claim it's not worth making with the fresh kielbasa so good - but then again, my Dad is 86 and has slowed down quite a bit so he is not interested in making it from scratch anymore. But, I also found another company today in our Big Y supermarket that made fresh kielbasa. I bought it and gave it to my parents. Waiting to hear the reviews.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
I guess if you can buy excellent kielbasa you have no motivation to make your own, nothing wrong with that. Me, I love the process too. It'll be a while before I give up my smoking hobby;)
paul says
thank you sir
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
You are welcome!
paul straw says
can collagen casings be used ?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
100%. I alternate between collagen and natural, both are fine even though I tend to prefer natural casings.
Ben says
Great stuff! I like your site very much.
You said you changed the way you finish cooking them as it takes long time getting to 154. So what temperature you remove them from the smoker and finish cooking by poaching?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi Ben,
I don't check the temperature when removing it from the smokehouse. I go by the color/smokiness. But if I recall, my internal temps are about 25 degrees below the temps inside the smoker, so if I smoke at 135F, the internal temp will be 110F.
Basia says
I grind, add spices and let sit in refrigerator for a day, then stuff and smoke. However, I will try curing for a day before I grind and will see if that makes a difference. Thank you! Merry Christmas!
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Merry Christmas to you too!
Basia says
This recipe is almost identical to my father's and he has been making kielbasa for 50 years! I have now taken on his "chore" of making it for Christmas and Easter for our family. The only big difference is we use all pork and double the garlic. But he has always used a water bath after smoking and it's always fantastic! I'll be using bits of your recipe the next time I make this and will try some extra fat in it as well. Thank you for posting an excellent tutorial!!
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
You are very welcome, Basia. One thing I can suggest - if you have the time, cure the meat (cut into 2" pieces) with salt and Cure #1 for 2 days in a refrigerator, then grind, mix in spices, stuff and smoke. You can also cure with spices added. I think this helps develop a better flavor.
Tim says
When you say to poach the sausage does that mean you are not smoking it at all.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
No, I do smoke it but I finish by poaching. You need to bring the internal temperature of the sausage to a safe level. That can be done two ways - gradually increase the temperature in the smoker until the internal temperature of the sausage reaches the target, or poach it. The latter is way faster and more predictable. I and many I know have struggled with finishing in the smoker - it can take hours, the skin will harden, etc. The thicker the sausage is the longer it takes to finish in the smoker.
Patrick says
Best recipe I found for kilbo thanks
Kim says
Thank you for this. This is the first time I am making kielbasa. Ive made garlic sausages before. Two inquiries - can you give me 3 substitutes to dried marjoram, if frozen, how long is the shelflife
Thank you
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Marjoram is very popular in Polish sausage making, what's the reason for a substitue? If hard pressed, I'd use oregano, about half the amount of marjoram. Frozen kielbasa will last a long time, I've had mine frozen for over year but I use 5 mil bags and a non-frost-free chest freezer. Practically no freezer burn.
John says
did the water bath and did not like it. If you want the smokehouse flavor do the 8 hours. 8 hours compared to the water bath is the only way to get the right smokehouse flavor. Did both ways and the full 8 hours is the best. no short cuts. Do the time.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Thanks for your feedback, John. But I have to say that both methods have their merits. Poaching is not a shortcut, many traditional kielbasas are finished by poaching. It's just a different method. Both have their pros and cons.
Kevin says
Victor, I am about to try your kielbasa recipe with a Polish friend of mine. The recipe says it makes 8 sausages, but no where in the directions does it talk about the stuffing process (how long to make each sausage, how did you tie off your ends, etc). If you have time, would you comment on these things? Thank you
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi Kevin, I find that there is no right or wrong about how you shape your kielbasa. I sometimes tie my kielbasa into rings and sometimes I just make a continuous coil. Like here (garlic kielbasa):
When I make rings, I just fill the casing until I get about 18 inches then cut, leaving about 2-3 inches unfilled on each side for tying. I don't have any fancy/tricky knots either... I just make a few knots and cut off the excess. Don't cut too close to the knot or else it may get untied.
How long you make your links is very arbitrary though, you can make them long or very short. It is more determined by your smoker/smokehouse actually. In my smokehouse, I can have dowels positioned on two levels above each other. If I am making a large batch where I need to smoke on two levels, I make the rings/coils shorter. If on one level, I can make the rings very long. Hope this helps.
John says
during poaching method do you heat to 167 degree then turn heat off till the temp reaches the 160 temp then reheat for another batch . Put sausage into the pot then start all over again ?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Yes, that's the process. 167 to 175F, depending on the batch size and ambient temperatures. If the water gets too cold before the sausage reaches the target internal temperature I would turn the heat back on until it gets to about 167F.
John says
You are not worried if you lose the cure in the meat when submerged in the hot water . Do you lose any of the nitrate when you do this ? When you prick the air bubbles when stuffing will this matter?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
No, that's not a problem. Besides, you want the protection of the curing salt during hours of smoking at low temps. Poaching is at the very end and is quick. I prick bubbles right after stuffing.
John says
thanks
John says
can you smoke year round or just fall and winter months? Also can you put garlic cloves in with the meat when you grind?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Yes and yes. I smoke all-year-round - rain, snow or sunshine. I find it relaxing and therapeutic. I'd recommend putting up a large patio umbrella next to the smoker/smokehouse and a getting a comfortable patio chair.
Sharon says
Could you use tender quick instead of cure
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
I've heard of people using it but personally I never have so can't advise you here. TQ has sodium natrate, sodium nitrite, salt and sugar so you will need to figure out the appropriate ratio and adjust for sugar. Wouldn't pan-fry that kielbasa made with TQ due to nitrates which are prohibited from using in making bacon which will be cooked over high heat.
John says
thank you
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
You are welcome.
John says
No need to dilute salt and the cure.. Do I just mix and not add any water to the salt and cure?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
John,
It makes sense to dilute the salt and the cure in water if you add them to ground meat, this will ensure proper distribution. If you rub the meat pieces with salt and cure and then refrigerate, no, you don't need to dilute in water, it actually will be a bad idea.
Linda says
I made this recipe this last Saturday and the flavor was amazing!
Thank you for this recipe!
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
You are very welcome. Happy smoking!
John says
cut meat into 2" chunks then add of the all the mixes to the meat and chill overnight then grind or grind the chunks of meat then add all seasons and chill overnight. Which do you prefer?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
What I've been doing lately is cut the meat into chunks, add salt and Cure #1, mix and refrigerate overnight or even for a day or two, then grind, add the seasonings and the ice water and mix. I've tried adding seasonings at the early stages but found that a good part of them would be stuck to bowls, Ziploc bags, inside the grinder, etc.
Mirtha Bohorquez says
I agree with you
Rico says
Recipe looks interesting. My first foray into sausage making. Winter's coming, my new try to stay busy project.
John says
Hi , tried making your sausage twice now, with great taste results. My kinda taste. However mine come out sorta gray to grayish red. Not the pretty attractive red like in the pictures and like in the stores. Is there supposed to be a critical temp temperature in the smoker ? I use 1 curing salt. Fresh pig skin tube. Any advice? Thanks.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
I've never seen the color change based on the cooking temperature and I've smoked this sausage anywhere from 130F to 225F on my Weber kettle grill. It's usually pretty pink if you use Cure #1. One thing that could be is that you accidentally used less of Cure #1 than you were supposed to, things happen, or you didn't mix it in well enough. The latter happened to me. To ensure proper mixing, you can do two things. First, rub the salt and the Cure #1 on the meat cut into 2" pieces and let the meat cure in the fridge overnight or up to two days, then grind and mix with seasonings. This will cure the meat really well before grinding and smoking and it should be pretty nice and pink. If you are doing this quickly, just dissolve the salt and the Cure #1 in water then mix well with the ground meat. Anyway, the idea is to have as good of a distribution as possible. There isn't a single best way to achieve that.
MarkPierce says
Fresh Kielbasa is the only way to go. My family (back 3 generations) came from the Krakow and Warsaw areas. They'd never seen "smoked" sausages. My grandfather was a butcher and it is his recipe my dad and I make every Christmas season for the family. (usually about 40 lbs. or so). No one of us even really likes the smoked type.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
😉 I got a good laugh, thank you. Every famous Polish kielbasa that I know and had was smoked, not fresh. Starting with Krakowska, Lisiecka, Kabanos and ending with many other. It's a tradition to smoke sausages in Poland that goes back many centuries. Many of these smoked sausages received a PDO (protected designation of origin) designation and are an object of national pride. Here is how one of them, Lisiecka, is made - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0B5WvT_sWBY&t=21s.
Basile says
I want to make beef sticks but I don't have any Fermento. Can't find in Canada, Any suggestions
Thanks
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
You can use citric acid - https://www.alliedkenco.com/pdf/Citric%20vs.%20Femento%20vs.%20Starter%20Cultures.pdf. Or skip it altogether. Or use a starter culture.
Que_Man says
Here is a link to a place in Calgary where you can order it from.
https://dnrsausagesupplies.ca/product_info.php/fermento-454gr-cures-and-ingredients-p-212
Basile says
Thank you Que_man Just a day too late. I ordered some citric acid from Walton's.
Jeff says
instead of poaching, has anyone tried Sous Vide??? Just curious if that would work just as well, if not better
Jeff says
I just read down further regarding the sous vide. I'm making a small batch and just may try that out!
Basile says
Sous-vide is a better choice you can obtain a steady temperature.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hardly. After trying both methods numerous times, I now prefer poaching.
Steve Denvir says
Hey Victor, finally tried your poaching method. Couldn’t be any happier. Didn’t have to worry about different temps in the smoker. Seemed to improve texture as well.
Steve
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Thanks for the feedback, Steve. Very happy with this method here as well.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
By the way, I've been experimenting with two ways of poaching smoked sausage - as is and vacuum sealed. Poached as is, you get a little less color and less smoky flavor, but the skin is very soft. Vacuum sealed has a slightly tougher skin but retains all the color and smoky flavor. Both are very good to me and I can't easily decide which one is better.
joe says
Have you tried to ferment this sausage?I was thinking about it trying citric acid
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
I have, it's good. I do it the same way as pepperoni or summer sausage. Never tried citric acid though. Fermento, yes.
Gene Witkowski says
I read a post made that Citric Acid breaks down the meat more so than wanted, I have never tried it..so if it was me adding this to a recipe I would start with a small amount to see what happens....I would try breaking up the batch into 1/4's and simply add a little more to the following 1/4 batches to see what the difference is
Mind you I don't know what this person wanted to achieve..all I know is he was unhappy with the results...I'd be cautious the first time around
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
That's an interesting piece of information, Gene. Thanks for sharing it.
Mark Hokanson says
I just finished my first attempt at this recipe. These are amazingly delicious! Thanks for sharing your recipe and notes, excellent results.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
You are very welcome. Happy smoking!
Frank says
The internal temperature you speak of, is that the internal temperature of the meat or the smoker?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
99.9% of the time it would be the internal temperature of the meat. Good question.
Gene Witkowski says
I see hanging at room temp for 2 to 3 hours
wouldn't that allow the product to sour ?
I always thought the idea for using ice water in the recipe was to keep the mix as cold as possible so it would not sour...
Myself and other makers I have talked to also had the problem of the end product not tasting right..
I could only think we took too long when grinding and mixing and stuffing causing it to sour
my question is- would it not be better to hang and dry in a refrigerator before starting the smoking process ?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi Gene, great questions. In short, no, never had this problem.
>
Keeping meat cold is a good practice so as to not allow harmful bacteria to multiply rapidly. You also want to keep the meat cold to have the fat maintain definition and prevent fat smearing. This is more important when making salami.
>
Souring - the meat can taste sour/acidic when adding sugar/dextrose and a starter culture (e.g. summer sausage, or sopressata) and keeping it at a high temperature to acidify it on purpose, that prevents bacteria growth and adds acidic taste... Without those two ingredients nothing will really happen in a few hours.
>
That said, I've seen and done many recipes that call for drying in a fridge, at room temperature, in a cool room overnight, or right in the smokehouse. All worked for me and none caused souring for me as far as I can remember.
>
My personal problem with drying in the fridge is the temperature of the sausage when it goes in the smoker. It's cold. The smoker is warm. Cold inside warm causes condensation. It will take hours at 115F to bring the sausage to temp and dry out all the condensation before the surface dries out and is ready for smoking.
>
Check out my other kielbasa recipes (garlic, kabanos, Lisiecka, Krakow... They are official Polish recipes, except Lisiecka... all call for drying at room temperature in a drafty area. This is very common and does not normally cause any souring.
Gary says
Do you have plans for your smokehouse?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Here you go Gary, here is some information about my smokehouse. I've been planning on posting this for a while as many people have asked so here it goes.
Nick says
I made this today and it was my first time ever making sausage.. I’m quite surprised at how long it took to get it up to temp.. seemed to stall around 140.. so I finished it by poaching.. hope it turns out well!
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Nick, I used to balk at poaching and resisted trying it for many years, now it's my preferred method. If you want to preserve all the smoky flavor, just vac seal the sausage before poaching.
Steve Denvir says
Hey Victor, really appreciate The experimentation you’ve done. I’ve had the same issues with trying to finish kielbasa in the smaker.
But here is perhaps a more global question. WHy should I worry about heat in the smoker at all? Why not cold smoke everything in the first stage, and then poach once you’ve got the colour you want?
It seems to me that you gain much more control over the process this way.
I’m sure I’m missing something, but I can’t figure out what it is 🙂
Thanks as always
Steve
Steve Denvir says
Just FYI, I do this kielbasa with100% pork. Mostly because that’s the flavour profile I grew up with at my grandparents’ place on Barton Ave in Hamilton. The recipe nails that taste exactly. Pretty much the closest I’ve ever come to time travel 🙂
Steve
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Thanks, Steve. Glad you like this recipe. Variations are welcome as everyone's taste is different. In Poland they have many dozens of kielbasa recipes which differ from one another by sometimes small differences in spices, meat types, fat content, etc. Sometimes the differences are subtle, sometimes they are significant. I highly recommend trying the kabanos recipe that I posted recently. It's all pork. The seasonings are fabulous. If you don't want to use sheeps casings which are hard to use (burst easily), stuff in regular hog casings.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi Steve, finishing in the smoker is an eternal problem of pretty much every backyard cook. I believe in production facilities, at least some, they increase humidity and even introduce steam to get the temperature up quickly. Not easy to accomplish at home. Now, to your question. It would be helpful to define 'cold smoke'. Is it the true cold smoke of 80F and below? Or is it 140F? Or below 200F? The higher the temperature the faster the product acquires color and smoky flavor. Old Soviet recipes for smoked meats (some of the best in the world) require weeks of cold smoking at cool temperatures. At 140F you can get a nice color and smoky flavor in a matter of hours.
Steve Denvir says
I was thinking of real cold smoking. With the A+maze-n smoker, under 90 degrees.
Get the smoke on and then cook. As I said, I’m sure there must be a difference, but I can’t imagine what it might be.
Steve
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Well, like I said, It will take much longer to get the same level of color and smoky flavor at low temperatures. I tried smoking some kielbasas at 110F but was getting barely any color. Bump the temperature up to 140F and the color appears pretty quickly. Taste and texture may be slightly different too. I once tried cherry smoked kielbasa that is so dark that it's almost black. The people at the store said that the sausage was smoked for several days. I imagine at very low temperatures. The texture was very delicate, feelt less 'cooked' if you will. I don't know their process so it's hard to say whether it's like that because of how it was cooked or the grind/fat content, or both. Hard to say without side by side testing.
Jim Brackett says
Hi, Victor,
I recently made a batch of your Swojska Kielbasa. It came out really well, but I think my batch could be improved. It is definitely good, but is a little mealy. Should I add more fat to get it juicier?
I really like your recipes and intend to work through a lot of them. Thanks for your help!
Jim
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi Jim,
You can definitely add more fat, but there should be enough there already. If you followed the recipe without modifications, you most likely lost a lot of fat during cooking. This can happen if the temperature was too high and/or if the cooking time was longer than usual. It happened to me before.
John Karas says
Did 50 lbs. and the people went nuts. Going to do 150 lbs. for Easter. Doubled the garlic amount and was perfect. I even surprised myself. Also for the fat I used leftover ends from bacon slabs from the butcher. Perfect and I do thank you.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
You are very welcome! I like using bacon in my sausages too. They provide good flavor and good texture.
Scott says
I have never poached sausage, so I'm not sure why you were reluctant to do so (though soaking it in water seems like it might change the flavor). But, have you considered heating it with a sous vide device? Basically vacuum sealing it and then putting it in the hot water. That gives you the controlled heat but doesn't actually poach it. It was the first thing I thought of when you were talking about having troubled getting the temp up.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
My concern was the loss of smoky flavor and color. It turned out that there was some loss of color and flavor but it was minimal, nothing I would worry about. Sous vide (I do it sometimes, I wrote about it in my bockwurst post) is an option, of course, but it gets quite labor intensive when you want to process 10-20 lbs of sausage that way.
Beverly says
how can I buy your kielbasa?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Beverly, for me to be able to sell smoked sausage I'd need a food license and a permit to use my backyard for commercial cooking, which won't be allowed, sadly.
Jean-Luc Desselle says
Do you have the plans for that smoke house? It looks amazing! It is just a hollow structure for the smoke to come through the top form the bottom via that Green Egg?
I would love to build this.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi,
I didn't follow or document a detailed design for this smokehouse. I started off with a general idea of how smokehouses operate taken from Marianski's Smokehouse Design book. Except for the firepit I wanted to use a BGE seeing how my large BGE can provide very nice smelling smoke for hours without tending. Plus I wanted the smokehouse to be highly portable. It kind of worked, but I wasn't getting enough heat with my original design with the egg on the side. I had to redesign it a few times before it started to work and ended up with 26" x 28" x 37" (depth/width/height) inside dimensions, and 31" x 34" x 41" outside dimensions for the main smoking chamber. Add 25" for the legs and 19" for the roof. To get enough heat I have to run it at about 600F-650F inside the egg measured at the dome, and have the egg right underneath to avoid significant heat loss. The allows for good 3 hours of smoking before having to add more charcoal. I do have to drop a wood chunk down the chute every 15-20 minutes though as the wood burns out pretty quickly at 600F.
>
The most important things are:
1. Insulate
2. Keep the egg underneath (be careful there, you want some kind of barrier between the hot chimney and the wood of the smokehouse).
>
I just posted an article about my smokehouse, hope this helps.
Paul says
When drying in the colder months how long and when do you hang the sausage to dry cure
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Paul, since this is a fully cooked sausage, it will be drying, not curing. I have an unheated, fully enclosed veranda on the back of my house. When temperatures outside hover around 38F-60F it's a good place for drying sausages like this kielbasa. I also slightly open one window to have some air movement there. It works great. Drying time varies on the ambient temperature and humidity but generally takes about 5-7 days. It can take longer if the temperatures are colder than 50F, about 10-12 days. If I had a garage, I would likely use it for drying. Keep an eye on ambient temps, you don't want the sausage to freeze or warm up above 60F. Other than that, I use my curing chamber.
Paul says
Exactly what I plan to do use my curing chamber
John Karas says
also how to save unused fresh hog casing for the future use. tks.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
I put mine in a closed container with a lot of salt. Lasts for months in a fridge.
John Karas says
can you break down the salt and cure to teaspoons or tablespoons. thank you
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Done, John. Hope this helps. In general, I recommend using a scale and measure ingredients in grams for precision. Even kosher salt comes in fine, normal or coarse grind. One teaspoon of fine salt will weigh about 25% more than the coarse one. Then there is the variability from teaspoon to teaspoon. One time you get 5 g worth of salt, another 5.5 grams. It may not seem like a lot but it may make a big difference in taste. Those variances can add up.
John Karas says
thanks , very helpful
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
You are very welcome.
John Karas says
What is the recipe for 25 lbs of meat.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
140g salt, 25g Cure #1, 4 cups water, garlic/pepper/marjoram x4.
Ken says
I'm considering using alder on my first attempt at this recipe (and first run of my new smoker). The reason for this is that my wife prefers her smoked food a little on the light side. Do you think that alder is a mistake? Will alder make it taste weird? I do have some cherry I can use as well.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Ken, congratulations on your new smoker! It's always fun to play with a new toy.
>
Alder can be a good choice if that's the flavor profile you are shooting for. One of my favorite smoked kielbasas,kielbasa Lisiecka, is traditionally smoked with beechwood and alder. Alder is very mild as you said. It's best suited for poultry and fish though.
>
Cherry is considered mild. I have yet to meet a person who didn't like it. One of my favorite woods to smoke with. It has a pleasant sweetness and adds a beautiful maroon-ish color.
>
That said, I find that the choice of wood is a very personal preference. And your preferences change as you experiment and experience new flavors. I used to prefer cherry wood, still do for many things, but lately, I've been smoking with hickory a lot. I love its strong smoky flavor. Oak is considered best all-around wood for smoking. It's strong but not overpowering. I like it for some smoked sausages. Pecan is a good wood for a milder smoky flavor as well, it's like a mild version of hickory.
>
I guess everything I said above wasn't really helpful in helping you make the decision. So let me try to do that - go with cherry. Also, remember that smokiness is not only a function of the wood used but also a function of the thickness of the smoke and the time. The longer you smoke, the thicker the smoke is - the smokier the sausage will be and vice versa.
Ken says
Any reason that I shouldn't dissolve the salt and cure in the ice water prior to adding it to the other ingredients?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Ken, you can do that, no problem at all.
Dave says
Hello, wondering if I could use lean moose meat and pork fat? What sort of ratio would be best. Thank you
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hello Dave, you can use lean moose meat with pork fat or pork trimmings using 60/30 and 60/40 ratios respectively. This is what is typically recommended. The grind for lean game meat can be as big as 10mm or as low as 3-4.5mm. I would go lower as wild gamer meat is tougher than beef or pork. The smoking process is the same except wild game sausages are typically required to be cooked to 160F internal.
Tony says
Victor great recipe
How long do you keep it in the smoker before you poach it?
With my first batch was in the smoker all day and night and still not reach 154 internal temperature even after I increased the temp to 190. Ended up poaching it and was awesome
Thank you
Tony
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Thanks, Tony. I hear you, that's the reason I switched to poaching as I was getting tired of the long and tedious 'baking' times. Sometimes it works, usually when outside temps are high and the smoker is lightly loaded, like was the case with Andouille sausage I wrote about. It took only 40 minutes to reach the target temperature. Anyway, for this thickness (28-32mm) 2 hours should be enough but you can go up to 4 hours without a problem. It also depends on the wood and the thickness of the smoke. The stronger the smell, the thicker the smoke - the less time in the smoker.
Ken says
Ok, so now that you're poaching your kielbasa, to what extent are you keeping it in the smoker?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Ken, the smoking time hasn't changed. 3-4 hours is what I feel is optimal for my taste. That may vary depending on what wood you use. Say, cherry or hickory will give you a good smoky flavor and color during that time, but I feel something like, say, pecan needs more time to achieve the same smoky flavor, more like 6-8 hours.
Jerry says
This is third batch using this recipe, I live in Pacific Northwest have allot of friends that smoke fish and elk,venison everyone loves it,no changing a thing
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Glad to hear it, Jerry. Family and friends love it here too. Lot's of requests came in, I am smoking a big batch this weekend in my new smokehouse. Will post pictures.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
More pictures posted. I dried it too, delicious!
Lorne says
Do you not need a binder of some sort or does it just bind itself
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
No binder. The meat will become sticky during mixing.
Joseph says
hi again she ,,how about a potato sausage ,my mom made that quite often around easter ,dat was a long time ago ,,,I have asked another sausage maker an they said have not ever tried that ,, lets make it Again thank you so much for such a quick answer. !! Joseph
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
My grandmother use to make it. I don't have a recipe but this one looks very similar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kq-DFEivAgw
Joseph says
hi ,can I use this recipe for fresh kielbasa mom always made fresh , during the 40s 50s , she also added mustard seed ,,
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Yes you can. Substitute pink salt for regular salt, stuff and fry on a pan.
Joseph says
no frying just simmered in h2o ,then serve wit horseradish n yellow mustard boiled potato , and kaput , thank you for such a quick response ,,,dis old man was an associate of James Beard ,,,da ya know who dat was ,,,Friends called him Jimmy ,,,,, I will be making sausage soon as I get a stuffer not sure which one ,,,will look on Amazon in a few minutes ,,,cause I love Italian with fennel seed all the store kinds use powder fennel NOT that makes it permeate all the meat so no fennel bite ,that would be like using powered caraway in rye bread ,check out a book Taste of LITHUANIA,,beautiful hard cover by Beata Nicolson ,you love it Im sure ,,,,!!! ,Your new associate chef Joseph
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Poaching will do too. Or air frying, my new favorite. Fennel is one of my favorite ingredients. That and fennel pollen. Use them all the time especially for cured sausages.
Brett Martin says
I have made this recipe twice now. I have made my own personal seasoning changes, but I love it. I do have some friends say that it is to greasy. When I buy the pork to put in, I buy boston butt and I include the fat strip that comes on it. Should I cut that part off and only use the pork part, since you are adding 1lb of pork belly? Just curious on your thoughts.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi Brett, it sounds like that extra fat from the fat cap may be the culprit. I normally trim most of the fat off from the pork butt and go for about 20% - 25% total fat content. It's perfect for my taste. Now, to satisfy your lean sausage loving friends, make them Lisiecka kielbasa or Krakowska. Those are as lean as kilebasas get. I just posted both recipes on my blog. I highly recommend Lisiecka kielbasa.
Derrickthedesigner says
Easy peasy! Forgot to let it sit for 2-3 hours right after I put it in the casing(tough time...air kept getting into casing/stuffing was a chore)...I need more experience doing it with the KitchenAid grinding attachment and sausage stuffer!!
Stan says
Great recipe. Will follow shortly.
Ken says
Can the kielbasa be laid upon the smoker rack, as opposed to being hung?
What's the trick to getting consistent lengths of stuffed links? I usually stuff a length of casing until it's completely filled and end up with all sorts of lengths. Do I have to bite the bullet and just call it quits after a certain amount is filled, regardless of how much unused casing is left over on the stuffer tube?
Victor says
Hey Ken, it sure can, check out my post on making summer sausage, I have some pictures there. I've made kielbasa like that too on my BGE.
The length, I have a crazy way of stuffing where my wife is operating the stuffer while I control stuffing flow with my left hand and extending the other end of the sausage until it almost reaches the fridge with my right hand. This gives me the same length for all links, except the last one of course. I also like this method because I can have some unfilled casing on each end for tying.
The unused casings, yeah, I throw mine out unless I am making more in the next few days. After a while you learn how much you need per pound of meat. Using regular 28-32mm hog casings, I need about 2 feet per pound of meat. Then add some for tying, for breakages. I usually end up with a couple of feet of unused casings, maybe 3, that get thrown out.
vic styn says
Do I eat this sausage cold, or should heat the sausage up. Hopefully, not by a microwave. I want to make this sausage for Christmas night snack.
victor says
It's fully cooked so you can eat it cold. My wife likes to warm it up and that's totally fine too. My personal favorite - dry it for a week at about 55F and 75Rh then store in the fridge. Dried, it will store quite a bit longer and the flavors are richer.
Bob says
Your recipe is quite close to what My Mom used to make.
I have never used cure before. Is it necessary?=
victor says
If you don't want to get people sick - yes. The cure also enhances the flavor and gives the sausage a nice, pink color.
mjb says
Hi Victor, and congratulations! Finally, someone writes sensibly about how to make some real good(and true) polish sausage.
A pleasure to read, one can tell you have done it a few times.
Now, as to the chilling of the finished product... You write:
"I just cool my sausages by hanging them in a cool place for a few hours and then refrigerate". I agree, it is a bettter choice than an ice water bath, however...
However, an even smarter way to go about it would be to take your still hot sausages to a cool place all right, but not to hang them. Instead, place them flat(even pile them up) on some surface till they cool off. It is supposed to facilitate an even distribution of still liquid fats in the sausage rings.
I have read about this practice just recently on some "seriously sausage" polish blog, and decided this insight needed to be shared with you and your readers.
Cheers!
victor says
That's an interesting technique, thank you for sharing. Not sure about piling up, but if you spread the kielbasas flat on a table, especially a cold table they should cool pretty quickly. I will try that.
Myles Bruckal says
The pictures of your Kielbasa have large chunks of meat like we used to get many years ago. But our attempts and most modern sausages seem to be ground finely. How can we get the texture in your pictures?
victor says
Hi Miles, I responded to your previous comment earlier today with some suggestions. They should help you get the texture like on the pictures.
myles says
We followed your steps and used the medium size grinder plate. But when we cut into ours it looks more minced than the pictures on your site. Any suggestions?
victor says
That can be caused by fat smearing. If the meat/fat is not cold enough, the fat will smear during grinding making it look like what you describe. Are the cutting knife / plate sharp? If not, they can also cause that, happened to me. The meat will be more minced than cleanly cut during grinding. Finally, what size is your medium plate, is it 3/16" / 4.5mm? Just want to make sure we are talking about the same thing here.
Barbara Mullinix says
I have just eaten Polish sausage from a local butcher that does not resemble what my Polish grandmother made, so I am thinking of making my own. Your recipe says to grind with a medium plate, but the grinder you recommend seems to come with only fine and course plates. Did you purchase an extra plate?
victor says
It's all relative. Yes, my grinder came with two grinder plates - 3/8" (10mm) and 3/16" (4.5mm). 3/16" (4.5mm) to 1/4" (6mm) is what I consider medium and it's a perfect size for this kielbasa. The reason I think of it as medium is because grinder plates - Lem and other brands - come in a variety of sizes ranging from 1/8" (3mm) to 1/2" (12mm) and even larger, so those two are in the middle/close to middle.
Adelaide Bulinski says
Lovely just what I was looking for.
Judy says
Absolutely the best authentic Ukrainian flavor I was searching for! Bless you for blogging!!
Now, I need to ask if you have any suggestions for a cure that does not contain red dye or dyes of any form. I would love to share this recipe with the rest of my brothers and sisters, but many have allergies to red dyes. Oh great sausage maker, any ideas??? Thank you a thousand times!
victor says
Oh, thank you for the kind words. Glad you liked the recipe. Now, to answer your important question - I would recommend celery powder, I've never used it but I don't believe it contains any artificial coloring. Here is the link: https://www.butcherspantry.com/curing-ingredients/veg-stable-504-celery-powder. I've ordered a number of times from this site and can recommend it.
Danielle says
Can you freeze the kielbasa after it has been cooled? We make our own saussages each year when we butcher. Usually about 200 lbs. We are looking to add more variety. We already make venison, pork, country, Italian and hot Italian. We utilize foir upright freezers to hold all of our meats, so i hope it can be frozen.
victor says
Hi Danielle,
I've frozen many smoked and cured sausages/salami in the past. I can tell you that some sausages fare better than others but none taste as good as freshly made. The best ones would be 80-90% of the fresh taste-wise, so all is not that bad. If you can get accept that, then you can freeze kielbasa. I find that the more fat kielbasa has the better it freezes. Also, the drier it is the better it freezes. Once you've smoked your kielbasa, let it hang in a cool room, like your basement, ideally at about 60-65F and 70-75% humidity, for 3-5 days and dry. Then vacuum seal (to prevent freezer burn) and freeze. To defrost, put in a fridge for 2-3 days. It will taste very good.
Steve Denvir says
Hey Victor, I’m here to bother you again :-). I see you recommend the Amazen pellet smoker. I’ve noticed that I have a very hard time generating smoke at low temperatures in my smoker.
Will this device fix that?
Because at the moment, I’m cranking up the heat with the door open, then once I get some smoke started, I close the door. But the interior of the smoker is still hotter than it should be, and I have to go through the same routine in 10 minutes.
Can the pellet smoker actually generate smoke at 110-120?
As always, thanks in advance
Steve
victor says
Hi Steve, it's not a bother at all. A pellet smoker works fine for me. Once it gets going it does a pretty good job. I can't say that the smoke is perfect, it's more of a white smoke than the nice thin blue that we all seek so desperately, but it works.
Steve Denvir says
Victor, just made kielbasa for the first time using your recipe, and it was fabulous. And I have very high standards ;-). A number of years ago, I went to every Polish butcher shop on Roncesvalle and purchased some of their Village Kielbasa. We did a complete taste test, and the consensus was that the best Kielbasa came from Super Kolbossa. Sadly, they closed at the end of 2017.
Which prompted me to try my own hand at making it.
Well, yours is right up there with the best we tasted.
One question. The skin is a little tougher than I’d like. I ran out of time yesterday, and put the raw sausage in the fridge overnight. Is it possible that the casing became too dry?
But that’s a minor complaint. I’ll be proudly showing this batch off to friends nd family over the next few weeks.
victor says
Glad to hear that, Steve. You know, I get a hard skin myself every now and again and don't really know what exactly causes it. Perhaps too long of a cook at higher temps? But the skins does tend to soften up after a day in a fridge.
Randy says
Found your site after much searching for kielbasa recipes. Your recipe sounded like the one I wanted to try. It was fantastic to say the least. Followed your recipe exactly and it was wonderful. Cherry wood is a key. Next time I think I may increase the garlic by about 50% as we enjoy it very much. I had a Polish friend try it and she told me that it was the best kielbasa she ever tasted!
Thanks
victor says
Thanks for taking the time to comment and for the kind words, Randy. It's much appreciated.
Mark Zaczkiewicz says
Hey Victor, great site, lots of info can't wait to get started. I enjoy the sticks of smoked Kielbasa over the typical thick style you would serve as a meal or with sauerkraut. They are about the thickness of your thumb, always wrinkly and dried. Will this recipe work the same way with Smaller casings? Should I finish inside a dehydrator for a short time? I like the snap of the sticks.
victor says
Mark, this recipe should be fine with thinner casings, you may just need to add some more water. I don't use a dehydrator so hard to say, but I like drier sausages myself and what I do is hang them in the cool basement or my curing chamber at about 60F/75%RH for about 4-5 days. They are perfectly dry after that.
Bob says
Made this Saturday, I was the best kielbasa i have ever had!!
victor says
Awesome! Glad you liked it. Thanks for the feedback.
Lori Roberts says
THANK YOU FOR YOUR RECIPE!!! I made it and it is the BEST smoked Polish sausage ever!!! made 10 lbs of it. i did let the mixture "rest" for 3 days before i filled my casings and smoked it. Just the BEST EVER!!!!! I will always use this and have recommended it to many others in groups that i belong to. if you go to my FB page you can find a pic of it. Along with credit to your blog.
victor says
Thank so much for the kind words and for posting your feedback on the recipe. Please come back again and check for new recipes - I've been working on a design for a smokehouse and I am very close to putting it together. I have a quite a few new really good smoked sausage recipes that I will be posting on my blog.
Larry Childs says
32 mm. I'll give it a try. We live on an island without major grocery stores. The butcher couldn't provide pork belly. Can I use ubncured bavon? Sorry for all the questions.
victor says
You should be totally fine with inserting a probe into a 32mm hog casing. You may be thinking inserting perpendicular to to the surface. No, that won't work, you are correct. But if you stick the probe into a bend at the top and then slide it inside and down the sausage along the center, it will work great.
Uncured bacon will work great. I like that idea a lot, actually.
Larry Childs says
Thanks Victor. Now a little trickier question. I have a Bradley smoker and it does quite a good job at maintaining temperatures. The sausages appear too small to insert a probe to determine the internal temp of 152. How do you check this?
victor says
Hm, I never had that problem. 28-32mm casings are thick enough for a probe. What casing size are you using?
Larry Childs says
When converting 36 grams of kosher salt to tablespoons I come up with 15 tablespoons. Is this correct?
victor says
Larry, the conversion is way off. 1 heaping tsp is 6g, I measured that at one time. One level tsp is 5g. 36g will be 6 heaping teaspoons. 1 Tbsp is usually 3 tsp, so 36g will be 2 heaping tablespoons or so.
That said, when making sausage, it pays to weigh your ingredients. If you are measuring say 96 grams of salt by tsp/Tbsp and are off by a 1/3-1 gram each spoon, it will really add up and make a noticeable difference to taste.
Erica says
This recipe is utter perfection!
Super simple to follow and the taste pleased even those picky foodie types! I'll be keeping this close and is going to become a regular in my household!
Russ Ohlin says
Victor, I purchased my propane smoker earlier this year and found your recipe which most closely resembled the keilbasa I remembered eating as a child. I had been wanting to make my own keilbasa for quite a while, but I wanted it to be authentic. Your recipe is spot on! I did a little over 27 # and smoked using some mesquite and mostly apple chips. My method for stuffing casings is a bit different. I have a Kitchenaid with the grinder and sausage tube attachment. I first cube all of the meat and then add seasonings and water. I then used a large grinder plate (when making regular sausage, I generally use the smaller plate), grinding and stuffing all in the same operation. I have to use a special made spacer behind the tube to keep the plate tight against the knife. It works quite well and saves a step. These will be going out as Christmas gifts. The family can hardly wait. Thanks again for a great recipe. I wish I could share a picture.
victor says
Thank you for your comment Russ. Glad you liked my recipe. You can email me your picture and I can attach it to your comment.
---
Added your picture. Your kielbasa looks amazing. I am salivating. By the way, I have a couple more really good kielbasa recipes I've been working on, will be doing a lot of smoking closer to Christmas and will be posting my recipes.
Russ Ohlin says
I'll be on the lookout. Second time should be easier than the first, and if there's another recipe to try, I'll be glad to give it a shot.
Chad says
I will be making it this weekend. 1 question, is it 4lbs 4 ounces or is it 4 lbs 6.4 ounces (4.4lbs) of pork. I am really looking forward to this and I will let you know.
victor says
That would be 4 lbs 6.4 ounces. Good luck. I am sure it will turn out awesome.
Beata says
Now I'm confused 🙁 how many kg is 4.4lbs? I understand the 4lbs but 6.4 oz is a little over half a pound? Total should be about 4 and half pounds? Thank you!
victor says
Beata, 1 kg equals 2.2 lbs. 4.4 lbs is 2 kilos exactly.
Beata says
I made this couple days ago. My husband is polish and he couldn’t believe that the sausage tasted better than the one from the store. We served it at a party with polish people, they were blown away! Thank you so much!
Marcin says
This is a fantastic recipe that delivers results time and time again.
We have always stuck with the quantities and paid special attention to the addition of the fat/belly by cubing previously frozen fat and adding them just prior to grinding.
We smoke it using maple and generate heat through charcoal (not briquette type). We use an old coke dispensing unit (6 by 2.5 feet) lined with stainless steel as our smoker.
This past weekend we made our sixth batch since last November.
Thank you Victor!
victor says
Wow! That's fantastic, Marcin. Glad you like this recipe as much as I do, my favorite.
Lukasz D says
Hi I read that if you are using Morton Tender Quick (which is what I have) then you don't need to add additional salt since the tender is really salty itself. Do you know this to be true or should I still add the amount of salt like you recommended?
victor says
Lukasz, yes, that's true. The amount of salt that Morton adds per specified amount of sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate is higher than in Cure #1. How much higher I don't know as I don't use that product. I would google for conversion formulas and see what others have to say.
If I were in your shoes, I would start with just Tender Quick using the amount they recommend per pound of meat, mix, fry a little piece and evaluate. Then add more salt if needed. A little laborious, but this is the surest way. Make sure to measure and write down the final salt ratio so you don't have to do it next time.
Lukasz D says
Ok great. I will probably switch to cure #1 as you suggested since it just seems easier. One other question, the tender quick instructions say to rinse the meat after curing. But since I will be smoking the kielbasa does that make sense? Should I rinse off the tender quick prior to stuffing? Or will that kill the flavor? Thank you so much.
victor says
Lukasz, you typically rinse the meat after dry or wet brining, say when you make capicola, ham or bacon. You do that because the amount of salt and cure #1 (or 2, depending on what you are making) is much higher than what you would use for making smoked sausages. It is expected that sufficient amount of salt and cure will be absorbed during brining process (can be up to 2-3 weeks), and the excess will be rinsed off.
To answer your question, no it does not make sense, but then again, I have not used the product. Technically, it would make sense if you cure the meat in a heavily salted brine with enough Nitrite so the meat absorbs enough. Then you rinse the meat, grind, add the spices and stuff. This way your flavors will be fine. But this is a hard question to answer for me as have never used that product.
I say definitely switch to Cure #1 as TQ seems like a pain in the back to use.
Joanne McTiernan says
What is Cure #1? Thanks
victor says
Joanne, take a look at the second comment from the top. It's a curing salt that helps prevent growth of pathogenic bacteria and gives the sausage it's nice pink color.
Lori Roberts says
I am used to buying our smoked sausage and being able to eat it without cooking it. Once i make your recipe does this sausage still have to be "cooked" before we eat it? Thank you so much for your time and trouble!
victor says
Once you make it based on this recipe, it will be ready to eat. No additional cooking is needed. You can then refrigerate it and eat cold, or fry it with eggs, potatoes or whatever you like. It will be great either way.
Lori Roberts says
thanks Victor! I am going on vacation in a week and making all kinds of sausages and this is one that i will be doing!!!!
victor says
All the best, Lori! In old days semi-dry sausages like this one were dried in cool cellars at 55F and 75%RH for a few days to lose additional moisture. That helped them stay fresh for months without refrigeration. If you are taking them on vacation where there will be periods of time when you don't have a fridge around, hang the sausages to dry for a few days.
Teresa says
What kind of wood do you use for smoking the sausage?
victor says
My favorite is cherry wood. If I can find it I use sweet cherry wood. I like the sweetness in the smoke and the deep red color that they give. Pecan is a close second but not quite the same.
Alex says
I'm not sure where you live, but in the northwest US you will not likely find hog casings at the meat counter. I've been in the business over 15 years and never seen them. I have to order mine online.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
I am in Toronto, Canada but I often shop in Niagara Falls and Buffalo, NY. Wegmans in Buffalo has them most of the time. In Toronto, many grocery stores carry them as well. Those that cater to Italian communities have them all the time on the counter. I guess it depends on the demand of the local shoppers.
dodie says
I would love to make this but i have no idea, what is cure #1?
Thank you
victor says
Hi dodie,
Cure #1, also known as pink salt or saltpeter, is a curing salt consisting of salt and sodium nitrite. Since kielbasa is slow smoked for many hours to get that wonderful smoky flavor there is risk of growth of botulism-causing bacteria. Pink salt prevents that. It also inhibits spoilage, and gives the sausage that nice pink color, which otherwise would have been grey.
Now, you can hot smoke kielbasa over higher heat, say 225F to 250F, in which case it will get cooked within 3 hours an botulism is not a concern. In this case pink salt is not required, but you will get a different taste and melted fat. You will need to cook it to at least 165F internal temperature, too. Not the same, but still pretty tasty.
I buy pink salt from the sausagemaker.com, but there are many other places too. Many grocery stores carry either pink salt (ask at the meat counter), or Morton Tender Quick (pretty much the same thing, just make sure to follow directions on the package for the ratio per pound of meat). Morton Tender Quick is usually in the same place where they have table salt and such. I know Wegmans carries it, if you have it near where you live.
Joe Catoir says
I make sausages for a living. I use the smoke pouch and cold water method then let it bloom for a couple hours and all of the sausages are a hit. Not many people go through all the trouble but I don’t think it’s any trouble when making authentic sausages. I give my customers what they are paying for.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Consumer behavior is a science on its own. I grow heirloom tomatoes in my backyard. Different types, shapes and colors. Unbelievable taste. Nothing like store-bought. Someone I know grows tomatoes for a living. He once told me that heirloom tomatoes are a waste of his time. I thought he was joking, but he was dead serious. How come, I asked. He said, most of his customers prefer medium-sized, round, perfectly shaped, red tomatoes. The taste comes second to them. But once they try the difference, that's a different story. I find this quite interesting.