Kyiv smoked sausage, named after the capital of Ukraine, is a lightly flavored but exceptionally tasty old-fashioned sausage with a delicate texture made using a new-to-me method whereby the sausage is first cooked and then smoked. You can think of it as a 'reverse-smoked' sausage. This one is a real crowd-pleaser.
The taste
I found this recipe in the 1938 book of Standards for Smoked Meats and Sausages, published in the former Soviet Union under the name of Kyiv (Kiev) Top-Grade Sausage. This sausage recipe was very light on seasonings, so I wasn't sure how I would like it. However, it had a chunky texture, which was a big selling point for me, so I decided to try it. I love chunky sausage.
When I made it, it really surprised me. The sausage had a very nice, distinct porky flavor complemented by the subtle spice flavors and a hint of sweetness. I loved the texture, which was quite delicate and had a nice balance between the chunks and the finely ground meat.
The flavor was simple yet very balanced and, in a way, addictive. I felt like this was the sausage that I could eat all the time without getting tired of it. I can see how this sausage would appeal to many tastes and be an easy crowd-pleaser.
Making Kyiv Smoked Sausage
This is the fun part. As I mentioned above, this sausage had a nice, delicate texture, likely because of how it was cooked. Normally, smoked sausage/kielbasa is stuffed, dried, smoked, and then 'baked' in the smoker at a higher temperature or poached. This sausage is different. After stuffing, it's rested, 'baked' at 140F - 195F (60-90C) for 40 minutes, then poached or steamed like you normally would your fully smoked sausage, then cooled down, smoked, and, finally, dried in a cold room. That's more steps than usual, but I think it's worth the effort.
A few of my readers asked me in the past whether it would be possible first to cook sausage and then smoke. This commercially-tested recipe is the answer. Give it a try.
My amendments to the original recipe
I simplified some steps as they made little sense in a home environment, and there were better substitutes for them. For example, in the commercial environment, they would cool the sausage after poaching or steaming for 3-5 hours under a cold shower or in a cold room at or below 54F (12C). It's a lot easier and faster to drop the sausage in an icy water bath. This is totally doable at home, but I see how that would be cost-prohibitive in a large-scale commercial setting.
So, the recipe below is modified to make it easier and faster for a home sausage maker.
Also, in a commercial setting, they were allowed to smoke this sausage at 95F (35C) - 122F (50C) for 12-24 hours. This would be problematic for a home sausage maker, so instead, I recommend smoking at 110F-120F (43-50C) for 6-12 hours. The lower the cooking temperature, the more delicate the texture. There will be less skin hardening, but it certainly takes a much longer smoking/tending time.
The baking step
The 'baking' step before poaching/steaming was a bit baffling. Why do you need it if you are going to poach or steam? The book mentioned that the goal was to obtain a uniformly pink color of the meat and completely dry skin. While I don't fully understand the importance of this step at this time, I decided to keep it. However, I kept the temperature at the lower end of the recommended range. So, while the recommendation was to 'bake' for 40 minutes at 140F-195F (60-90C), I did it at 140F (60C) for 40 minutes.
Enjoy!
Kiev Smoked Sausage Recipe
Ingredients
- 450 g lean pork
- 250 g trimmed pork butt with some fat about 20-25% fat content
- 300 g pork belly and/or fatty pork trimmings must have at least 40% lean parts
- 13 g kosher salt
- 2.5 g Cure #1
- 0.75 g garlic fresh, pressed
- 1 g sugar
- 0.6 g black pepper
- 0.5 g allspice
Instructions
- Weigh the meat in grams. Divide the total weight by 1000, then multiply each ingredient by that number, except the water (see notes). For example, if the combined weight of the meat and back fat is 3650 g, you need to multiply the ingredients specified above by 3.65.
- Cut the meat into 2" pieces and mix with salt, sugar, and Cure #1. Place in a container, cover, and refrigerate for 48 hours.
- Remove the meat from the fridge and separate the lean pieces from the fatty ones.
- Cut the lean meat into 1/2" (12mm) pieces.
- Grind the fattier pieces through a 1/16″ (3 mm) plate.
- Place the meat and seasonings (pressed garlic, black pepper, and allspice) in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix for 7-8 minutes on low speed.
- Stuff into 28-32 mm hog casings at 16" lengths and tie into rings.
- Let the sausage rest in a cool room/curing chamber at 50F-63F (10-12C).
- 'Bake' in the smoker at 140F (60C) for 40 minutes without smoke.
- Poach at 167F - 176F (75-80C) water for 30-45 minutes. Make sure that the internal temperature is at least 154F - 158F.
- Cool the sausage down by submerging it in icy water for about 30 minutes.
- Dry, then smoke at 110F-120F (43-50C) for about 6-12 hours or until the casings develop the desired color.
- Dry at 55F - 64F (12-18C) for 2-4 days.
Ralf Doehring says
Thank you for the recipe and instructions.
is it possible you swapped step 11 and 12?
I am used to smoking the sausage, poach, then put them in ice water and dry them.
thanks,
Ralf
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Good question. No, the steps are correct. Hence the 'reverse-smoked' name. The sausage is cooked first then smoked. That's how it's specified in the original recipe book.
Leonardo says
I'm eager to try this recipe 😋
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Good luck! Let me know how you like it.