Doctor's Sausage Recipe

Course: Appetizer, dinner, lunch

Cuisine: Eastern European

Keyword: doctor's sausage, doktorskaya kolbasa

Prep Time: 3

Cook Time: 4

Resting time: 3 4

Total Time: 3 11

Servings:

Calories: 166kcal

Author: Victor

Cut the meat into 1" pieces, place in a large bowl, mix with salt/Cure #1 mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 24-48 hours.
Grind the meat through a 1/8" (3 mm) plate. Emulsify in a food processor, 2-3 cups at a time, adding up to 25% - 30% icy water or ice to keep the meat cold. The meat should never get warmer than 50F (10C).
Add the egg, dry milk, sugar, and nutmeg and mix everything together.
Stuff the meat into 2.5" - 3" (50 - 75 mm) synthetic fibrous casings or large natural casings. Stuff the casings firmly and tie with a butcher's twine on both ends. Prick any visible air pockets with a needle.
Refrigerate for 16-24 hours.
Before cooking, hang the sausages in a drafty area and dry them at room temperature for about 4 hours.
Optional step: Transfer to the smoker and further dry without smoke at around 130F for 30 minutes. Next, smoke over oak/beech wood for 2 hours at around 140F. The guidelines allow smoking this sausage between 140F and 195F.
Poach at 167F - 185F (75-85C) or steam-bake in the oven with a pan of hot water underneath at 175F-185F (80-85C) for 1.5 - 2.5 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 154F (68C).
Chill the sausage under a cold shower or in a cool room (50F - 55F / 10C-12C) for 10-12 hours or until the internal temperature reaches about 64F, then wrap in plain butcher's paper and refrigerate.
This sausage will keep in the fridge for about 2 weeks (poached, non-smoked) and 3+ weeks if smoked and steam-baked in the oven. Freezing is not recommended.

The original recipe calls for 3 Tbsp (47 g) of salt, including Cure #1. I find this too salty for my taste but you can bump the salt up if you wish.