Homemade smoked kielbasa

[Mike N]

Made some homemade Polish kielbasa (Swojska) today with my son and his buddies. All 4 of my grandparents were Polish immigrants and I hope this appeases the ancestors. My son did 99% of the planning and actual sausage making.

Grind pork butt, beef cheek and pork belly. Mix in the seasonings (garlic cloves, dried marjoram, black pepper, kosher salt and and curing salt) along with ice water. Stuff it in washed hog casings. Smoke it with cherry wood. Eat it.

[reelsmith.]

That looks mighty tasty !

Dean.

[John Savu]

Your ancestors would be very proud of you and your son, for doing this. Thank you for keeping a family tradition alive. It was simply a way to exist to them, it is a way to connect with your heritage for you. I am Romanian, and I understand your feelings. John

[RonG]

Bring some to the KY Convention.

[jr.evansii]

Sounds like it's pot luck time. I'll bring the pierogi!

J.

[john elder]

Hmmmm… wonder how that would hold up in Priority mail? Wow, that looks yummy!

[Mike N]

The key to separating the taste from store-bought is quality ingredients. We use a lot of pork belly and marjoram, a sweet aromatic herb, similar to Italian oregano, but milder.

I also highly recommend beet-flavored horseradish as a condiment. It is to kielbasa what wasabi is to sushi.

[kyreels]

I can taste it from here. I had not heard of the Beet Horseradish, but love the regular stuff. Will check it out.

[Mike N]

I can taste it from here. I had not heard of the Beet Horseradish, but love the regular stuff. Will check it out.

The beets are sweet, and temper and mellow the horseradish.

[klonder]

Not kielbasa but home made sausage none the less!
A friend butchers deer from the local, annual herd cull and gave me a few pounds of sweet venison sausage he made. I turned some of it into classic "Toad in the Hole" with proper made onion gravy.
Usually done with bangers, the venison worked out nicely. First roasted to brown, then baked in a popover batter. Yum!
Now on to the tenderloins!

[arley]

As I posted on the original meat thread when is first seating ? I will bring beer.

[kyreels]

From Wikipedia, "Kielbasa (UK: /kiːlˈbæsə/, US: /kiːlˈbɑːsə, kɪ(l)ˈbɑːsə/; from Polish kiełbasa [kʲɛwˈbasa] is any type of meat sausage from Poland and a staple of Polish cuisine. In American English the word typically refers to a coarse, U-shaped smoked sausage of any kind of meat, which closely resembles the Wiejska sausage (typically pork only) in British English."

It certainly fits the definition of Kielbasa. Not up to anyone to deny the definition without citing exacting reasons.