How To Make Kielbasa Sausage: Whether I’m adding it as a seasoning to another dish, cutting and browning it as an ingredient, or taking it with potatoes and sweet/sour red cabbage for a main, kielbasa is a key component in my kitchen.
Although store-bought kielbasa is over-processed and bland, I often end up eating it. Why do I give up on the homemade article? It is far more flavorful, more subtle, and less processed. We made some, and we think you should too.
A sausage well cooked at the proper temperature, and our family recipe will have you forgetting all about words. Kielbasa next to a pan of sauerkraut on a stovetop.
What Is Kielbasa?
Normally, I write a heading similar to that with the idea that you, my readers, might ask that question. But here, I assume you are already familiar with and passionate about kielbasa. But I think a few interesting things can still be said.
“Kelbasa” and “Polish sausage” are often thrown around together as synonyms in America, which is interesting considering kielbasa is just an extension of the word sausage from the Polish language.
If you were to ask for kielbasa in Poland, they may ask you which kind you wanted. There are hundreds of kinds of kielbasa in Poland. Frequently made with garlic and marjoram, Kielbasa, or Polish sausage is a smoked, rustic sausage that is made by farmers and villagers everywhere.
The wiejska kielbasa is related to the kielbasa but is not the same.
In the nineteenth century, Polish immigrants introduced this sausage to America and subsequent generations adapted it to make soups, stews, and pot-o-beans. It’s deliciously sliced and browned, split down the middle and grilled.
In addition, it’s delicious on its own in sauerkraut or incorporated into Polish Bigos (hunter’s stew).
Grinding The Meat
Meat and fat are ground, spices are added, and then the hog casings are stuffed and smoked. That’s it. There are, however, a few things to remember. Select the highest quality and freshest meat you can find.
Your sausage will taste better and more flavorful if you choose the best and freshest meat. To prepare sausages at home, you need a good meat grinder. The meat and fat should be ground between 4.5mm (3/16″) and 6mm (1/4″) on a medium grinder plate. If you grind too finely, you’ll lose the texture of the sausages.
Stuffing
You don’t want the sausages to feel too firm, but either too loose or too tight, while you stuff them. Casings may burst if sausage casings are stuffed too tightly.
Chilling The Sausage
If you want to avoid hollow areas, let the sausage cool down before putting it in the refrigerator overnight. It might be hollow if the fat isn’t solidified again after it has been chilled.
You may choose to quickly chill the sausage in ice water if it looks even busier.
That will make the sausages fuller and plumper and will reduce wrinkles. It may stain the sausage, but it’s not as bad as I originally thought. I now finish my kielbasa by blanching then take a cold shower to cool it down.
How To Make Smoked Kielbasa
- If you cut the pork meat into 1-inch cubes and pass it through a meat grinder, you can dice up about 1/3 of it so that pieces of ham are mixed in the sausage.
- Put the meat in a large bowl with the other ingredients (spices, cure, water, and milk powder). Mix them together well and let them marinate in the fridge for 3 hours, or until they are thoroughly flavored.
- Prepare the smoker for 130F and smoke the wood pucks in the smoker with the meat mixture that has been kept in the fridge. Stuff the sausage casings according to the instructions of your sausage stuffer.
- You can either lay the kielbasa on the racks or hang them on hooks in the smoker. Once the kielbasa are in the smoker, they need to cook for four hours at 130 degrees, 150 degrees, 170 degrees, and 190 degrees.
- Once the kielbasas have been smoked for 4 hours, remove them from the smoker and put them in a hot water bath that is heated to 165 degrees. Keep them in the hot water bath for 45 minutes, then remove them and let them bloom for 1-2 hours.
How To Make Kielbasa On A Skillet
- Spread cooking spray over a large skillet. Heat the skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes and stir the onion until translucent.
- Add kielbasa to the hot skillet and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it is lightly browned.
- Saute the broccoli and potatoes in the sausage mixture, seasoning with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes until the broccoli softens, then stir and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes until the vegetables are completely tender.
How To Make Grilled Kielbasa
- Preheat the grill to 400 degrees F.
- Make kielbasa by cutting it into 3-inch pieces and butterflying both ends.
- The shrimp should be cooked for four to five minutes on each side for charring, ensuring that all sides are charred.
- Take kielbasa off the grill. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 5-6 minutes longer.
- To make the sugar golden brown, melt the butter plus sugar in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Adding the onions and sauerkraut, cook until onions and sauerkraut are wilted and browned, for about 5 to 6 minutes, then remove from oven and slice into 1-inch pieces.
- Combine immediately with the sauerkraut and onion mixture in the pan.
- Toss until you get a good mix. Then transfer to a serving dish and drizzle with the Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce.
FAQs
1. How is kielbasa made?
Spices are added to ground meat and fat after it has been ground. Once the meat mixture is stuffed into the casing of a hog, it is smoked. This results in a delicious meat sausage with numerous uses.
2. Can you eat kielbasa raw?
In some Kielbasa types, the meat is safe to consume if it has been dry-cured first. In traditional Kielbasa recipes, raw meat is not used. In general, you should avoid eating raw meat except for beef.
3. How can you tell when kielbasa is done?
A thermometer or a pressure test will tell you when the sausage is done. When the sausage is done, it shouldn’t be shrivelled at all. Make sure not to cut into the sausage to check whether it is done. If it isn’t, you’ll lose everything that keeps it moist.