Mastering the Craft of Making Sausage (35 page)

4. 
 Refrigerate the stuffed sausage overnight so the seasoning and curing powder will blend with the meat.

The next morning, the sausage may be smoked. Please see Chapter 7 for smoking instructions and suggestions. Cold smoking and steam cooking is recommended. If the sausage will not be smoked, steaming or poaching is recommended. Cooking by steaming or poaching is explained in Chapter 6.

Polish Lemon Sausage

This is a mildly seasoned snack sausage with a hint of tartness.

CASING

Any size of fibrous casing may be used. A large casing such as a 4-inch (10.16 cm) one is most common, but a 2½-inch (6.35 cm) casing is easier and faster to process, so it is recommended. For 2½ lbs. (1,150 g) of sausage, two of these casings—each 12 inches (30 cm) long—will be required. Soak them in lukewarm water for about 30 minutes. Be sure to put warm water inside the casings.

MEAT

Prepare 2 lbs. (910 g) of pork butt and ½ lb. (225 g) of beef chuck; cut the meat into ¾-inch (2 cm) cubes. The total fat content should be about 20 to 25 percent of the meat. Refrigerate the meat for 30 minutes. While the meat is being prepared, chill the meat grinder and stuffer.

Grind the meat with a 
-inch (4.8 mm) plate, or use a plate with smaller holes, if available. Chill the meat again while the seasoning and other ingredients are being prepared.

THE SEASONING

2 tsp. (10 ml) salt

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) Cure #1

¾ tsp. (3.75 ml) black pepper, ground

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) lemon zest (grated lemon peel)—packed in the spoon

¼ tsp. (1.25 ml) nutmeg

1 Tbsp. (15 ml) lemon juice

1 Tbsp. (15 ml) cold water

2 Tbsp. (30 ml) light corn syrup

MIXING AND STUFFING

1. 
 Mix the seasoning and liquids in a large bowl until the ingredients are uniform. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

2. 
 Add the meat to the seasoning mixture. Blend by kneading until it is uniform. This will require about three minutes. Chill this sausage paste for about 30 minutes.

3. 
 Stuff the sausage into fibrous casings. Insert the cable probe of an electronic thermometer in the open end of one of the sausages, and close the casing around the probe with butcher’s twine.

4. 
 Refrigerate the sausage chubs overnight so the seasoning and curing powder will blend with the meat.

The next morning, the chubs may be smoked. Please see Chapter 7 for smoking suggestions. If they will be smoked, hot smoking is recommended. If the sausage will not be smoked, steaming or poaching is recommended. Cooking by steaming or poaching is explained in Chapter 6.

Ring Bologna

Bologna is one of the most popular sausages in the United States, but because it is processed in a large casing and sliced for use as a lunchmeat, probably most people do not consider it a sausage. This product will look exactly like a sausage because it is stuffed in relatively small hog casings and tied in a ring, as is Polish kielbasa. Tr y it either hot or cold.

This sausage can be emulsified easily, if you wish. Study the processing instructions for 
Bologna
 in Chapter 10, and emulsify this product in the same way 
Bologna
 is emulsified.

CASINGS

Either small or medium hog casing may be used. If you wish to use the small casing, rinse 7 feet (210 cm) of casing, and refrigerate it overnight in a cup of water. Rinse again, and soak in warm water a few minutes before using.

THE MEAT FOR 2½ LBS. (1,150 G) OF RING BOLOGNA

Prepare the meats listed below; cut into ¾-inch (2 cm) cubes and refrigerate. While this meat is being prepared, chill the grinder and sausage stuffer in the refrigerator.

•
 1½ lbs. (680 g) of lean pork and 
¹
⁄
2
 lb. (225 g) of back fat—or 2 lbs. (910 g) of fatty pork shoulder 

¹
⁄ 
2
 lb. (225 g) of beef heart, or lean wild game

SEASONINGS AND OTHER INGREDIENTS

2 tsp. (10 ml) salt

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) Cure #1

1 tsp. (5 ml) mustard powder—packed in the spoon

1 tsp. (5 ml) white pepper ½ tsp. (2.5 ml) allspice

¹
⁄
2
 tsp. (2.5 ml) marjoram

2 cloves garlic, well minced

½ cup (120 ml) finely powdered skim milk ¼ cup (60 ml) cold water

MIXING AND STUFFING

1. 
 Grind the chilled meats together with a 
-inch (4.8 mm) or smaller plate. Refrigerate the ground meat for about 30 minutes.

2. 
 Grind the meat one more time to make the meat particles even smaller. Refrigerate the ground meat again for 30 minutes.

3. 
 While the meat is chilling, mix all the remaining ingredients thoroughly in a large mixing bowl. Refrigerate this mixture for about 15 minutes.

4. 
 Add the chilled ground meat to the seasoning mixture, and knead until it is well mixed and uniform. This will require about three minutes. Chill this meat and seasoning mixture again while the sausage stuffer and hog casings are being prepared.

5. 
 Stuff the sausage into the hog casing, and twist the sausage rope into four long links. Use string to close the end of each link securely, and then cut the casing between the ends to separate the links. Tie the ends of each link together to form four rings. Refrigerate the rings overnight to permit the seasoning to be absorbed by the meat. Use an uncovered container (or cover with paper towels) so the casings will dry.

6. 
 If you wish to smoke the ring bologna, please see Chapter 7 for suggestions and directions. (Ring bologna is traditionally smoked.) If you wish to omit smoking, please see the cooking suggestions in Chapter 6.

Savory Polish Sausage

This sausage is more robustly flavored than most Polish sausages.

CASING

Prepare 7 feet (210 cm) of hog casing; rinse thoroughly. Refrigerate in a small amount of water overnight. Rinse again, and soak in warm water a few minutes before using.

MEAT

Prepare 2½ lbs. (1,150 g) of pork butt; cut it into ¾-inch (2 cm) cubes. Refrigerate the meat for 30 minutes. While the meat is being prepared, refrigerate the meat grinder and stuffer.

Grind the meat with a 
-inch (4.8 mm) or larger plate. Chill the meat again while the seasoning and other ingredients are being prepared.

THE SEASONING

2 tsp. (10 ml) salt

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) Cure #1

2 Tbsp. (30 ml) brown sugar—packed in the spoon

1½ tsp. (7.5 ml) black pepper, finely ground

1 tsp. (5 ml) mustard, ground—packed in the spoon

1 tsp. (5 ml) garlic granules

1 tsp. (5 ml) MSG (optional)

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) summer savory

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) coriander—packed in the spoon

¼ tsp. (1.25 ml) mace

½ cup (120 ml) powdered skim milk

¼ cup (60 ml) water

MIXING AND STUFFING

1. 
 Mix the seasoning, powdered skim milk, and water in a 5-quart (5 liter) mixing bowl. Refrigerate this mixture for at least 15 minutes.

2. 
 Blend the meat and the seasoning well by kneading for about three minutes.

3. 
 Stuff the sausage in hog casings, and twist the sausage rope into links.

4. 
 Refrigerate overnight, uncovered (or covered with paper towels).

5. 
 If you wish to smoke the sausage, please see Chapter 7 for suggestions and directions. If you wish to omit smoking, please see the cooking suggestions in Chapter 6.

Smoked Kielbasa

When I was living in Chicago in the 1970s, I frequently enjoyed eating kielbasa at the many sausage stands in the city. Chicago has a very large population of Polish Americans. In fact, several people told me that the population of Polish Americans in Chicago is greater than the population of Poles in Warsaw, the capital of Poland. The large population of Poles in this country has doubtlessly contributed to the popularity of their sausage.

In Polish, 
kielbasa
 means 
sausage,
 and there are many recipes for products called 
kielbasa
. The use of cardamom and ground mustard seed makes this recipe interesting.

CASING

Prepare 7 feet (210 cm) of hog casing; rinse thoroughly. Refrigerate the casing overnight in a cup of water. Rinse again before using.

MEAT

Prepare 2½ lbs. (1,150 g) of pork butt; cut it into ¾-inch (2 cm) cubes. Refrigerate the meat for 30 minutes. While the meat is being prepared, refrigerate the meat grinder and stuffer.

Grind the meat with a 
-inch (4.8 mm) plate. Chill the meat again while the seasoning and other ingredients are being prepared.