# Homemade Kielbasa



## Chief Longwind Of The North (Apr 4, 2020)

I purchased a meat grinder, a Gourmia brand, and it works great.  I bought it as the half cow I purchased was made of some very tough meat.  I can turn most of it into ground meat and sausage. 

With that in mind, I have been itching to make homemade sausages for a long time.  So I found a recipe for Kielbasa online that looked good and made the sausage.  I modified the recipe a bit by adding a tsp. of mace to the mix.  I used the stuffing horn that came with the grinder and prepared some hog casings, fitted them onto the horn.  

The directions given with the grinder said to remove the cutting blade and proceed to stuff the casings.  I left the plate on.  What I found was that the plate inhibited the ability of the grinder to push the meat into the casings.  I took the plate off, and the sausage meat flowed perfectly.  The only difficult part was getting the casings washed, as you had to open one end to let water flush the casings, and threading them onto the horn.  That was tedious.

Here's where it all becomes the typical Chief Longwind experiment.  Kielbasa is a smoked sausage of pork and beef, seasoned simply with pink salt, kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic.  I don't have a smoker.  I do have a Webber Kettle charcoal grill that I have smoked many a meal with, and quite successfully.  I've smoked fish, chicken, turkey, jerky, and pork with very good results.  But at present, I'm in a wheelchair for another couple weeks, and can't easily move around outside.  So, the sausage is supposed to be smoked at 155 degrees F. for 3 hours, then poached to bring the internal temp up to 165.  What i am doing is cooking them on a rasied grate in the oven, at 170 for 3 hours (the lowest temp my oven will go).  Tjis should get them completely cooked through.

Part 2:  Mu son caught a mess of smelt two nights ago, and cleaned them.  Some will be fried up, and some will be frozen.  I asked him if he wanted to smoke some of them.  He does, and plans on doing that today.  I will give him the brine recipe, and tach him how to set up the Wenner for cold smoking.  After the fish is smoked, using apple wood, I will put the kielbasa on the Webber with minimal charcoal, just enough to create smoke, and let cold smoke for 2 hours.  I'm thinking that should give me the same results as smoking for three hours, then poaching the sausage to cook through.  plus, as they wont have to be poached in wayer, none of the smoke particulates will wash off, and so I should get a more intense smoke flavor.

So what do you pit-masters think?  Will it works?  I'm betting it will, and am looking forward to the results.  I will let you know how they turn out.  And if they come out great, I will post the recipe.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


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## taxlady (Apr 4, 2020)

I have never smoked anything, but something comes to mind. Will smoke penetrate already cooked meat as easily as it does raw, ground meat? I don't really know, but I wonder if that will make a difference.


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## medtran49 (Apr 4, 2020)

The best way to flush casings is to put them in a large bowl, open up 1 end, turn on cold water and hold the open end under the water, letting it run through the casing.  Keep the casings wet while you are loading them on the stuffing tube.

You have to use a stuffing die, which usually has only 3 very large holes if you use an electric grinder to stuff.  If you have to use a grinding  die, the knife blade will have to stay in, otherwise the meat jams up.as you found.  Not sure why the instructions  said to take it out unless they assumed you were using a stuffing die.

We stuff our andouille and then Craig smokes it between 200-225.  It's  not poached.

I would probably have just poached the sausage to 165 and then cold smoked.  I'd  be afraid they would get dry with what you are doing.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Apr 4, 2020)

Ok, I just took the sausage out of the oven.  I used a electric meat thermometer to tell me when the internal temp was 165' F.  I let the sausage cool for a half hour before testing it.  It came out juicy and delicious.  DW even liked it.  I was a little supersized how chewy the casing was though.

This meat and flavor mixture would make great meatballs, with a few alterations.  I could even turn this into something that tasted like pepperoni, but not with the same texture.  In fact, the texture was a little too soft for me.  I like the sausage insides a little more chunky, if you know what I mean.  But the flavor is outstanding, and it is very moist.  I think it needs more fat than I had to put in it.  I only used the fat that came on the beef stew meat, and the pork shoulder.  So, it was good enough to share the recipe.  So here it is.  Oh, the mace addition was my idea.  I thought it would taste good with the other ingredients, and it really did.

Homemade Kielbasa

Ingredients
    • 4 ½ lbs pork butt about 2,000 g
    • 1 lb beef chuck about 450 g
    • 1 lb pork belly about 450 g; or back fat
    • 3 garlic cloves about 10 g; large, pressed
    • 2 tsp dried marjoram about 1.2 g nutmeg
    • ½ tsp. Mace
    • 2*tsp*ground black pepper*about 4.5 g
    • 2*Tbsp*kosher salt*about 36 g; plus more to taste, if needed
    • 1 1/3*tsp*Cure #1*about 6.5 g; see notes
    • 1*cup*ice water*about 240 g

Cut all of the meat and fat into 3 inch stirps, each about an inch wide. 
 Griind all of the meat and back fat through the medium grinds.  Add the spices and work into the meat, making sure they are well distributed.  Run all of this through the grinder.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Remove from the fridge, and using the stuffing horn, and the stuffing plate, fill the sausage casings according to direction.  Tie nots in the sausage ends.  Twist the sausage at 12 inch intervals to make links.  

Put the sausage onto a rack over a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, and into a preheated 220' oven.  Roast to an internal temp of 165'.  Remove from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes.  Now, you can either refrigerate, and cook when ready, or cold-smoke the sausage.

If DW wasn't eating it, this recipe would be improved for my tastes with the addition of cayenne pepper, oregano, and fennel.  I would add a little rice wine vinegar in place of some of the ice water.

For meatballs, use the basic recipe and add grated hard Italian cheese, oregano, a cup of bread crumbs, and an egg.    Replace the water with milk.

Again, this sausage is way good as is.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


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## GimmeAnother1 (Apr 4, 2020)

here is what i learned from making my own sausage.
1. when ur ready for stuffing the casings i found that having something with a footpedal to control the flow of the meat was crucial.  in my case my buddy had modified an old sewing machine motor and made a jig to run what was normally and industrial hand crank one.  the motor was crucial during times when because i was learning how to adjust my holding and pressure on the casings while filling to make them fill properly.  you do not want to let air pockets in the meat my buddy said.  that being said i found a power footpedal on amazon that i purchased for when i attempt it with my kitchaide attachment (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005GRDZO0/).  it's nowhere near as good as his industrial but hoping the power control will help me overcome any inefficiencies.  

2. casings we let soak in water with lemon for about 10min before trying to use.  also left in water the whole time and pulled out pieces to use as needed.
3. use oil or some kind of grease to lubricate the extraction tube so the casings slide on easy.  do it everytime you put a new casing on or if casing is stuck and not moving.
4. slide casings fully on and control the amount of meat in casing as it goes via feel and pressure with your hand gripped around at the lip of extraction tube.  use the power control to control flow of meat.  together as a combo things can go smoothly.  u get the hang of it.
5. i used twine to twist of the sausages because we were going to smoke and dry some so it was easier to hang that way.
6. u can make more of a patee type of sausage by running the meat through the grinder twice.  we did a nduja knockoff and used this method for that portion.
7. salt percentage was the most important thing.  also had to take into account how much salt the pork already had in it.  we did not get from butcher but restaurant depot and they are pre sealed and the liquid is salted.  so those types of grocery stores sealed porks are pre-salted so u need to find a correct ratio instead of dealing with one that has little or fresh from butcher.
8. poke holes after so they can breathe.  use whatever to poke the holes.  pinhole size if possible.
9. curing is a whole other world.  although your salt percentage will help you a long way in this if you decide you want to cure some long term.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Apr 4, 2020)

I had no trouble fi;;ling the casings.  They filled perfect;y, with no air bubbles.  The only problem I had is that the cooked casings are very tough.  I'm wondering if I should go ahead an poach them to soften the casings.  Would that help?  They can't be used on a sandwich as  you can bite through the skin, but can't get a clean chunk broken from the sausage.  You have to tear it loose with considerable force.  

Things I learned:
1. try poaching to make the casing more tender
2,  Add pork belly, or fat back as in the original recipe to get a chunkier interior
3. Maybe use the coarse-grind plate to get the texture I'm looking for.
4, Though mace was not on the online recipe, its addition was really good.

All in all, it came out pretty good for my first sausage.  I'm happy.  Now, if only I could find some brisket in any store.

Seeeeeya: Chief Longwind of the North


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## GimmeAnother1 (Apr 4, 2020)

https://www.thespruceeats.com/sausage-casings-1808219

Not sure about cooked casings. I used the following
https://www.overseacasing.com/hog-casings/
Retail home pack. My local grocery store had them in the meats section. I had to ask or would’ve never found them on my own. 


For fatback he had me cut it off like I was trimming a brisket but then had me cut into slices with the rest and grind back in. I guess he felt the mixture was better this way and we could control percentages better if we wanted to. I wound up using most of the fatback right back into the meat mix.  Now I was making Italian sausage though.  Used fennel and for med spice used crushed red peppers both put through coffee grinder. For nduja he had a fried chili he smoked in his oven on aluminum foil at low temp. Again grind in coffee maker. Also red wine optional he said if you want.  Also for salt we used kosher that he ground up in coffee grinder to sea salt sizes.


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## medtran49 (Apr 5, 2020)

We used the pictured casings the last time we made sausage.  The skin was easy to cut/bite through on the red wine/garlic fresh sausages that we froze and have to be cooked somehow before eating.  The andouille, didn't like them as much for that.  The smoking process seems to have damaged the integrity of the casing in that when you slice the sausage, the casing just starts to peel off.  That's nothing more than an annoyance since the andouille is going in some kind of dish so I just finish off peeling it, but would be highly annoying if you were trying to eat it in a bun.  I got the casings off Amazon.

We don't poke sausage at all anymore.

We usually add some fat to sausages.  Meat bought at a supermarket has usually been trimmed too much.  Either ask if they have fat trimmings or try and get the meat from a restaurant supply place as those pieces seem to have more fat on them.  Alternatively, save your trimmings in a bag in the freezer.


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## GimmeAnother1 (Apr 5, 2020)

Strange medtran. I smoked mine and the casings are similar texture to the regular ones. A bit tougher but I can cut into slices no problem.  Although I did smoke mine outside of a smoker (old fashioned way). Basically a shed with a stove and hang them near it and smoke all day.


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## CraigC (Apr 6, 2020)

GimmeAnother1 said:


> here is what i learned from making my own sausage.
> 1. when ur ready for stuffing the casings i found that having something with a footpedal to control the flow of the meat was crucial.  in my case my buddy had modified an old sewing machine motor and made a jig to run what was normally and industrial hand crank one.  the motor was crucial during times when because i was learning how to adjust my holding and pressure on the casings while filling to make them fill properly.  you do not want to let air pockets in the meat my buddy said.  that being said i found a power footpedal on amazon that i purchased for when i attempt it with my kitchaide attachment (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005GRDZO0/).  it's nowhere near as good as his industrial but hoping the power control will help me overcome any inefficiencies.
> 
> 2. casings we let soak in water with lemon for about 10min before trying to use.  also left in water the whole time and pulled out pieces to use as needed.
> ...



The first time I did that and all the fat rendered out of those holes, leaving a very dry and shriveled sausage. Since I don't poke holes anymore, no problem. None of the sausage recipes I've used from Ruhlman's book "Charcuterie" have suggested that. I do however recommend taking the sausage mix and using the paddle, give it a few minutes in the KA and add a Tbsp or more of ice water, which helps homogenize the mixture before stuffing. I think this makes a better product. With natural casings, We have never needed a separate lubricant for loading the stuffing with casings. 

I am looking to either buy a cooker (Pit Barrel) or make some racks, that will allow me to hang sausages instead of doing them on the grates of one of my smokers.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Apr 12, 2020)

Smoked Keielbasa is done.  Gotta let you know how it came out, and give the recipe.

The sausage came out very very good.  The texture is great, the skin has a snap to it without being tough.  I couild have packed the skins a loittle tighter, but the meat is still good.  When chilled, it should firm up nicely.  It is juicy.  To smoke the sausage on the Webber Kettle, I made a snake of a sngle charcoal briquettes, with Pecan chunks lying just inside the ring of charcoal, and touching it.  I lit an end piece of charcoal on the ring put the cooking grid on top, and let it start smoking with the lid on, all vents fully open.  The weather temp was only about 35 degrees F. when the smoking was started at about 3 p.m.  By bedtime (10 p.m.) only about a quater of the snake was used.  We let it smoke overnight.  It was checked at 10 a.m. this morning, and the snake was still going.  We boosted the heat and brought the sausage temp up to about 160; inside temp.  At the same time, smelt were smoking.  Both the sausage and smelt are delicious.  My son like it so much that he is now thinking about purchasing a dedicated smoker.  So here's my tow recipes, both of which came out equally great.

Straight up Kielbasa:
  • 4 ½ lbs pork butt about with fat
    • 1 lb beef chuck 
    • 1 lb pork belly 
    • 4 garlic cloves, minced
    • 2 tsp dried marjoram 
   • ½ tsp. Mace  
   •   2 tbs. ground black pepper
   • 2*Tbsp*kosher salt*
    • 1 1/3*tsp*Cure #1*, or Morton’s Quici cure
    • 1*cup*ice water
Cut meat into strips and run through a meat gender using the coarsest grinding plate.  Combine the hers with 1/4 cup of the water and heat in the microwave for 2 minutes.  Remove and let sit.  Work all meat together until thoroughly mixed.  Mix 3/4 cup ice water to the water with herbs.  Add to meat mixture and stuff onto casings.  Smoke them as per above description.

Spicy Sausage:
 • 4 ½ lbs pork butt about with fat
    • 1 lb beef chuck 
    • 1 lb pork belly 
    • 4 garlic cloves, minced
    • 2 tsp dried marjoram 
   • ½ tsp. Mace  
   •   2 tbs. ground black pepper
   •  1 tbs ground red pepper, or 2 tbs, crushed red pepper 
   • 2 tsp. crushed fennel
  • 2*Tbsp*kosher salt*
  • 1 1/3*tsp*Cure #1*, or Morton’s Quici cure
  •1/4 cup Marsala Wine
  • 1*cup*ice water

Same smoking method.

The 2nd recipe isn't pepperoni, but it's not kielbasa either.  I'm not sure what to call it, except tasty.  It closely resembles cudaghi sausage.  I just hope you try it for yourself.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


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## bbqcoder (Apr 18, 2020)

Nice! I have a WSM and it’s great. I can’t compare it with a kettle but hopefully you can provide some feedback when you get one.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Apr 30, 2020)

I purchased a Pork Butt, a Chuck Roast, and Some pork fat, all to make sausage.  I also purchased some more sausage casings.  I asked my son whether he wanted kielbasa, or bratwurst.  He instantly replied bratwurst.  So I looked at a few recipes online and found one I liked.  I c.hanged it a little.  I  omitted beer and replaced it with Marsala.  After grinding the meat, and adding the spices, I let it rest in the freezer for a half hour before stuffing it into the casings.  And I took a small bnit and fried it up.  The texture and flavor are top-notch.  I'm really pleased with this batch.

The sausages are in the oven now, slowly roasting until thy reach an internal temperature of 155.  I'm expecting some really great sausage.  Here's the recipe:

Bratwurst

Ingredients:
    • 2 1/3 tsp. Dried Marjoram
    • 2 1/3 tsp. Caraway Seed
    • 2 1/31 tsp. Pepper
    • 11.5 cloves minced Garlic
    • ½ cup minced onion
    • 2 1/3 tbs. Kosher Salt
    • 1/2 tsp. Ginger
    • 1 1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
    • 1 1/4 tsp. Allspice
    • 1 ts. Dried Sage
    • 3.5 tbs. Morton Tenderquick
    • 4 lbs. Pork Shoulder
    • 1 lbs. Pork Fat
    • 2 lbs. Lean Beef Chuck
    • 1/2 cup Marsala Wine
    • 1 cup Ice Water
    • 1 cup heavy cream, very cold
    • Sausage Casings

Place the sausage casings into a bowl of tepid water.  Partially freeze meat.  Grind using coarsest grinding plate.  Add minced onion and garlic to meat.  Add wine and ice water.  Mix all of the herbs, and salts into the cream.  Stir to blend.  Let sit in fridge for 30 minutes to let the flavors permeate the cream.   Add the cream to the meat mixture. Kneed he flavored  cream into the ground meat.  

Run water through the casings to remove the salt.  Set up your meat grinder, or sausage stiffer to stuff the casings.  Stuff into prepared sausage casings/  Twist casings to form links.  Let dry in fridge for 1 hour.

Place links on rack over roasting pans and bake on rack at 200’ F until internal temp reaches 150’F.  Remove from oven and store in zipper bags in fridge or freezer.

Yeh, this one is a winner.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


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