Homemade Kielbasa Food

KIELBASA, HOMEMADE KIELBASA, FRESH POLISH SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Put the garlic through a garlic press or mince really fine. Put the seasonings into a small pot with a pint of water. Boil and then cool. Here's where my Mom always said taste it and I wouldn't. That could account for the variance in taste from year to year!
• Meanwhile, cut the pork off the bone. Cut into strips maybe 1" by 3". Doesn't have to be exact size, we get pretty sloppy with it. Strips go through the grinder better than chunks. Don't trim anything off, unless you just can't stand not to. Trust me, if there's not enough fat, the kielbasa will be dry and hard. DO trim off any bloody-type stuff though. We then put the meat into plastic dishpans, pour the cool liquid over, add about 4 cups ice cubes and mix together until your hands freeze. It should be kinda sloppy. If not, add more water or ice. Cover with aluminum foil or such and put in fridge over night to marinate so the meat soaks up the flavor. Stir occasionally. The ice will probably all be melted the next day before you make the sausage. The meat kind of absorbs the flavors. Yes, it will smell up the fridge. In fact, it will smell up the whole house! Open the windows. Make the neighbors crazy!
• Next day, take the casings out and soak in warm water for several hours; it makes them more flexible. Cut in 4 ft. lengths. Shove the meat in the freezer for 1/2 to 1 hour before you start. The meat stiffens up a little and it's easier to put through the grinder. (We forget to do this a lot!) Stick one end of each casing on the faucet and run warm water through the inside of the casing.
• Ready? (Keep everything as cold as you can) This is the fun part. Put a little oil on your hand and run it over the horn where the meat will come out. Run casing through fingers to drain slightly. Put a casing on the horn. One person helps push the meat through the grinder while the other holds the casing while it is filling up. It kinda curls up as you hold it. I find for me that it's better if I hold it up while it's filling, less pressure on the casing. We make each one about 12-16". Or until it splits! Tie it off with string or knot the end if you can get it close to the end of the filled casing. Some people twist it every 6" or so to make smaller sausages. If the darn thing splits, you gotta scrape out the meat, dump it back with the other stuff in the dishpan and start over. Some years you're lucky, but some years the darn things split all the time. That's one reason for soaking the casings for a longer time, they don't split as easily. Sometimes it's just a bad batch of casings. Then all you can do is swear at it.
• We put the coils of sausage back into clean dishpans (on a rack if possible) and put back into fridge to kinda dry overnight. Then we pack them in Saran, aluminum foil, ziplock bags, anything that will keep the smell in, and put the packages in the freezer. We make 2-3 lb. packages. Since I have a vacuum sealer, I use that. It works really great.
• By the way, the sausage is pale because it is not smoked. We don't care for smoked kielbasa. But you can smoke it before freezing. Can't help you with that, though!
• We've been able to keep the sausage frozen for months. Just keep everything cold and clean while you're working. Keep a lot of paper towels handy to dry hands, answer the doggone telephone, etc.
• We have found over the years, that pork has become much leaner now.That is sometimes a problem. We've considered buying more fat and mixing it in but never have. It worked out all right just not cutting off any fat. But insufficient fat makes for dry sausage.
• It takes up about 1-1/2 hours altogether to fill the casings. It's really simple and easy. Of course sometimes we have splashes on the walls when "someone" gets a little rough pushing the meat through the grinder. Hey, that's the fun of it. It's a messy job, but someone has to do it.
• Oh yeah, the house smells for 3-4 days. But it smells good. If you like garlic. All the seasonings are to your personal taste. You really need a lot of salt though. The pepper -- eh, how much do you like? We like a lot. Same with the garlic.
• We keep a little of the ground meat and cook a couple of small patties of the sausage. That's when you can taste it and find out what you did wrong in the seasoning, too late, of course.
• Use the plate in the grinder which grinds the meat coarse. It's better if the meat is a little chunky. You don't want a mealy texture.
• If you run a search on google, you can find other information under kielbasa.
• One recipe I found says to knead meat and seasonings. Supposedly the more you knead, the more tender the sausage. We've never tried that.
• In recent years, we've set aside 3-4 lbs. of the ground sausage meat and made it into small patties like breakfast sausage, and larger patties like hamburgers. The grandkids really like that. We do, too. But for Easter and Christmas, it has to be the links.

KIELBASA, HOW TO COOK FRESH HOMEMADE KIELBASA

Steps:

• If the kielbasa is frozen, thaw it a little. Place fresh kielbasa in pot with 1 quartered onion, several peppercorns, garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon marjoram (optional) and half a bay leaf. The addition of spices helps replace the seasoning that boils out during cooking.
• Add enough boiling water to cover.
• Cover and simmer on very LOW heat for about 50-60 minutes. Too rapid boiling may cause the sausage to burst. DO NOT prick sausages; they become dry. Let cool in cooking liquid.
• Sausage comes out moist and delicious, but not brown.
• Can be frozen after cooking. Wrap very well. Vac seal if you can.

FRESH HOMEMADE KIELBASA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix all ingredients (including 2 cups warm water) until well blended.
• Soak casings in 6 cups warm water.
• Using about one foot of casing for one pound of meat mixture, stuff the casings.
• Keep unused casings wet while working, if they start to dry out, they will tear.
• Use in your favorite kielbasa recipes.
• Kielbasa can be frozen for later use.

HOMEMADE POLISH SAUSAGE (KIELBASA)

Steps:

• Soak casings in warm water.
• Using a coarse disk, grind meats and fat together.
• Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
• Stuff the casings, creating 18-24 inch links.
• Allow to dry 3-4 hours in a cool place or refrigerate uncovered for 24 hours.

QUICK SKILLET KIELBASA PORK AND BEANS

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler to high with a rack set 2-inches from the heat source.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the kielbasa rounds, cut-side down, and cook until browned, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook for 1 minute more. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Cook the remaining rounds until both sides are browned. Add to the plate. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion, and cook, stirring, until soft and slightly browned, about 5 minutes.
• Add the tomato paste, brown sugar, vinegar, and chipotle to the onion. Pour half a can of beans (including the bean liquid) into the skillet and mash with a fork until creamy. Then add the rest of the beans (including the bean liquid), the cooked kielbasa, 1/2 cup water, 1 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Simmer until thick and creamy, about 20 minutes.
• Toss the hot dog bun cubes with the melted butter on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil until toasted and browned, flipping occasionally, about 2 minutes.
• Divide the kielbasa and beans among 4 bowls. Top evenly with the hot dog bun croutons and pickle relish.

KIELBASA

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, add the pork, beef and pork fat. In a small mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients together. Mix well. Toss the meat with the seasoning blend and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours. Grind the meat twice in a meat grinder fitted with a 1/2-inch die. A food processor could also be used. Stuff the ground mixture into the casings to form 12-inch links. Prepare the smoker. Place the sausages in the smoker and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove and cool completely. Prepare the steamer. Place the sausages in the steamer and cook for 10 minutes. Remove and cool completely. Place the sausage back in the smoker and continue to smoke for 10 minutes. Remove and cool completely.

EASY KIELBASA SKILLET DINNER

Steps:

• Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-low heat. Cook and stir onion in the hot skillet until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add kielbasa; fry until sausage is lightly browned, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes more.
• Stir broccoli and potatoes into sausage mixture; season with salt and pepper. Cook, without stirring, until broccoli begins to soften, about 15 minutes. Stir mixture and continue to cook until vegetables are completely tender, 10 to 15 minutes more.

KIELBASA WITH PEPPERS AND POTATOES

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Place kielbasa and potatoes in the saucepan. Cover, and cook 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender.
• Mix red bell pepper and yellow bell pepper into the saucepan, and continue cooking 5 minutes, until peppers are just tender.

KIELBASA APPETIZERS

Steps:

• Combine the beer, barbecue sauce, brown sugar, and Dijon mustard in a large skillet over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally; reduce heat to low and add the kielbasa. Simmer until kielbasa is browned and glazed, about 1 hour.

KIELBASA

Steps:

• Note: Follow the written recipe for meat and ingredient measurements. Combine beef and pork fat in a stand mixture until it's homogenized and "tacky", about 2 minutes. Season the meat with salt, pepper, mustard powder, pink salt, garlic powder, milk powder and dextrose. Continue mixing on low speed until combined. Do not to overmix as it could result in rubbery texture. Refrigerate until ready to stuff the sausage.
• Set up the sausage stuffing attachment on a stand mixer. Place the beef casing over the nozzle, then cut and tie the end. Slowly feed the sausage through the attachment using gentle pressure to force it into the casing. To avoid air bubbles, pierce the casing as needed. When the sausage is formed, cut and tie the other end, then use the crease to twist into 6-inch links. Let the sausage air dry in the refrigerator while you get the poaching liquid ready.
• Prepare the poaching liquid by placing water in a large pot and heating it to 165 degrees F. Place sausage in the pot, turn off the heat and place the lid on and let it adjust to the sausage being added, 1 minute. Then, check the temperature again so it remains at 165 degrees. Continue poaching for 9-10 minutes until the internal sausage temperature is 160 degrees F. Take the sausage out and air dry in the refrigerator.
• After the sausages have cooled and the skin has air-dried, they can be browned in a skillet. Place olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and sear on all sides, 1-2 minutes. Once sausage is light brown, cover to heat through.
• For the sauerkraut: Remove sausage and serve with sauerkraut. Place the strips of cabbage in a large bowl and toss with the salt and toasted caraway. Massage the cabbage until it releases some of its liquid. Add the vinegar, and press the cabbage down in the bowl until liquid covers it. Place a plate over the cabbage to keep it submerged in the liquid. Refrigerate and allow to rest for 24 hours before serving.

KIELBASA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine pork, beef and garlic. In a separate bowl, stir together black pepper, salt, brown sugar, ground allspice, marjoram and liquid smoke. Combine mixtures and knead with hands to combine.
• Fill casings with meat mixture and refrigerate overnight. Boil or grill before serving.

ROASTED KIELBASA & VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Divide sweet potatoes, onion and carrots between 2 greased 15x10x1-in. baking pans. Drizzle with oil; toss to coat. Roast 25 minutes, stirring occasionally., Add kielbasa, squash and zucchini to pans; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until vegetables are tender, 15-20 minutes longer. Transfer to a serving bowl; toss to combine. If desired, serve with mustard.