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Tradition recovered
Oct. 17th, 2010 05:06 pmHomestyle kielbasa was a decades old tradition in Gary's family at Christmas. When I first was introduced, they were still doing it. By then, Gary did the shopping for the ingredients, usually pork butt roast which would be on sale in November and then he'd have the butcher grind it coarsely "for sausage." His grandmother (then about 90 years old) would season the meat with salt, garlic, marjoram, and mustard seed. It had to sit overnight in the refrigerator (making a great stink of garlic but they all loved it) and the next day we would go over there to stuff the sausage. Usually this meant having breakfast first. Then we'd set up the sausage stuffer (a hand crank meat grinder equipped with a sausage nozzle) and go to work. Grandma supervised, and she would soak and wash the casings, which are specially prepared pork intestines usually packed in salt. Gary's mom would load them onto the long nozzle of the stuffer, I would crank, and Gary would squish the seasoned, garlicky mixture into the hopper of the thing. Typically by then they'd do maybe 30 pounds a year, but Gary tells me they used to do 60 or more. Guiding the casing from the stuffer nozzle as it is suitably packed full is (or looks like) a skill for an experienced person, and his mom generally did that. She had to prick any air bubbles that formed, knot the ends of the slippery casings, and estimate the length of each pair of sausages so they would come out about the same.
After grandma passed away and mom was seriously affected by nervous tremors, we abandoned this arduous process. Some years Gary's adopted uncle would bring some of his own home made sausage over for Christmas dinner, but most years we made do with store bought. It's not the same, even I can tell.
While grandma was still living, I managed to learn how to make pierogi, pickled beets, and (at least in theory) paczki in her style. I never thought of trying to do the kielbasa because it was such a massive undertaking. This year we decided to give it a try. The recipe itself isn't too complex, though we're guessing at the proportions for the seasoning and may have to adjust after tasting. But yesterday we bought the stuff for a trial batch, just four pounds or so. Sausage casings have grown really expensive, we find, but you only need an ounce or two for a small amount like this. The butcher at our local supermarket was full of advice when he found out what we were doing. They make their own Italian sausage there, and it's actually quite good, so we got some casings from him and followed his instructions. Sure enough, it looks as if we've succeeded. I think Grandma Agnes would be proud of us.
We'll know better after dinner tonight. We intend to cook one, along with sauerkraut and baked squash.I'll let you know what Gary's rating is in my next post.
Actually I can tell you now. He says it's right, though the marjoram was just a bit heavy. I thought it was a bit dry but that's probably due to my having selected a roast that was unusually lean. Here's the adjusted recipe:
Basic Kielbasa
4 lbs. deboned pork butt, coarsely ground (include fat)
1 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sweet marjoram
1 Tbsp. whole mustard seed
4 large cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 cup ice water (approx.)
Do not trim too much fat before grinding the meat, or your final product may be tough and dry inside. You'll need about 2 oz. of hog casings to stuff this.
Combine all ingredients except ice water and work together to blend in seasonings. Stir in water to ease the consistency so it will go through the stuffer more easily. Optimum consistency depends on the stuffing tool used.
Cover and chill overnight to let flavors blend. Next day, set up sausage stuffer and rinse out casings in lukewarm water to remove salt from outside and inside. We found that 4 lbs. of meat filled about 8 feet of casing. Make links of whatever length you find practical. I recommend about a foot each, so a pair is a pound.
Traditionally these are hung in a cool dry place for a week or two to dry out and firm up, but we put pairs of sausages into quart freezer bags and freeze them at once.
To prepare: thaw sausage completely. Pierce each sausage in several places with skewer or needle so steam can escape. Drop into boiling water, and once it returns to a boil reduce heat to a simmer. Cook at simmer for about 45 minutes (longer at high altitudes.) Remove from water, cut into serving sized pieces (about 5 inches or so each) and spread on flat pan or oven dish. Bake in oven at 350F for 15 min. or so to brown outside. (You could also put them on a grill, or in a skillet.
Serve with horseradish, mustard, ketchup on the side. Sauerkraut optional. Family tradition offers these at Christmas eve and Easter, alongside mashed or sweet potatoes, pierogi, home baked bread, and various vegetable dishes.
After grandma passed away and mom was seriously affected by nervous tremors, we abandoned this arduous process. Some years Gary's adopted uncle would bring some of his own home made sausage over for Christmas dinner, but most years we made do with store bought. It's not the same, even I can tell.
While grandma was still living, I managed to learn how to make pierogi, pickled beets, and (at least in theory) paczki in her style. I never thought of trying to do the kielbasa because it was such a massive undertaking. This year we decided to give it a try. The recipe itself isn't too complex, though we're guessing at the proportions for the seasoning and may have to adjust after tasting. But yesterday we bought the stuff for a trial batch, just four pounds or so. Sausage casings have grown really expensive, we find, but you only need an ounce or two for a small amount like this. The butcher at our local supermarket was full of advice when he found out what we were doing. They make their own Italian sausage there, and it's actually quite good, so we got some casings from him and followed his instructions. Sure enough, it looks as if we've succeeded. I think Grandma Agnes would be proud of us.We'll know better after dinner tonight. We intend to cook one, along with sauerkraut and baked squash.
Actually I can tell you now. He says it's right, though the marjoram was just a bit heavy. I thought it was a bit dry but that's probably due to my having selected a roast that was unusually lean. Here's the adjusted recipe:
Basic Kielbasa
4 lbs. deboned pork butt, coarsely ground (include fat)
1 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sweet marjoram
1 Tbsp. whole mustard seed
4 large cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 cup ice water (approx.)
Do not trim too much fat before grinding the meat, or your final product may be tough and dry inside. You'll need about 2 oz. of hog casings to stuff this.
Combine all ingredients except ice water and work together to blend in seasonings. Stir in water to ease the consistency so it will go through the stuffer more easily. Optimum consistency depends on the stuffing tool used.
Cover and chill overnight to let flavors blend. Next day, set up sausage stuffer and rinse out casings in lukewarm water to remove salt from outside and inside. We found that 4 lbs. of meat filled about 8 feet of casing. Make links of whatever length you find practical. I recommend about a foot each, so a pair is a pound.
Traditionally these are hung in a cool dry place for a week or two to dry out and firm up, but we put pairs of sausages into quart freezer bags and freeze them at once.
To prepare: thaw sausage completely. Pierce each sausage in several places with skewer or needle so steam can escape. Drop into boiling water, and once it returns to a boil reduce heat to a simmer. Cook at simmer for about 45 minutes (longer at high altitudes.) Remove from water, cut into serving sized pieces (about 5 inches or so each) and spread on flat pan or oven dish. Bake in oven at 350F for 15 min. or so to brown outside. (You could also put them on a grill, or in a skillet.
Serve with horseradish, mustard, ketchup on the side. Sauerkraut optional. Family tradition offers these at Christmas eve and Easter, alongside mashed or sweet potatoes, pierogi, home baked bread, and various vegetable dishes.
