Tradition recovered

[altivo]

Homestyle 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.

Comments

[hrrunka]

Definitely looks promising. :)

[altivo]

And definitely smells stinky enough. Can you tell I'm not a big garlic fan?

Rather than having the butcher grind the pork, I did it myself at home since we have a KitchenAid mixer with the suitable attachments. That was easy enough though a little messy. I let Gary estimate the seasoning, and he put in about twice the amount of garlic and mustard seed that I had expected. Four pounds of ground meat is small enough to fit easily into a Tupperware bowl with a snap on lid, unlike the huge turkey roasting pan full of pork that his grandmother used to season. They'd cover that with plastic wrap but the entire kitchen would reek of garlic for a day or two.

This morning Gary opened the refrigerator and said "Not enough garlic." I disagreed, and reminded him that it was better sealed than what he was accustomed to. Sure enough, when we got around to the stuffing step this afternoon, he popped the lid off the bowl and actually jumped back. "You were right," was all he said. Everything is cleaned up and put away now, with most of the sausage in the deep freeze and two remaining links in ziplock bags in the fridge (one for his mom to try and the one we'll try tonight.) The dishes are all washed, the counters cleaned. I just came in from feeding the horses, and I could smell the garlic even before opening the door.

[hrrunka]

Hmmm... Garlic overload... Hopefully it's not yet so cold that you can't keep the windows open for a bit?

[altivo]

It's getting pretty chilly at night. But I think things have cleared now that the meat is all packaged and frozen. ;p

[schnee]

Sure enough, it looks as if we've succeeded. I think Grandma Agnes would be proud of us.

I'm sure she would be. And good to hear it worked out; from the sound of this recipe, I think my father would really adore it. And I think I'd like it a lot, too! :)

[altivo]

It's not particularly difficult, you just need a way to stuff the sausage into the casings. Believe it or not, Grandma Agnes used to do it by hand, using just a long narrow funnel, and she would make 50 pounds at once.

[schnee]

*nodnods* It's amazing what people did by hand before kitchen appliances etc. existed.

[shadow_stallion]

*chuckles* You wouldn't fare too well around our place if you don't particularly like garlic. I think we use it in just about everything we cook. Of course it does help keep those pesky vampires away. ^.~

While I have never seen something exactly like this done it does remind of the days when my family would kill hogs and make sausage. While the end product is very tasty seeing and handling all that raw meat kind of turns me off of it for a while.

So...if they made 30 to 60 pounds or so at a time how did they store it or how do you store it for that matter? Now that has me thinking back to how my family stored it and I would swear they put it in the smokehouse but surely you just can't do that to raw meat? Ah well, I was all of maybe 6 or 7 at the time so my memory has faded a bit. :P

[altivo]

While the end product is very tasty seeing and handling all that raw meat kind of turns me off of it for a while.

Indeed, and it's this sort of thing that turned me toward vegetarianism long ago. I wouldn't bother, but we do things for love as I'm sure you know.

Storage: Raw pork prepared this way with no other additives should be frozen or cooked immediately. With some additional ingredients, however, and most notably an acid like vinegar or lemon juice, it could then be dried or smoked safely enough. Another possibility is a "curing" process such as hams and bacon undergo, whether smoked or not. Raw meat packed in what amounts to an airtight container is otherwise going to be subject to botulism development. Very nasty, possibly fatal, and guess what? The word "botulism" comes from the Latin word botulinum which means "sausage." So yes, care is needed. We pop them right in the freezer as soon as they're stuffed.

In the old days (1930s and 40s) I understand they used to hang the sausages up on a clothesline on the back porch of their building in Chicago. Keep in mind the fact that such porches were unheated and they usually made the sausage less than a month before Christmas, so it would sort of freeze dry out there. Mice could be a problem, though. ;p

Salmonella, another risk in handling meat like this, is largely prevented by drying, smoking, or freezing. E. coli contamination is not, but cleanliness takes care of that. Botulism is managed by the acid ingredients (why summer sausage and salami are sour) or by completely cooking the meat before eating.

Oh, and garlic is OK, but I use it in much more modest quantities. I believe it should be subtle, not overpowering.

[shadow_stallion]

Oh I like meat far too much to let the sight/smell of the raw stuff turn me away from it totally. :P

I knew you were a vegetarian or at least leaned that way. Is that you don't eat any meat or only certain kinds or only rarely? One of my local friends chooses to not eat red meat and I swear she is one of the more sickly people I know. Related? Probably not. I just find it somewhat amusing when people purport to have a healthy diet and then turn around and are always sick or sick looking.

[altivo]

I try to limit my meat intake, and especially meat from mammals. Fish and birds (well, domestic poultry anyway) I don't feel so much empathy for. I started college as a pre-veterinary student, and the freshman requirements for that included three courses on livestock management and meat production. We had to tour a small scale slaughterhouse operation (ewww!) and in the poultry course we had to kill and dress live birds. It was about then that I realized I'd not be eating meat if I had to actually kill the animal, therefore I probably shouldn't be eating the meat.

Since I do enjoy cooking, it didn't take me long to learn lots and lots of excellent recipes that don't require meat products. I never really gave up fish, eggs, or milk products though. Dropping dairy would be really difficult for me, even though I have lots of ethical justification for doing so.

[altivo]

Just realized that I failed to address the health question. Regardless of what your mom or grandmother may have said, meat is not essential to the healthy human diet. Even people who refuse all meat, dairy, and egg products do not have to develop malnutrition, and the dietary practices of traditionally vegetarian cultures (such as vast portions of India) have developed to meet those needs. Two or three eggs a week, or a daily small portion of milk or cheese will provide a normal adult's protein needs even more easily. Growing children may need more, but there's a reason that babies drink milk... Before the potato famine, many Irish adults lived almost entirely on potatoes and milk (and of course beer or whiskey when they could get it.)

We require a certain amount of protein, but that can be drawn from many vegetable sources such as legumes, grains, etc. There are some vitamins and trace elements that generally come from meat, but can be also taken from suitable plant sources. Some of the B vitamins, iron, and trace cobalt are the major ones I think. Yeast foods such as Vegemite or Marmite can supply most of this need, but most any fermented product like soy sauce, miso, or tempeh can also be more than adequate. Green vegetables have iron, sometimes very large amounts (spinach.)

Unhealthy vegetarians may have health problems unrelated to diet, or they may just not have the proper knowledge to balance their diet. The latter is likely if they grew up in a place like the US and have not studied on the subject. If they grew up in Japan or India, though, the traditional dietary elements take care of nutrition even if the meat is omitted. People who "hate vegetables," which is a claim I hear much too often these days, are likely to make very poor vegetarians. But I suppose this is obvious. ;D

[shadow_stallion]

Tivo I was just joking a little about one of my friends and their eating habits. :P

I know you don't have to have meat to be healthy but on the flip side of that you also don't have to avoid meat to be healthy too. Vegetarians can make a good case for why but it's probably never going to sway me to their side of the fence. I'm not going to be totally true to my equine nature and become a herbivore. ^.~

Having said that though....

If I had to actually kill the meat to be able to eat it then I would probably become a vegetarian. I'm not sure I could look an animal in the eyes and then have it for a meal. *shudders* I would not have fared well with that part of our past where people went out into the yard and grabbed a chicken for dinner.

*snicker* I probably should have also mentioned that my no red meat eating friend is a bit of a hypochondriac too I think so that plays into the being sickly equation.

[altivo]

Avoiding meat does reduce certain risks, such as cholesterol. Used to be it also reduced the likelihood of food poisoning (botulism, salmonella, E. coli) considerably, but more and more these days they are being found in vegetable foods as well. There's no magic bullet, though, you're right about that. XD

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

Oooo sausies!! *sits at the table all cute with a napkin around his neck* I'm sure Grandma Agnes would be proud of the effort and care you've taken into creating this traditional fare.

[altivo]

Actually, I think she'd say "Not enough salt" or "More garlic next time" or something like that.