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Sausages · Polish

Smoked Kielbasa

Garlicky Polish-style smoked sausage with marjoram — great grilled, in soups, or with kraut.

Serves
20
Prep
1 hr
Cook
4 hr (smoke)
Storage
Freeze & reheat
Freezer
up to 3 months
Shared techniqueSausage-Making Basics

Classic garlic-and-marjoram Polish sausage. See sausage-making-basics.md for the full technique, cure rate, and smoke schedule.

Meat & Fat

  • 4 lb pork shoulder + 1 lb beef chuck (or all pork), for a medium grind

Cure & Seasoning

  • 1 level tsp cure #1
  • 2 tbsp kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp dried marjoram
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced (or 1 tbsp garlic powder)
  • 1 tsp mustard seed
  • ½ cup ice water

Method

  1. Grind the cold meat to a medium grind. Mix in the cure, salt, and seasonings with the ice water until tacky.
  2. Stuff into hog casings and twist into links or long U-shaped loops to hang.
  3. Form a pellicle, then smoke from 130°F stepping up to 170°F until the internal temp reaches 152°F.
  4. Ice-bath, bloom, and store.

Notes

Great grilled, simmered with sauerkraut, or sliced into the split pea soup. Marjoram is the signature flavor — don't skip it.

Equipment
grinderstuffersmokerhog casingsthermometer
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