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Polska Kielbasa
Polska Kielbasa
In Polish, kielbasa simply means “sausage.” What we consider to be kielbasa in America is called Polska Kielbasa wedzona in Poland. This particular version of polska kielbasa is very similar to the Polish government’s official recipe. Yes, Poland has an official recipe.There are a few things that make kielbasa, kielbasa. Kielbasa is always smoked; specifically with cherry wood. The only place you will find raw kielbasa is at a Polish deli in Poland. Kielbasa is usually around 70-80% pork, with the rest being beef. The main flavor profile of kielbasa comes from garlic and marjoram. Salt, sugar, and black pepper accent the sausage. Lastly, all kielbasa is cured using pink curing salts. This adds what I like to call “hamminess” to the sausage.Grind the meat on the fine grinding plate. Mix in all of the seasonings. Then mix in ice water to help the fat bind to the meat. Stuff through the stuffer using hog casings. Make each kielbasa about 18” long. Tie the ends of the casing together to make loop. Let dry in the refrigerator overnight before smoking.When ready to smoke, preheat the smoker to 250 degrees. Tie the kielbasa to the top rack with twine to allow them to hang. Place all of the kielbasa in the smoker. Let the wood chips ignite and smoke for 10 minutes. Then drop the heat down to 185 degrees. You will want to smoke the kielbasa low and slow so you don’t render out the fat. Repeat this process one more time. The kielbasa take about 3 hours to reach an internal temperature of 155 degrees. Once finished, place the kielbasa in an ice water bath to stop the cooking process. Drain the water, then let cool more in the refrigerator overnight. Kielbasa can be grilled, pan fried, and even broiled. They’re great sliced and sautéed with sauerkraut, served with a whole grain mustard. You can either wrap any extra kielbasa in freezer paper or even vacuum seal them down, storing in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Equipment
- grinder
- sausage stuffer
- Electric Smoker
- Probe Thermometer
Ingredients
- 4 lbs pork shoulder cubed
- 1 lb chuck cubed
- 2 tbsp sea salt
- 1 tsp pink curing salts
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp marjoram
- 2 tsp sugar
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 cup ice water
- pork casings
Wood Chips
- cherry wood
Instructions
- Grind the pork and beef with the fine grinding plate on your grinder.
- Thoroughly mix in by hand all of the dried spices. Then mix in the ice water. Put the sausage in the refrigerator until you are ready to stuff it.
- Pipe the sausage in the casings through the stuffer, making each kielbasa about 18” long. Tie the ends of the casings together to form a loop. Let your kielbasas dry out in the refrigerator overnight.
- Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees. When ready to smoke, tie your kielbasa to the top rack with twine so they can hang during the smoking process. Once all of the kielbasa are hung and the smoker is at 250 degrees, place them in the smoker. Let the wood chips get lit for 10 minutes, then turn the heat down to 185 degrees.
- Change out the wood chips every 90 minutes until the sausages reach an internal temperature of 155 degrees.
- When the kielbasa reach temp, cut them from the twine. Immediately place the kielbasa in an ice water bath to stop them from cooking.
- Drain the ice water. Let the kielbasa sit overnight in the refrigerator before use.
Lapu Lapu (Steamed Whole Strawberry Grouper)
Lapu Lapu (Steamed Whole Strawberry Grouper)
Lapu Lapu is a Filipino-style steamed whole grouper with a lemon ginger sauce poured over. This dish is extremely simple to prepare and even better to eat. I recently found whole frozen strawberry grouper at my local Asian market; all for around $10-$12 each. They do come uncleaned an unscaled, so that is something you will have to do at home. The grouper gets salted, then stuffed with lemon slices and ginger. Then you wrap it in foil and steam for about 25 minutes. While the fish is steaming, dissolve sugar into lemon juice in a small pot. Add in water, ginger, and lemon zest. Reduce for 5 minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened. Pour the sauce over the whole fish and garnish with cilantro. I served my fish with some asparagus that I threw in the steamer the last couple of minutes
Equipment
- bamboo steamer
- foil
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb strawberry grouper cleaned, scaled, and salted
- 3 slices lemon
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 tbsp ginger julienned
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
Garnish
- cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Stuff the fish cavity with lemon slices and 2 tbsp of julienned ginger.
- Wrap the fish in foil.
- Place the fish in a bamboo steamer.
- Steam for 25 minutes.
- While the fish is steaming, dissolve the sugar in the lemon juice in a small pot over medium heat.
- Pour in the water, lemon zest, and 1 tbsp of julienned ginger. Bring to a boil and reduce for 5 minutes.
Ginataang Mungo at Baboy (Pork and Mung Bean Stew)
Ginataang Mungo at Baboy (Pork and Mung Bean Stew)
Ginataang mungo at baboy is a mung bean stew with diced pork belly, spinach, and coconut milk. This stew is kind of the Filipino version of a split pea soup, just with a lot more going on. The stew is very comforting and creamy, especially on a cool day. If you want your pork to be a little leaner then belly, you can substitute cubes of pork shoulder.
Ingredients
- 1 cup mung beans
- 6 cups water
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 lb pork belly diced
- 2 roma tomatoes diced
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 1/2 cups coconut milk
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 bunch spinach
Instructions
- Bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Add in the mung beans. Cover. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 45 minutes.
- Turn off the heat. The mung beans should’ve split in half like split peas.
- Heat up cooking oil in a pot over medium high heat. Sauté the onions and garlic for 5 minutes.
- Add in the pork belly. Sauté for 7-8 minutes until browned.
- Add in the tomatoes and fish sauce. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Pour in the mung beans with all of the bean stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Add in the coconut milk, salt, and pepper. Continue simmering for 5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat. Stir in the spinach.
