Tag: pork
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.
Cottage Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
Cottage Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
This isn’t just your basic bacon wrapped asparagus. I’m not a fan of bundles of asparagus wrapped with a thin piece of bacon. I upped the meat to veggie ratio by using a single sheet of cottage bacon to wrap a single asparagus spear, parallel. Thicker asparagus spears work better than thin ones. They will only take 15 minutes in the oven for the bacon to cook through, still leaving the asparagus slightly al dente.
Equipment
- toothpicks
Ingredients
- 12 spears asparagus tough ends chopped off
- 12 slices cottage bacon thinly sliced
Instructions
- Wrap each spear of asparagus with a piece of cottage bacon, lengthwise. Secure in place with 2 toothpicks. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place on a rack on a baking pan lined in foil.
- Bake for 15 minutes until bacon is crispy.
Smoked Country Style Ribs
Smoked Country Style Ribs
So, let’s get this out of the way before we even talk about the recipe. Country style ribs aren’t ribs. Even more so, there’s no such thing as a boneless rib. Rib means bone. Then what is a country style rib? There are 2 types: loin ribs and shoulder ribs. Country style loin ribs come from the rib end of a bone in pork loin. When I was the Mad Butcher, I would cut 2” thick chops. Then, on the bandsaw, I’d cut through the bone across the center of the loin, leaving two rectangular chunks of pork with bone on it. Shoulder country style ribs come from the pork shoulder. You pretty much cut big rectangular pieces out of the shoulder. Why these 2 cuts are called ribs, I can’t answer that. Regardless, country style ribs are delicious smoked.I brined the ribs for a day. Then the ribs sat on a rack in the refrigerator for another day to form a pellicle. I threw them in my smoker at 250 degrees. They smoked for just over 2 hours. Remember, since these aren’t really ribs, but reshaped rib end pork chops, they don’t need to smoke the same way as you would with spare and baby back ribs. As with anything you smoke, let the ribs rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Equipment
- Electric Smoker
- Probe Thermometer
Ingredients
- 5 lbs bone in country style ribs
- 1/2 gallon water
- 1/2 cup sea salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 medium white onion chopped
- 3 green onions chopped
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
Wood Chips
- 1/2 hickory
- 1/2 applewood
Instructions
- Mix together the brining ingredients. Place the country style ribs in a gallon sized storage bag. Pour in the brine. Brine for 24 hours.
- Place the ribs on a rack and let dry out in the refrigerator for a day.
- Preheat the smoker to 250 degrees. Place the ribs in the smoker. Smoke for about 2 hours until the ribs internal temperature reads 150 degrees.
- Let the ribs rest for 15 minutes before serving.
