Ok.... I know this is a smoking forum, but......

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mowin

Master of the Pit
Original poster
May 30, 2015
1,220
246
upstate ny
Being half polish. Ok.. maybe "slightly" more than half.. lol. I'm looking for the BEST fresh kielbasa recipe's from my SMF family.

I like smoked kielbasa, but I love a true old country pollock fresh kielbasa. Moms parents immigrated from Poland, and Mom told me yrs ago, that the smoked recipe was different from the fresh. However, I cant find any recipes to substantiate what she told me..
When we were kids in Ohio, she used to get fresh kielbasa every spring from a local polish butcher that came from the same village as my grandparents. Loved the taste and texture of that sausage. Would love to get close to that wonderful memory.
 
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Being half polish. Ok.. maybe "slightly" more than half.. lol. I'm looking for the BEST fresh kielbasa recipe's from my SMF family.

I like smoked kielbasa, but I love a true old country pollock fresh kielbasa. Moms parents immigrated from Poland, and Mom told me yrs ago, that the smoked recipe was different from the fresh. However, I cant find any recipes to substantiate what she told me..
When we were kids in Ohio, she used to get fresh kielbasa every spring from a local polish butcher that came from the same village as my grandparents. Loved the taste and texture of that sausage. Would love to get close to that wonderful memory.

I too have searched and searched. Recently, I started using the leggs fresh kielbasa seasoning that I picked up at a local butcher one day when I was feeling lazy. This stuff makes the closest thing to the fresh sausage of my youth. In one batch I even added a little cure #1 and smoked. It was excellent too!
 
Have you tried a smoked sausage recipe without adding the cure and smoke?

What do you remember about the predominate flavor?

Also what part of Poland are your Grandparents from?

Here's a site that might help ya with your quest;
http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/index.php
 
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mowin here ya go I go to the Polish Butchers and ask for fresh.I get the Deer in the head light stare.So I make my own

     Kielbasa 5Lb. Mix

 1 1/2   Tbsp. salt

 1/2 Tbsp. sugar

 1 Lrg. clove garlic ( 1 Tbsp granulated )

 1/2 Tbsp. black pepper

 1 Tbsp. marjoram

 8 oz. ice water

 5 lbs ground pork.

This a basic recipe I don't really measure,so adjust to your taste this should come close.Garlic is the hardest part to get right LOL. You can make a pound of this and fry it before going all out stuffing casings.

Richie
 
I'm in...ask your mother for the recipe?

I would need a wee-jee board.

Have you tried a smoked sausage recipe without adding the cure and smoke?

What do you remember about the predominate flavor?

Also what part of Poland are your Grandparents from?

Here's a site that might help ya with your quest;
http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/index.php

Gosh this was back in the 70's. Definitely garlic, but the pork itself was upfront.

Don't remember the village, they were actually Lithuanian.

mowin here ya go I go to the Polish Butchers and ask for fresh.I get the Deer in the head light stare.So I make my own


     Kielbasa 5Lb. Mix
 1 1/2   Tbsp. salt
 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
 1 Lrg. clove garlic ( 1 Tbsp granulated )
 1/2 Tbsp. black pepper
 1 Tbsp. marjoram
 8 oz. ice water
 5 lbs ground pork.

This a basic recipe I don't really measure,so adjust to your taste this should come close.Garlic is the hardest part to get right LOL. You can make a pound of this and fry it before going all out stuffing casings.
Richie

Thanks, Richie. I will definitely try this. What size grinder plate do you use? Kinda remember a more coarsely ground mixture.
 
I would need a wee-jee board.

Gosh this was back in the 70's. Definitely garlic, but the pork itself was upfront.

Don't remember the village, they were actually Lithuanian.
Thanks, Richie. I will definitely try this. What size grinder plate do you use? Kinda remember a more coarsely ground mixture.
most time I use the medium 

Richie
 
My paternal Grandparents emmigrated in early 1900's from Krakow. My maternal Grandparents from Gdansk. Both families made Kielbasa. My paternal family has been Butchers for as many generations as anyone can remember. My Dad frequently spoke of making one 500lb recipe, cure and all, 75% was smoked and the remaining sold as fresh in the families 3 stores. Of course there are regional variation and I am sure small batch production may leave out the cure. But It sure saves time in large scale production to measure all the ingredients once and just separate that dedicated for Fresh. The addition of the Cure increases the shelf life of the raw pork so it makes good bizness sense to add it. I suspect if your Mom bought from a Butcher that produced any kind of volume, there was Cure in it even though not smoked. As far as Fresh Kielbasa being different from Smoked. I have been told by a trusted Polish friend that it is not uncommon in various recipes to include Marjoram in Fresh Kielbasa but leave it out of the Smoked Style, using only Salt, Pepper and Garlic. While I love Fresh Kielbasa, my Polish Wife is not crazy about it so I too only make One batch and separate out a few pounds for me...
biggrin.gif
 

Looking at Lithuanian Kielbasa Recipes, you will see the addition of Allspice and sometime Mustard Seed and go light on Garlic. This too may be responsible for the different taste your Mom remembered...JJ
 
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My paternal Grandparents emmigrated in early 1900's from Krakow. My maternal Grandparents from Gdansk. Both families made Kielbasa. My paternal family has been Butchers for as many generations as anyone can remember. My Dad frequently spoke of making one 500lb recipe, cure and all, 75% was smoked and the remaining sold as fresh in the families 3 stores. Of course there are regional variation and I am sure small batch production may leave out the cure. But It sure saves time in large scale production to measure all the ingredients once and just separate that dedicated for Fresh. The addition of the Cure increases the shelf life of the raw pork so it makes good bizness sense to add it. I suspect if your Mom bought from a Butcher that produced any kind of volume, there was Cure in it even though not smoked. As far as Fresh Kielbasa being different from Smoked. I have been told by a trusted Polish friend that it is not uncommon in various recipes to include Marjoram in Fresh Kielbasa but leave it out of the Smoked Style, using only Salt, Pepper and Garlic. While I love Fresh Kielbasa, my Polish Wife is not crazy about it so I too only make One batch and separate out a few pounds for me...:biggrin:  

Looking at Lithuanian Kielbasa Recipes, you will see the addition of Allspice and sometime Mustard Seed and go light on Garlic. This too may be responsible for the different taste your Mom remembered...JJ

JJ. This is great info. Unfortunately, I was 2 yrs old (early67) when my grandmother passed. Grandfather passed in '57. I do remember mom saying her parents came to America in 1901.
If you can PM me a recipe, I will promise to try it, and let you know if it jogs some taste buds...Thumbs Up
 
Sent...Anybody else see this thread... http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/129813/kielbasa-start-to-finish-for-chef-jimmy  It is extremely close to what my family made and the only recipe I use now but add .5g per Kg meat of Marjoram. Dad was even impressed!...JJ

Great link. And some awesome looking kielbasa.

Always looking for a good Kielbasa recipe. Thanks for the thread, mowin!

Dan

:points1:

Dan, I'll take a point anyway I can get 'em..lol. thanks. Thumbs Up
 
Wow this turned into one awesome informational thread, good stuff on here, definitely gunnar try some of these recipes, mowin mowin definitely wanna see some pics of how they come out.
 
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