Anyone experienced with prasky?

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asuchy

Newbie
Original poster
Feb 13, 2017
8
10
Ohio
I have been looking for an actual recipe for polish prasky for some time. There seems to be a blackout on the internet and the only book I could find online that mentions it is sold out.... all I seem to find are the few places that produce it. It is pork and beef, salami sized and similar to a summer sausage or deli meatThumbs Up. I know it is mainly garlic and some caraway. Possibly other spices....any help would be much appreciated as far as ratios and method. Thanks! [emoji]128077[/emoji]
 
Thanks dan. That is really close but I think prasky is lighter so it may have more pork. It's also a less hard salami closer to chipped ham.
 
Thanks dan. That is really close but I think prasky is lighter so it may have more pork. It's also a less hard salami closer to chipped ham.
Are you looking for a Nudja type spreadable salami?
 
It's not listed in either of my Marianski books, and when I checked the Polish site forum for Wedliny Domowe, there are no listings or references there either...

This is probably a state side recipe with a Polish sounding name... if it's not listed on that website, or those books, it isn't an old Polish style of sausage, unless it's been called by another name.

My 2 cents.
 
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It's not listed in either of my Marianski books, and when I checked the Polish site forum for Wedliny Domowe, there are no listings or references there either...

This I should probably a state side recipe with a Polish sounding name... if it's not listed on that website, or those books, it isn't an old Polish style of sausage, unless it's been called by another name.

My 2 cents.
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Damn you …........... now I've got another recipe to research and experiment with.
I think Cranky's right, from what I can find, It seems to be a regional thing from the Chicago area.
Looking at two brands I found on the net, Bobak's and Daisy Brand they are both pork and beef, with the boback's mentioning the caraway flavor while the Daisy highlighting the garlic.
I can only imagine there's a different recipe for every sausage maker in Chicago so for you to make what you're looking for will take some trial and error.

Here's some info from their web sites,

Bobaks;

Ingredients;
Pork, Beef, Water, Salt, Corn Syrup, Potassium Lactate, Natural Flavors, Dextrose, Sodium Phosphates, Sodium Diacetate, Sodium Nitrite.
Description;
We took traditional sausage to a new level but kept it, well, traditional. Bobak's Praski Sausage is a pork and beef blend that is finely ground and mixed with mild spices that include a touch of caraway. Perfect sliced and on a sandwich or sliced on a deli tray for appetizers and snacks. Our Praski comes whole as in the picture, 5 lbs., to make sure it gets to you the absolute freshest way possible!

Daisy Brand;

Ingredients;
Pork, Beef, Water, Nonfat Dry Milk, Sodium Lactate, Salt, Flavorings, Sugar, Sodium Phosphates, Monosodium Glutamate, Sodium Erythorbate, Sodium Nitrite.

Description;
Prasky is another product unique to Chicago and Daisy Brand.  This is also one of our most popular products.  We grind lean pork and beef and blend it just right with our own special recipe of spices and seasonings.  The distinctive garlic flavor of this sausage is simply delicious!  Make yourself a sandwich on fresh rye bread with brown mustard and you’ll have everyone around you wishing they had your lunch!  Prasky is also a great snack to put out for parties on a deli platter with cheeses. 

I've been playing around with recipes with caraway lately so this one has my interest.

Hope this helps.
 
Thanks dan. That is really close but I think prasky is lighter so it may have more pork. It's also a less hard salami closer to chipped ham.

By lighter, are you talking about the color? If so it probably has a high fat content and maybe a higher percentage of pork, and the softer feel would be because they are cooked rather then dried..
 
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It is definitely a polish american thing but I grew up with it and so did my dad. I definitely would love to make myself....maybe a light smoked version too. Well I think I have enough info to go on. Looks like I have some experimenting to do! I'll let you know how it goes
 
It is definitely a polish american thing but I grew up with it and so did my dad. I definitely would love to make myself....maybe a light smoked version too. Well I think I have enough info to go on. Looks like I have some experimenting to do! I'll let you know how it goes
I beg to differ with you asuchy, but the Prasky, as you know it, is definitely not a "Polish-American" thing, it's "Czech-American", and mainly a Midwestern one at that.

The word "Prasky" is an American twist on the Czech word "Praski" which is slang for "Pražská", which translates to "Prague, the capitol city of the Czech Republic. Throughout the city, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of food stands bearing the sign "Pražská Klobása", or "Prague Sausage". In short, it's simple, straight forward street food, kind of like hot dog stands in some American cities such as New York City, Chicago, etc. All taste pretty similar, but with their individual subtle variations. As such, I doubt that a single defining formulation for the sausage exist.

The meat component is typically coarsely ground beef and pork with the heavy emphasis leaning on the pork. I've heard of ratios being of 70%/30% or 80%/20% for the pork to beef ratio, but I can't confirm that. Beyond that, garlic is a defining ingredient, but in various quantities depending upon the maker. In addition to salt and ground pepper (black or white), spices such as caraway, as well as paprika, are often included. To a much lesser degree, marjoram is sometimes substituted for the caraway. 

The introduction of Praski to America is generally attributed to a small group of Czechs who immigrated to America in the 1920s, and settled on the South side of Chicago. Wanting to replicate the sausages that they loved in their home land, they developed a formulation for Praski, as well as some other Eastern European ethnic sausages, and founded a small processing company known as Crawford sausage Company.  Their products were, and still are, marketed under the name "Daisy Brand" as in the term of their motto, "As fresh as a daisy."

The popularity of Crawford's Praski grew rapidly and other local immigrant sausage makers such as Bobak's, etc. started selling their own version of the sausage. Over time, the popularity spread to other areas in the Midwest and local makers responded with their version.

Good luck in your quest, and I hope you find a formulation that matches what you're seeking. 
 
I beg to differ with you asuchy, but the Prasky, as you know it, is definitely not a "Polish-American" thing, it's "Czech-American", and mainly a Midwestern one at that.

The word "Prasky" is an American twist on the Czech word "Praski" which is slang for "Pražská", which translates to "Prague, the capitol city of the Czech Republic. Throughout the city, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of food stands bearing the sign "Pražská Klobása", or "Prague Sausage". In short, it's simple, straight forward street food, kind of like hot dog stands in some American cities such as New York City, Chicago, etc. All taste pretty similar, but with their individual subtle variations. As such, I doubt that a single defining formulation for the sausage exist.

The meat component is typically coarsely ground beef and pork with the heavy emphasis leaning on the pork. I've heard of ratios being of 70%/30% or 80%/20% for the pork to beef ratio, but I can't confirm that. Beyond that, garlic is a defining ingredient, but in various quantities depending upon the maker. In addition to salt and ground pepper (black or white), spices such as caraway, as well as paprika, are often included. To a much lesser degree, marjoram is sometimes substituted for the caraway. 

The introduction of Praski to America is generally attributed to a small group of Czechs who immigrated to America in the 1920s, and settled on the South side of Chicago. Wanting to replicate the sausages that they loved in their home land, they developed a formulation for Praski, as well as some other Eastern European ethnic sausages, and founded a small processing company known as Crawford sausage Company.  Their products were, and still are, marketed under the name "Daisy Brand" as in the term of their motto, "As fresh as a daisy."

The popularity of Crawford's Praski grew rapidly and other local immigrant sausage makers such as Bobak's, etc. started selling their own version of the sausage. Over time, the popularity spread to other areas in the Midwest and local makers responded with their


Thank you for the schooling, I appreciate it! I am part Czech so that is great to know. I am close to Cleveland and my dad grew up there. He remembers local butchers having their own unique versions of it like you said. Sadly those days are gone. Most butchers left don't offer very many unique recipes. That is why daisy and boback are among the few that produce it. As a chef I want to try to bring back old ways and recipes. I am experimenting right now with a batch. So far the test tastes good. The only way to know for sure is after it is all cooked and rests. I will post my recipe in the next day as soon as it's finished!
 
I don't know what I just did there but I hope you all get the idea...kind of bitched that up
 
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