10 Spice Polish Kielbasa

I'm not sure where I first came across this polish kielbasa recipe, but I've had it in my recipe book for years.

This is another favorite of mine for the holiday season. The 10 herbs and spices give it a special taste twist, and the smoker finishes it to perfection. It's a great addition to any collection of sausage making recipes.

This recipe calls for pork, but you could certainly use a combination of pork shoulder and beef chuck.

Recipe

5 lbs boneless pork shoulder

1 tablespoon granulated garlic

1 tablespoon fine ground black pepper

1 tablespoon pickling salt

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons paprika

1 teaspoon ground celery seed

1 teaspoon marjoram

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seed

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 level teaspoon Prague Powder #1 or Instacure #1

1 cup ice water

Trim the pork, cut it into 1 inch cubes, and grind it through the medium plate of your meat grinder.
Combine the spices and cure in a container and mix with the 1 cup of ice water.
Pour the spice and water combination into the ground pork and mix thoroughly for at least 2 minutes. Use your hands for mixing to assure even distribution.
Once the sausage is fully mixed, stuff it into casings and hang it to dry before taking it to the smoker. Follow the basic smoking procedures that you can find here.

Click Here for Smoking Directions

If you really want to give this sausage a festive flair, you can add 1 to 2 cups of chopped dried apples to the mix when you add the spices.

I have tried adding fresh apples too, but the dried have a much more assertive flavor, and I prefer them.

I prefer to stuff this recipe into 1 1/2 inch (38mm) natural hog or smoked collagen casings. The larger casings seem to work better for me in the smoker.

Make sure to cool the sausage in a cold water bath once the smoking is completed. Store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days or package and freeze.