Cold smoked Szynkowa style Polish sausage started

[LanceR]

Hello All

We're starting to make a cold smoked Polish sausage with big chunks of pork like Szynkowa and would appreciate any input.  I think I'm on the right track but am willing to change my plan if  that's best.

I'm using 42mm and up hog casings from Syracuse Casings so I trimmed then cubed the pork butt at 3/4", applied salt and Cure #2 and have it resting while curing.  My basic plan it to leave the lean chunks whole and grind the fatter parts through a 1/8" plate and mix all the meat with the seasonings before stuffing.  The recipe I'm using is the cold smoked Polish smoked sausage from the Marianski's home meat and sausage book with the exception that I lowered the salt from 28g/kg to 20g/kg as we prefer less salt.  We're starting with 17 pounds (7.7 kg) of pork butt.

Per kilo of pork:

20 g salt

2.5 g Cure #2

2.0 g pepper

sugar 2.5 g

garlic 3.5 g

marjoram, dried 1.0 g

Linked in 24" links I suspect that I'll wind up at about 0.6 pounds/ft (0.9 kg/meter).  I intend to stuff it and and hang it in one of the extra fridges at 40 degrees for a couple of days to start drying and to be sure I've had enough time for curing.  I'll follow that with thin smoke for a day or so and let it rest and mellow before deciding if I want more smoke.  I plan to hang half of it to dry for a while and see how that works out.

I'll post Q-Vue as things develop.  Speaking of Q-Vue, we've been slacking up.  This week we finished 38 pounds of buckboard bacon and 13 pounds of brisket for pastrami.  We made an artisanal loaf of seeded rye bread today and had pastrami Rubens for dinner.  So, Q-Vue on all that tomorrow....

Thanks for looking and we hope you have a wonderful Christmas.

Lance and Nancy

 

[boykjo]

 

[DanMcG]

Sounds like a good plan to me, and i'm looking forward to the finished product.

 

[chef jimmyj]

I'm interested in this...Just curious...I don't have the book but, Marianski Polish Sausages, Authentic Recipes and Instructions, lists this as a Hot Smoked/Poached Sausage, page 144. Is this a twist you are trying? I have had this before, Kielbasa Szynkowa (Ham Sausage) and it is definitely cooked...JJ

 

[foamheart]

 no wimpy little boxes of popcorn here!

 

[tropics]

Lance I have the book Great Sausage and Meat Curing ( Rytek Kutas) page 232 has a recipe and uses cure #1

Richie

 

[dirtsailor2003]

I'll be hanging around to see how this goes.

 

[LanceR]

I referred to Szynkowa style sausage as I want to use large chunks for most of the meat.  The recipe I'm using is Marianski's cold smoked Polish sausage which is identical to their hot smoked sausage with the exception that the cold one uses Cure #2 while the hot one uses Cure #1.

I have a shot of a Szynkowa from European Specialties in Syracuse I'm modeling my sausage after (but with a larger casing).  If I can get close to that in a cold smoked Polish sausage Nancy and I will be very happy.  The stuff is pretty addictive.  Heck, most of their sausage is addictive.

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• LanceR
• Dec 24, 2015

I paid Syracuse Casings for a bundle of pre tubed 42mm and up casings on Monday and stopped in to pick them up Tuesday.  Yesterday I got another bundle in the mail.  I need to call them Monday and pay them for the second batch.  I now have enough 42mm casings to stuff around 400 pounds of sausage.  If anyone nearby wants some let me know.  Dan?

Well off to Wegman's for some last minute shopping.  I hope they have xanthan gum in stock.  I'm working up a gluten free shortbread recipe for my SIL and have been having trouble getting it to set up correctly.  Wish me luck as I'm hoping to take her some tomorrow.  Nancy has homemade dark chocolate ganache ready to dip some of it in if I can get my act together.....

Have a great Christmas.

Lance

 

[tropics]

Dan good luck that sausage looks great

Richie

 

[DanMcG]

European Specialties? first I heard of them, I'll have to check them out. Can't use the casing Lance I have the better part of a hank already, sorry.
Have a great Christmas.

 

[foamheart]

I use 46MM+ for my andouille, but I just got in a couple a hanks. Mine are not from Syracuse, nor preloaded, but salted. They last over 2 years in my project reefer when used and repacked in brine water. Yes I know, but its nice to know that the sheep last the same way too.....LOL

 

[LanceR]

I keep the pre tubed casings, both hog and sheep, in the salt they come in and put them in the coldest part of one of the fridges (the bottom rear on mine).  They have kept for at least a year and a half and I have used some two year old hog casings without problems. 

42mm and up is the biggest normally cataloged retail package at Syracuse Casings although I believe they have larger ones in the bulk packages (the 55 gallon barrel sizes..

Dan, European Specialties is in the Fairmount Plaza on Rt 5.

Lance

 

[LanceR]

Well, I finally got back to this.  When I last posted I had some butts in the fridge for this sausage but after starting to cut it up I realized it had way too much connective tissue for what  wanted so we turned it into almost 30 pounds of cheese brats.

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• LanceR
• Jan 7, 2016

That's a 7 inch boning knife and later on a full size sheet pan 2+ layers deep.

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• LanceR
• Jan 7, 2016

I was aiming for 4 ounces each.  I weighed 10 at random (but not the oddball ones from the end of the casings) and they came out around 4.125 ounces.  Maybe in another 6-7 pigs I'll have this down pat.  They are Syracuse Casings 32-34 mm hog casings.

Back to the Szynkowa style Polish sausage.....

So I got a 12.4 pound boneless loin from BJ's Wholesale (I should have stocked up when they were $1.49/lb for 2-3 weeks last month...) and after trimming the fat cap and any rougher parts I cut the fatty stuff for grinding and cut the lean to about 1/2" dice.  I'd have preferred 3/4" dice but until I get a bigger stuffer than the 5# LEM I'm limited by the largest tube on it.  I decided to not try using the grinder with a two hole kidney plate for fear I'd break up the chunks too much.  I was aiming for 70/30 lean to fat and wound up closer to 66/34 so I should be fine.

After dividing the Cure #2 I mixed it in really well and put both bowls in a warm fridge (38-40 degrees).  My best guess is that the fatty chunks need about 36 hours to cure and I'm deer hunting Saturday so Sunday I'll be grinding and stuffing.  Maybe stuff Monday if I hunt Sunday too.

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• LanceR
• Jan 7, 2016

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• LanceR
• Jan 7, 2016

Have a great weekend.

Lance

 

[crazymoon]

L, Looking real good and i'm in for your final results !

 

[LanceR]

I got back to the sausage today.  I ground the fatty stuff (3/16") combined the fatty stuff and lean chunks, added the salt and seasonings, mixed it all well and stuffed it.  Theses at 42mm and up hog casings from Syracuse Casings.  With water, salt and seasonings I suspect there was around 14 pounds to stuff.

The sausage on two pizza pans.  The long tails of casing are to tie in a loop to make it easier to hang the beginning and end of each bunch of links.

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• LanceR
• Jan 10, 2016

And linked.  The links are 12-13" and about 1 lb 3 oz each.

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• LanceR
• Jan 10, 2016

They are resting in the basement fridge until tomorrow.  It was 50 degrees at this afternoon but tomorrow will be in the 20s so I'll smoke them tomorrow.  I think I'll leave a link or two unsmoked and maybe hot smoke one or two and compared the results.  A small patty made with the bit of meat in the stuffed base and tube had great flavor and we really liked the texture with the chunks of meat.  The original recipe called for 28g of salt per kilo of meat which we knew was way saltier than we wanted.  I used 18g/kg and will still cut it back int he next batch.

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• LanceR
• Jan 10, 2016

Well, that's it for tonight.  I'll post back after it is smoked.  I notice Wegman's has butts for $0.99 this week so I think I'll get some while the getting is good.....

Lance

 

[DanMcG]

Looking good Lance!
DiggingDog told me about the sale so I picked up a couple of butts last week and made up some hot links. the quality was actually better then usual, or I just got lucky.

 

[LanceR]

Good deal, Dan.  We still need to get together sometime and run up a batch of emulsified sausages.  I want to try making a big batch of basic meat batter and then dividing it to make coneys, franks and hot dogs.  If that works out it will make for less work in the long run and the heart of the grilling season's not all that far off.

The polish sausage is headed into the smoker this afternoon.

Lance

 

[LanceR]

Got the sausage into the MES 40 yesterday and put 5 hours of light hickory smoke on it at about 50 degrees with the door latch hook unscrewed to leave a tiny gap the length of the door to allow for better airflow and drying.  After pulling the AMPS I left the sausage in the MES until dinnertime tonight.  It has lost some weight and is visibly shrunken.  I'd guess the total weight loss is 8-10%.

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• LanceR
• Jan 13, 2016

We grilled a link for dinner and served it with cheese pierogi, sauerkraut and good pumpernickel bread.  Very good flavor.  I used a boneless loin to get the lean meat for the chunks and didn't add any fat other than the thin fat cap on the loin.  I will add more fat next time as the texture was a bit drier than I wanted.  It'll sure be good on bread or crackers for snacks, too.

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• LanceR
• Jan 13, 2016

A neighbor dropped by with a big plate of assorted homemade cookies and 4 dozen eggs (she gets 30-36/day) which is good as our hens have slowed down some.  We sent her home with some sausage and a promise to bring her some dark chocolate mousse.

Thanks for looking.

Lance

 

[foamheart]

 
 We sent her home with some sausage and a promise to bring her some dark chocolate mousse.

Thanks for looking.

Lance

You'll find new neighbors and kin folks when the wind blows that smoke.....LOL  It means you are makin the good stuff!

Congrats.

I really missed the yard eggs, but I don't miss the chickens.

 

[LanceR]

 
You'll find new neighbors and kin folks when the wind blows that smoke.....LOL  It means you are makin the good stuff!

Congrats.

I really missed the yard eggs, but I don't miss the chickens.

She came from a mile upwind on a cold windy day.

We have 5 Silkies in the side yard more as pets than anything else and have 8 Buckeyes in a bigger pen, 7 of them layers.  Both pens are electro-net fence and get moved onto fresh pasture as needed.  I'm not building houses anymore and my office is at the farm so I'm around most of the time.  I take the dog out in the AM anyway so the dusk trip to close coops is really the only extra trip out.

Nancy thinks I'm nuts but I plan to add heritage breed geese and turkeys later this winter. 

Lance