Fresh Polish

[reinhard]

Right now we are having snow again but I'm ready for the summer, so I better get some fresh sausage ready as well.  I know most make brats for the grill and I do also at times but my family's favorite is fresh Polish.  Why? Well I just think it has more flavor, plus as usual, I do tweek the pre-made sausage seasonings I order.  Here is what I used:

1  pack of Curley's polish sausage seasoning [enough for 25 pounds]

5 cups of powdered milk

5 cups of cold water [or beer]

3  T of mustard seeds

4 heaping T of diced garlic [the kind in jars]  I dont use a measuring spoon.  I use a spoon that I use for eating soup.

9  pounds of beef chuck [or venison]

16 pounds of pork butt

I take the meat and grind it through a course plate.  Then I sprinkle the powdered milk over the meat along with the mustard seeds.  Then I put the seasoning and garlic in the water and mix it up well.  Pour that over the meat also. After mixing everything up good I grind everything up one more time through a medium plate.  Now I'm ready To stuff the mix into hog casings!!  Here are some pic's----Reinhard

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• reinhard
• Apr 16, 2014

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• reinhard
• Apr 16, 2014

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• reinhard
• Apr 16, 2014

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• reinhard
• Apr 16, 2014

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• reinhard
• Apr 16, 2014

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• reinhard
• Apr 16, 2014

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• reinhard
• Apr 16, 2014

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• reinhard
• Apr 16, 2014

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• reinhard
• Apr 16, 2014

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• reinhard
• Apr 16, 2014

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• reinhard
• Apr 16, 2014

 

[smoking b]

Your sausage looks good man! 

  That's a serious casing pricker you have there too! 

 

[snorkelinggirl]

Looks great, Reinhard!  Plump and delicious looking!  Do you poach your sausages in beer or water?  

There are few things more satisfying than a freezer full of homemade sausage.  A good day of work!!

Thanks for sharing,

Clarissa

 

[driedstick]

That looks Very Yummy bout lunch time here and you are killin me - Dang nab it!!!

 

[reinhard]

SnorkelingGirl,  I simmer the fresh polish in beer with some diced galic swimming around there as well.  I usualy use yellow onions all chopped up but was out of them when I made this batch.  So I used green onions I had and that worked out fine.  Thanks everyone for the good words.  Reinhard

 

[snorkelinggirl]

 
SnorkelingGirl,  I simmer the fresh polish in beer with some diced galic swimming around there as well.  I usualy use yellow onions all chopped up but was out of them when I made this batch.  So I used green onions I had and that worked out fine.  Thanks everyone for the good words.  Reinhard

Thanks, Reinhard!  I'll be poaching some homemade brats over the weekend, and will use this method on those as well.  Great thread, thanks again!

Clarissa

 

[fished]

Reinhard, your sausages look great.  I do have one question.  What is the purpose of the sausage pricker?  I would think you would want all of the juices to stay in the casings.

Thanks

Ed

 

[chef jimmyj]

They look good. All the extra ingredients you add are all there is in Fresh Polish with the exception of Salt, Black Pepper and Marjoram. I am thinking these are all you gain from the premix. Although I am sure there is most likely some Garlic Powder in the premix as well. My Grandfather would make 1 batch of Kielbasa mix, cure and all, then just reserve a portion to be sold fresh and smoke the rest. I have done the same lately. The cure gives the Fresh Kielbasa a nice color after simmering, usually with Sauerkraut, Onion and a Bay Leaf in water...JJ

 

[szynka]

Great looking sausage! And without a doubt tasty.  But calling it a "fresh Polish" is a real stretch.  I don't see anything here that resembles a Polish style kielbasa.

 

[foamheart]

Really nice looking Reinhard, Very impressive.

 

[leah elisheva]

So amazing! I'm just so impressed with how some of you make your own sausage even! Tremendous to see! Great job!! Cheers! - Leah

 

[reinhard]

Thanks everyone!

Fished [Ed]--the sausage pricker is for eliminating any air pockets in the links that may be there and has little effect on the juices in the links.  A corn cob holder works well also.

Chef--Ya, it's true about what's in the pre-mix seasonings, but I cant help myself with my tweeking addiction LOL.  Especialy extra garlic.

Szynka- Thanks, calling what I made "fresh polish" is not a stretch at all.  Fresh polish is sold in the markets around here as well as smoked.  Uncooked brats are called fresh brats when you buy them in a meat case.  There are fresh, cooked, and smoked brats sold. So it's no different than selling fresh polish.  There is one famous sausage place here in downtown Mpls, that sells all varieties of sausage fresh as well as smoked or cooked.  Fresh Hungarian [and smoked], fresh kielbasa [and smoked] and so on.   Reinhard

 

[chef willie]

Well Reinhard, another tasty looking batch of links from you. First, that's a sweet, well used looking grinder you got there. Second, I'm guessing the grille marks came after poaching (?) or were some just grilled....which leads to the ? of taste by just grilling as opposed to poach then grill. Third, and very important, is that side of veg on the plate. Looks delish...sautéed cabbages, onions & carrot perhaps? Give it up, dude....looks like something I could/would love......Willie

 

[reinhard]

Chef,  those are the grill marks after I poached or simmered in beer and onions.  The side there is a Asian Slaw I found and have been making instead of cole slaw. Here is the recipe:

Asian Slaw

1 bunch [6 large green onions as I call them [scallions}] trimmed and thinly sliced

2  16 oz bags coleslaw mix

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 T grated fresh ginger

2 T white vinegar

2 T dark brown sugar

2 tsp sesame oil

2 tsp sesame seeds

1 tsp salt

20 or so grinds of black pepper

Put everything in a large bowl and mix it up good.  I like to keep it in the fridge overnight with mixing it again a couple of times and then serve the next day.  Reinhard

 

[szynka]

 
Szynka- Thanks, calling what I made "fresh polish" is not a stretch at all.  Fresh polish is sold in the markets around here as well as smoked.  Uncooked brats are called fresh brats when you buy them in a meat case.  There are fresh, cooked, and smoked brats sold. So it's no different than selling fresh polish.  There is one famous sausage place here in downtown Mpls, that sells all varieties of sausage fresh as well as smoked or cooked.  Fresh Hungarian [and smoked], fresh kielbasa [and smoked] and so on.   Reinhard

Traditional fresh Polish sausage is all pork, and no true Polish sausage contains milk powder.

 

[mdboatbum]

 
Traditional fresh Polish sausage is all pork, and no true Polish sausage contains milk powder.

If we all only made the "traditional" recipes life would be pretty boring. Sausage by it's nature is a work in progress. If a farmer in Poland a few hundred years ago had a deer or elk hanging in the barn, do you think he'd say "Hmm, I was going to make sausage out of this, but the traditional recipe calls for pork only. I guess I'd better throw it away."  Not very likely.

The addition of milk powder is simply to prevent it from drying out. If you took that same farmer and handed him a couple cups of milk powder and told him it would make for juicier sausage, do you think he'd refuse on the grounds of it being non traditional? Again, not very likely.

Traditional, regional recipes came about because of what was available to the people at the time. Adding or substituting certain ingredients based on availability and an improvement to the texture and flavor, while still maintaining the overall character of the food in question is about as traditional as it gets.

 

[chef willie]

Chef,  those are the grill marks after I poached or simmered in beer and onions.  The side there is a Asian Slaw I found and have been making instead of cole slaw. Here is the recipe:





Asian Slaw





1 bunch [6 large green onions as I call them [scallions}] trimmed and thinly sliced



2  16 oz bags coleslaw mix



1 small red onion, thinly sliced



1/4 cup soy sauce



1/4 cup lemon juice



1/4 cup vegetable oil



2 T grated fresh ginger



2 T white vinegar



2 T dark brown sugar



2 tsp sesame oil



2 tsp sesame seeds



1 tsp salt



20 or so grinds of black pepper





Put everything in a large bowl and mix it up good.  I like to keep it in the fridge overnight with mixing it again a couple of times and then serve the next day.  Reinhard

Thanks...on my short list now

 

[chef jimmyj]

 
If we all only made the "traditional" recipes life would be pretty boring. Sausage by it's nature is a work in progress. If a farmer in Poland a few hundred years ago had a deer or elk hanging in the barn, do you think he'd say "Hmm, I was going to make sausage out of this, but the traditional recipe calls for pork only. I guess I'd better throw it away."  Not very likely.

The addition of milk powder is simply to prevent it from drying out. If you took that same farmer and handed him a couple cups of milk powder and told him it would make for juicier sausage, do you think he'd refuse on the grounds of it being non traditional? Again, not very likely.

Traditional, regional recipes came about because of what was available to the people at the time. Adding or substituting certain ingredients based on availability and an improvement to the texture and flavor, while still maintaining the overall character of the food in question is about as traditional as it gets.

Well said. We had a 1st generation American member that could trace his family heritage back 400 years to a small town in Western Poland, not far from the German border. Their Secret Family Recipe for Kielbasa was used with any meat available, Pork primarily, flavored with Onion, no Garlic, Marjoram and more Ground CLOVE than I thought was possible to eat without being Toxic! 

 He felt and was raised being told that it was a " Traditional Polish Sausage ". In fact it was, for "His" family and very possibly that town. Bottom line, traditional is whatever you have been raised on and although what is recognized by the majority of Polish Americans as traditional is a Polish Sausage made with Pork only, that concept is only the current trend. I venture a guess that Traditional Polish Sausage was made with Venison, Squirrel and/or Boar prior to the world wide domestication of Hogs...JJ

 

[szynka]

Look, I am not dumping on Reinhard's sausage, in fact it looks very good with well balanced ingredients.  And if you read my post correctly, you will see that I never stated that traditional sausage was made in Poland only with pork. My point was that the fresh style sausage Reinhard crafted does not resemble any that are properly called Polish sausage or Kiełbasa Polska, if you will.  A fresh sausage in Poland is called biała kiełbasa (white sausage) and the one that comes from Central Poland is generally regarded as Polska biała kiełbasa or Polish white sausage.  The latter is made with pork only.  This is not to say that fresh sausage is made in Poland with pork only.  In fact fresh, sausages are also made with the addition of beef, especially in Western Poland, but these are not called Polish sausages, but simply "white sausages".  And the addition of powdered milk is an American practice as is making sausage from squirrel meat. Language and terminology are there so that we can communicate properly.  Sure, you can stick a feather in your hat and call it macaroni, but it will probably raise some concerns among your friends and family.

 

[daveomak]

Costco make and sells a "Polish Sausage" that is all beef and is Kosher ...... I really like it..... and I made a Kielbasa using ingredients a friend sent me in the mail.... made it from 100% chuck..... It was the best Kielbasa I've had.... and I smoked it...... at least that's what I think and I'm leaning toward NOT change a thing in the recipe it was sooooo good to my tastes....
Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.....

Szynka...... share your recipes and take some pics of your sausage to share also.......

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• daveomak
• Apr 19, 2014

:yeahthat: and that's funny and I don't care who you are....