Looking For Lukainka (French Basque?) Sausage Recipe

[thirdeye]

Okay everyone, I've gotten some new information confirming the ingredients in the local recipes I have sampled. Between my taste and the information Dan got from the Basque Club the ingredients include: salt, black pepper, garlic and red pepper. The person I talked to confirmed those and added "a little parsley, and a very small amount of sugar". The flecks in the raw sausage photo (in my page 1 post) are obviously the parsley and some could be red pepper as I can see some flecks of it after cooking.

Based on that.... I've put together the recipe below. I'm trying to follow some amount guidelines, and I like adding some white pepper to sausages. I'm not sure if I want to lower the black pepper amount. Anyways, how does this look to everyone? I'll probably make a 1.5 to 2 pound batch the next time I'm grinding pork, but I'm open to comments. In the meantime I think I'll order some of the French Basque spice to try as well.

Lukainka - Version 1
1000g - ground pork butt
15g - salt - (1.5%)
2g - black pepper - (0.2%)
1g - white pepper - (0.1%)
3.5g - Minced garlic - (0.35%)
0.5g - sugar - (0.05%) OMITTED in Version 2
0.5g - crushed red pepper (0.05%)
0.25g - dried parsley - (0.025%) EDITED in Version 2

EDIT - Lukainka Version 2 is below

 

[chef jimmyj]

For the future. A Link for CHORICERO Chiles, common in Basque Food...JJ

searchresults

Online supplier of bulk spices, chiles and seasoning blends to food service companies including shops, restaurants, and food manufacturers.

www.spicesinc.com

 

[thirdeye]

Today I did two test cooks using Version 1 of this recipe as a starting point. I basically did a side-by side taste test with some commercially made Lukainka. The commercial sausage was much higher in fat, I'm guessing 30+% (on the left) and a bit more salty than mine.

Other than that.... the flavor profile was similar enough for me to call this recipe a keeper for now. The amount of sugar was so low, I decided not to include it. On a personal note, I did increase the minced garlic on round two to .5%, but we generally bump the amount of garlic in most published recipes. The next step will to make a larger batch and distribute to 4 or 5 home sausage makers I know and wait for their feedback. I'm also going to order some of the French Basque red pepper to try out.

Lukainka - Version 2
1000g - ground pork butt
15g - salt - (1.5%)
2g - black pepper - (0.2%)
1g - white pepper - (0.1%)
3.5g - Minced garlic - (0.35%) Note: use 5g if you really like garlic (.5%)
0.5g - crushed red pepper (0.05%)
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley

 

[DanMcG]

I'm interested in what the others think.
That store bought stuff is crazy pale.

 

[chopsaw]

I was just reading this , looks like alot of fat in the store bought .

 

[chef jimmyj]

The Whole Chiles freeze very well and purchasing larger amounts is a much better value.
Swap Marjoram for Parsley and you have a Spicy version of White Kielbasa.
Your recipe sounds really good! Just the flavor profile I enjoy...JJ

 

[thirdeye]

The Whole Chiles freeze very well and purchasing larger amounts is a much better value.
Swap Marjoram for Parsley and you have a Spicy version of White Kielbasa.
Your recipe sounds really good! Just the flavor profile I enjoy...JJ

There is something special about those custom chile powder blends, in all kinds of dishes, some taste dull from the package.... but are tasty at the end. It's funny you mentioned marjoram, because this recipe is basically a Polish sausage, and if you dropped the marjoram and picked up the red pepper, it would fit the profile of this sausage.

 

[DanMcG]

I'm also going to order some of the French Basque red pepper to try out.

I ordered some after you started this thread, I really like it, and I'll be making some of your recipe once you get it nailed down.

 

[HalfSmoked]

Looks like you have about master the deal. Hope it all passes the test group.

Warren

 

[thirdeye]

Lukainka - Version 3

I'm through with two more rounds of taste testing and can now bring everyone up to date. After version 2 most thought the red pepper needed a bump so I increased that. In the meantime I had ordered some Piment d'Ville from the grower in California (they can't call it Piment d'Espelette as that must come from the French Basque region) which I really liked, the flavor is like nothing I've had before, but the flavor is very delicate and the heat is quite mild. It could easily be a table spice to replace black pepper. They sell a smokey version and a more spicy version. I did try a couple of pounds of sausage using .25%, (a healthy dose), and it did darken the color (much like a paprika would), but the three other peppers in the sausage masked the Piment d'Ville, so I'm reserving it for other things. It's really good on eggs, avocados and I want to try some in lamb sausage or on a grilled chicken and lamb. Anyway, version 3 is below, which has a tick more crushed red pepper. For reference I also put Versions 1 and 2 below.


Lukainka - Version 3
1000g - ground pork butt
15g - salt - (1.5%)
2g - black pepper - (0.2%)
1g - white pepper - (0.1%)
3.5g - Minced garlic - (0.35%) - Note: use 5g if you really like garlic (.5%)
0.7g - crushed red pepper (0.07%) -
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley (or just eyeball the amount)
=====================================
Lukainka - Version 2
1000g - ground pork butt
15g - salt - (1.5%)
2g - black pepper - (0.2%)
1g - white pepper - (0.1%)
3.5g - Minced garlic - (0.35%) Note: use 5g if you really like garlic (.5%)
0.5g - crushed red pepper (0.05%)
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley (or just eyeball the amount)
=====================================
Lukainka - Version 1
1000g - ground pork butt
15g - salt - (1.5%)
2g - black pepper - (0.2%)
1g - white pepper - (0.1%)
3.5g - Minced garlic - (0.35%)
0.5g - sugar - (0.05%) OMITTED in Version 2
0.5g - crushed red pepper (0.05%)
0.25g - dried parsley - (0.025%) EDITED in Version 2

 

[DanMcG]

Thanks for your testing, do you think this will be the final recipe?

 

[thirdeye]

Thanks for your testing, do you think this will be the final recipe?

Yep, I do. and for a few reasons..... Like many of the "country" or "farm" sausage recipes, the balance of flavors and simplicity of it makes it a good candidate for bulk or stuffed into links. In addition to links, it's really good for making a sausage sandwich, and works okay for breakfast. With the exception of garlic, which I will use the 0.5% amount, everything else pretty much follows the standard guidelines for flavorings. All that said, the optional ingredients I could see working would be: thyme, basil, ginger and onion.

 

[DanMcG]

but the three other peppers in the sausage masked the Piment d'Ville, so I'm reserving it for other things

Did you consider replacing the hot pepper flakes with the piment d'ville? I bought some Piment d'Espelette and would like to make a sausage around it, and was wondering what you opinion would be.
Lastly, do you think yours is a close clone to the ones you get buy commercially or at the festivals?

 

[thirdeye]

Did you consider replacing the hot pepper flakes with the piment d'ville? I bought some Piment d'Espelette and would like to make a sausage around it, and was wondering what you opinion would be.
Lastly, do you think yours is a close clone to the ones you get buy commercially or at the festivals?

The owner of P'dV sent a follow up email and I explained I was experimenting with a Basque sausage recipe and wanted to see how their chile powder worked. She suggested eliminating most or all of the black and red pepper. She reminded me that P'dV was "sweet and spicy", which is correct. I actually took some unseasoned ground pork and added only salt and P'dV then formed into meatballs that I baked, thinking this would be more passive than pan frying. The combination of flavors was good, but it did not resemble what I was trying to duplicate at all.

I had a sneaking suspicion that after 3 or 4 generations Lukainka recipes from the old country, may have changed.... and when our searches yielded no written recipe we really couldn't confirm if Piment d’Espelette was in it at all. Two of my friends that were in the taste testing group agreed with me that the flavor from version 3 was a close clone (other than the lower fat content I used) to the Lukainka they had previously eaten.

I do think you could definitely design a sausage around the Piment d’Espelette . To see how someone else attacked this.... go back to the link you posted to the gourmet Basque sausage and read the Overview and the Ingredients. They mention how mild the Piment d’Espelette is, and the first two ingredients are onion and roasted red pepper, which are also mild. Piment d’Espelette is listed before black pepper, and I think this is intentional so the black pepper doesn't mask it. The gourmet sausage uses veal, which I can see... or even some lamb. A little nutmeg makes sense, and if coriander is used, cumin is a great sidekick to it. Maybe some fresh parsley? I'm not sure about using caraway and Allspice. Also missing is garlic, which is not a bad thing especially since you want to build the sausage around Piment d’Espelette.

I don't know if you have tried your Piment d’Espelette on fried or scrambled eggs, but it's really good and allows the flavor to really shine. To try the coriander and cumin flavor combination try this: In a plastic bag add a couple of pinches of salt, Piment d’Espelette, cumin and coriander. Add some sliced carrot and shake until the carrots are coated. Add some olive oil and shake again. Bake on a sheet pan at 400° until tender and see what you think.

 

[DanMcG]

Great info Thirdeye, thanks!

 

[HalfSmoked]

Thank you for a great post and the wiliness to pursue.

Warren

 

[chopsaw]

I agree with Warren . I've been reading along . Nice work on passing along the information .