Recipe(tried): POLISH SAUSAGE/'hints'

HINTS for sausage making

General: A full head of garlic is called a Bulb. The individual pieces within the bulb are called 'cloves' or 'toes'.

Some people put the amount of water needed into their ice cube trays and freeze into cubes. When adding to the meat/herb/garlic mixture with a meat grinder, it distributes the (called-for) water evenly throughout the mixture.

If you buy casings; they are sold salt-packed. They must be rinsed a number of times, in cold water, to remove the salt from the casings.

To stuff the casings; tie a knot in one end, put the UNknotted end on the feed tube on the grinder. Grind the mixture into the casings, but do NOT pack too tightly.

To cook the sausage in casings, be sure to prick with a fork to keep from tearing because they expand a bit during cooking.

If using a grinder, at home, always cut the meat into small cubes, remove and discard unwanted fat and gristle; but add some FAT back to the meat mixture; about an 80% meat to 20% fat is a good ratio. So per one pound (16 oz) of meat you would want 3.20 oz fat to 12.80 oz meat.

The Poles love garlic, as do the Hungarians; after a trial batch you can decide (usually by how it smells) how much garlic you would like to include in the future batches. We drive up to Cleveland, OH and get our fresh Easter Kielbasa
and put it in the trunk of the car. The garlic aroma usually overtakes us by the time we have been on the road 10 minutes. Even wrapping 2-3 times in plastic wrap/plastic bags and paper, the freezer will leach garlic aroma for a long time.
But, oh how great it is!

One way to test for garlic-to-meat proportions, add some garlic, leave the room, come back into the room and if you smell the garlic, it's probably enough.

To panfry: Put a little water in the frying pan, add the sausage, cover with a lid.
Boil sausage for a short time, to cook through, then uncover and boil or simmer off the water. Brown on one side, turn sausage over and brown the other.

We make our own crock-cured kraut every year; we just shredded 110 pounds, and during the winter months have fresh or smoked sausage and sauerkraut, put a can of tomato soup over it and add a bit of water, and sometimes caraway seed and bake covered at 350 degrees for an hour or more. Serve with mashed potatoes and green beans and some sort of apple dessert, like applesauce or pie. Warms the belly, heart and soul.