Kabanosy

Kabanosy are my favourite sausage. I have most likely eaten more of them than every other sausage combined, and with me being Polish, that means A LOT. My memories of going grocery shopping as a kid always include walking out of the store munching on a piece of this sausage, and to this day, it’s extremely rare for me to walk out of a Polish deli without some Kabanosy in my bag.

In Polish delis, the sight of Kabanosy is unmistakable, with the thin, long sausages always hanging over the deli case in various stages of dryness. The long links wrapped in butcher paper are also a common sight in Polish fridges with one corner of the package usually ripped open with some sausage sticking out (it’s pretty much impossible for me not to rip a chuck off every time I open the fridge). To people outside the Polish community however, the Kabanos is virtually unknown, which is a shame since, according Polish sausage guru Stanley Marianski (and me), it is probably the best tasting meat stick in the world. The Kabanos was the first sausage I ever made, and I believe that it’s my patriotic duty to introduce this piece of Polish-meat-awesomeness to the world as the first post on this blog.

So what exactly is a kabanos?
A kabanos is a smoked pork sausage, distinguished by its long (about 60cm), thin (about 2cm) links. Its main flavour profile is that of caraway and nutmeg with a strong smokiness. The flavour and texture of the sausage change as it dries out, going from a moist and subtly flavoured taste, to a dryer, more greasy (in a good way), and intense flavour profile. I prefer my Kabanos on the dryer side, although when you make them yourself, it means at least a week of air drying, and with something this good, it may prove to be impossible for you to wait. (The pictures in this post are of the undried kabanos.) In recent years, it has become more common in Polish delis to see spicy versions of this sausage, flavoured with chilies and cayenne. Being a traditionalist however, I prefer the conventional taste, and it is the traditional recipe that I present to you here.

Home Made Kabanosy Recipe (Adapted from Stanley Marianski)
(Percentages shown are percentage of meat weight)

Ingredients
Pork Shoulder 1000g

Salt 18g (1.8%)
Cure #1 2.5g (0.25%)
Pepper 4.0g (0.4%)
Sugar 1.0g (0.1%)
Nutmeg 1.0g (0.1%)
Caraway 1.0g (0.1%)

Directions

1) Cut meat into 5cm cubes, mix  well with the salt and cure, put in ziploc bag and place in fridge overnight or up to 72 hours.
2) Grind meat with 8mm (3/8″) plate. Mix all remaining ingredients using a stand alone mixer, sturdy spoon, or by hand until the mixture feels sticky.
3) Stuff mixture into sheep casings, or 22mm artificial casings. Make 60cm links, fold links in half and hang on smoke sticks or sausage hooks.
4) Allow the stuffed sausages to dry in the fridge for 12 hours, or at room temperature for 1 hour. (Smoke will adhere to them better if they are dry)
5) Smoke sausages at 130° F for 1 hour, then turn up the smoker to 93°C/200°F and smoke until sausages reach an internal temperature of 60°C/150°F, place immediately in ice water.
6) Optional but recommended – Dry sausages until desired flavour is reached. Sausage should optimally be dried at 12-18° C/53-64°F, but should be fine drying at room temperature in your kitchen. (if mold develops, wipe off quickly with salt water)