Oh my gosh, you guys look.
I made a meal my grandpa would LOVE.
I know I say this a lot, but I can’t believe I haven’t done this recipe for homemade Ukrainian Pork Kielbasa yet! A traditional delicacy, which comes from a time before cooks tried to think of ways to trim a few calories, but rather, thought of ways to sneak more calories into a dish. This was a meal that was meant to fill you up and keep you satisfied for a long time.
When I was a kid my grandpa made kielbasa a couple of times a year, the experience everyone was anticipating. His sausages were so juicy, flavorful and well-textured that you could just enjoy them on their own, without sauces or any side dishes. Here is my attempt to recreate his Ukrainian Pork Kielbasa.
Preparation is very easy. Mince the meat and fat. Add spices and mix. Stuff into hog casings and bake. That’s it. Though, there are a few things to keep in mind, and I will talk about them below.
The choice of meat is important. Pick the best and the most fresh meat you can. The more fresh the meat is, the better your Ukrainian Pork Kielbasa will taste. The key here is to get a proper meat to fat ratio. The ideal cut for this would be pork shoulder or butt plus no less then 30-40% fat trimmings. The right thing to do is to use minced meat instead of ground, this will result in juicier sausage.
Casings can be purchased from your local butcher, just ask someone who works there. They don’t put them on display but will be happy to sell them to you if you ask.
When stuffing your sausages try not to stuff too tight as that may result in burst casings. You want the sausages to feel slightly firm, but not too tight. We used our KitchenAid Food Grinder Attachment with Sausage Stuffer
Lastly, the overnight refrigeration really makes a big difference. All those kielbasa flavors need time to meld together. By making this in the evening for the next morning’s meal, you’ve pretty much assured yourself of some quality sausage-related dreams. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 lb ground pork
1 lb pork belly or back fat
3 lb pork shoulder
whole medium garlic head, pressed
2 heaping tsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp kosher salt (add more to taste if needed)
1 tsp ground coriander
2 1/2 cups ice water
sausage casings
Before you start mincing, make sure all the meat is properly chilled, this will make mincing much easier. I usually try to mince everything into approximately pea sized pieces. Once meat and fat are minced, combine everything in a mixing bowl. Add minced garlic, salt, spices, ice water and mix well.
Chill the mixture in the fridge for at least 1 hour. In the meantime rinse the hog casings from salt.
Once the mixture has chilled, stuff it into hog casings and tie into rings. Secure with cooking twine.
Refrigerate the Ukrainian pork kielbasa in the fridge overnight.
The next day, preheat the oven to 400 F. and grease the baking sheet with oil slightly.
Prick the sausages all over with needle to release the air pockets that might burst during baking.
Place the sausages on the baking sheet and cook for 45 minutes or until brown.
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 lb pork belly or back fat
- 3 lb pork shoulder
- whole medium garlic head, pressed
- 2 heaping tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp kosher salt (add more to taste if needed)
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 2 1/2 cups ice water
- sausage casings
- Before you start mincing, make sure all the meat is properly chilled. Тhis will make mincing much easier. I usually mince everything into approximately pea sized pieces.
- Once meat and fat are minced, combine everything in a mixing bowl. Add minced garlic, salt, spices, ice water and mix well.
- Chill the mixture in the fridge for at least 1 hour. In the meantime rinse the hog casings from salt.
- Once the mixture has chilled, stuff it into hog casings and tie into rings. Secure with cooking twine.
- Refrigerate the Ukrainian pork kielbasa in the fridge overnight.
- The next day, preheat the oven to 400 F. and grease the baking sheet with oil slightly.
- Prick the sausages all over with needle to release the air pockets that might burst during baking.
- Place the sausages on the baking sheet and cook for 45 minutes or until brown.
- Serve cold or warm. I love my kielbasa with mustard sauce!
Absolutely delicious. My best friend and I made this together over zoom call and it was effortless and fun to make, and we both loved it when we took the first bite!
Weird spelling kovbasa would be more apropriate…