Polish Sausage or Polish Kielbasa?

Which one is Right?  Both!

When someone talks about kielbasa most people think of Polish Smoked Sausage or Polska Kielbasa Wędzona.  Kielbasa translated from the Polish language is simply the word for sausage.  The word kielbasa includes American breakfast sausage, German bratwurst, Italian hot sausage, or any other sausage you could name.

Traditionally, Polish sausage is made of pork, garlic, salt, pepper, and sometimes marjoram.  From this basic recipe you can make serveral types of Polska Kielbasa like these:

Polish Smoked Sausage (Polska Kiełbasa Wędzona)

The meat is cured using sodium nitrite, the spices are mixed in, and the meat is ground and stuffed into natural hog casings and finally hardwood smoked.

– Or –

Polish Fresh Sausage (Kiełbasa Biała Surowa)

Poland’s most popular sausage at Easter, but great grilled and enjoyed anytime.  It is not cured, smoked or cooked and is used in making Zurek a popular soup at Easter.

The meat is ground, the spices mixed in, and then stuffed into natural hog casings.  A little veal or beef is added to the mix for texture.

Fresh or smoked either of these traditional polish sausages are great any time.  

Enjoyed with a variety of condiments like:

• Polish Mustards
• Polish Dill Pickles
• Prepared Horseradish
• Horseradish-Beet Relish

Here is a list of popular Polish Sausages:

• Polish Smoked Sausage
• Polish Fresh Sausage
• Polish Turkey Kielbasa
• Polish Ham Kielbasa
• Polish Beer Sausage
• Polish Kielbasa Krakowska
• Polish Kielbasa Weselna – Wedding Sausage

Basic Polish Sausage Recipe:

5 lbs Pork Butt trimmed cut into 2″ cubes
2 Tbl  Salt
1 ½ Tbl black pepper
4 Cloves garlic
1 Cup Ice water

Grind the pork butt and place into large mixing bowl, chill to 34°F.  Pour  water into blender add salt, pepper, garlic, and blend.  Pour over meat and mix well.  Remove grinder blade and replace with spacer, pass meat through grinder into natural hog casing.  Refrigerate overnight. Freeze or cook next day.

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