Kielbasa
[From Ciocia Mania]
4 lb. pork (pork butt works well)
1 lb. beef (beef knuckle has practically no fat (but see comments below)
1/2 t garlic
2 c warm water
1 cube beef bullion
3T salt
2t pepper
1T sugar
1T marjoram
Rinse and soak the casings. Mix the water and spices. Trim the excess fat form the pork, then grind it and the beef, then add the spices.
Stuff the casings or make patties. They can be put into freezer bags and kept frozen for two or three months.
Comments
Steve and I like to argue about how much fat (he prefers more than I) and salt (he prefers less than I). The fat adds flavor, smooths the texture, and holds the sausage together during cooking. It also lines your arteries nicely. My first batches were low fat, and pretty dry and crumbly. I've come around to Steve's point of view -- or more so. Regarding the salt, I'd say our diagreement stems from cooking styles: Steve tends to grill his ssausage, I tend to boil them.