Homemade Sausage Making

Kabanosy (by Stan Marianski)

2.0 kg. (4.4 lbs.) lean pork butt or ham
3.0 kg. (6.6 lbs.) pork trimmings
90 g. salt
12 g. Instacure #1 (U.S.stregth)
10 g. sugar
10 g. black pepper
3 g. nutmeg
3 g. caraway

Cut the meat into 5cm (2 inch) cubes, mix with the salt and cure #1, and pack tightly into a container to eliminate air. Do not pack over 20 cm. (8 inches) high. Cover the meat with a clean cloth and place it in a cooler at 4-6° C. (40-42° F) for 72 hours.
Grind the lean pork through an 8 mm. (3/8") plate, and the fatter pork through a 5mm. (3/16") plate. Mix the ingredients to develop the myosin protein - until the mass feels sticky. Stuff the meat into 24-26 mm sheep casings, leaving them in one continuous coil. Hang sausages on a smokestick for 30-60 minutes or hang in a cooler at 2-6° C. (35-43° F.) for 12 hours.
Make sure the sausages feel dry before smoke is applied. Use hot smoke for one hour followed by 20 minutes baking at 170° F. When the meat`s internal temperature reaches 155°, rinse them in ice water and allow them to cool. Dry the sausage 5 - 7 days at 12-18° C (53-64° F.) in 75-80% humidity until the yield is 55%. (Moisture loss of 45% by weight). If mold develops, simply wipe it off.

I agree with the big guy himself... it is the finest meat stick in the world!
Best wishes, Chuckwagon

A couple of notes here. The mixing process is different for kabanosy than for most other sausages. What we are looking to make is a sausage stick that that will snap easily into two and not bend like a bungee cord. Therefore, do not mix to the point of the meat becoming sticky. Mix just enough to distribute the seasonings in the farce. Also add the sugar to the curing mix (salt and Cure #1). This will provide time for the lactic bacteria to work and aid in achieving the final texture.

redzed 2015-01-16

Chuckwagon's question from another topic here refers to below pictures of kabanosy, made by EAnna.

Chuckwagon wrote:I noticed quite a large percentage of fat in the meat stick. Do you happen to know how much was used?

In the recipe used, it was following percentage mix :
40% pork class I
60% pork class II ( with 35% to 38 % fat, mainly from ham )

This gives us 21% to 23% total fat content .

Wow, EAnna has found the secret of life! Her kabanosy looks marvelous! How about posting your recipe EAnna? I'll just bet that people would fight over the last stick of this great recipe.
Best wishes, Chuckwagon

What wood is traditionally used to smoke Kabanosy? Can I use a spare refridgerator to dry the sausage after smoking for the 5-7 days recommended? I can adjust the temperature to about 55F-60F. It's a mini fridge with a small freezer compartment that isnt frost free, so I assume the humidity is high. Would this work?

atcNick, in general we use Alder or Beech.
You can use refrigerator, but try to dry 2-3 pcs by just hanging them somewhere in the kitchen.

Thanks Siara. That's how my babcia use to do it. We keep the house at around 70-72F (22 celcius). You dont think that's too warm? And also the humidity may be much lower than what is called for in the recipe.

atcNick wrote:We keep the house at around 70-72F (22 celcius).

We keep almost the same. I dry the sausages in the kitchen ( goes much faster ).
Give it a try on 1 pcs if you are not sure.

Bought a hygrometer and the humidity in the house is around 45-50%