[USA] Dave's Kielbasa

Dave Zac · Post by **Dave Zac** » Tue Sep 20, 2011 00:37

In an effort to cure my salami hangover I made up a batch of kielbasa this past weekend. I really needed to make something delicious and get it right.

10 lbs after 4 hrs hickory and overnight bloom

I also put 5 lb belly in CW's honey maple pepper bacon cure.

Also, this time of year is for Vino. I remember when I was first making wine, I had many failures similar to my first salami here. I now make a pretty fair wine

This is juice from Marquette grapes; a varietal started at Marquette University I believe. They say it makes a very nice dry red. This is the first year my supplier harvested this grape. The white is Moores Diamond.

This juice is just after picking it up on Saturday. By Sunday the white had cleared considerably. I racked it, brought it up to 13% potential alcohol, adjusted for acid and added yeast. Today both carboys are bubbling away happily.

Dave

partycook · Post by **partycook** » Tue Sep 20, 2011 01:12

Dave The kielbasa look outstanding. Is this your own recipe? What size casings did you use? Do you press your own grapes if so how many pounds does it take to make that much juice? What type of smoker are you using? Hope that I didn't ask to many questions.

John

Chuckwagon · Post by **Chuckwagon** » Tue Sep 20, 2011 04:48

John, that ol` muleskinner DaveZac is one of the most talented people I`ve ever known. He makes his own everything! I`ve even tasted his hand crafted maple syrup and it is awesome. The guy makes his own meats of all sorts, sausages, wines, raises chickens and other animals, and on top of all that, he`s active in his church and is raising a fine family. Now how`s that for having a few brandin` irons in the fire? Right now, he`s being a little hard on himself because he thinks he botched his fermented salami. (He doesn`t realize it will continue to dry and be pretty good after a bit more time.)

I`ve tried to get Dave to run for President for a couple of years now. Shucks, I`m votin` fer` him whether he runs or not! Ol` Dave used to work in my neck of the woods. I wish he`d come back. He and I were the dudes who showed John Wesley Powell where the river was! Why... Dave and I used to fight off the grizzly bears, using rattlesnakes as bullwhips, while standing in a canoe in class IV rapids!

Alas, his latest batch of Polish sausage looks terrible. Absolutely horrid! Why... just look at the second layer! It looks like maple wood... and the bottom layer looks like some kind of marble. And just look at those sausages on top - they have peculiar "bends" in them. Hmmm... I`d better have him box up the entire batch and send it to me for a "second opinion".

Of course, I`ll have to taste some of it... well, maybe a lot of it... well, perhaps most of it... just to make a properly methodical, precise, and meticulous scientific determination. On second thought, as I am just a pepperoni proletariat, I just may have to consume all of it in order to present my uh... my... uh... crackerjack technical findings. ahem... ahem...

OOOooooo, what is that odor?

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

Dave Zac · Post by **Dave Zac** » Tue Sep 20, 2011 23:30

partycook wrote:Dave The kielbasa look outstanding. Is this your own recipe? What size casings did you use? Do you press your own grapes if so how many pounds does it take to make that much juice? What type of smoker are you using? Hope that I didn't ask to many questions.

John

Thanks for the compliment John. The only part of the recipe that is my own, is hand cutting about 2.5 of the 10 lbs. I do prefer the combo of ground and cubed (1/8" - 1/4"). You can see a good chunk in one of the photos.

10 lbs ground pork
2 cups ice water
5 Tbs Non Iodized Salt
2 tsp cure 1
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp Marjoram
1 tsp ground Allspice
1 Tbs Sugar
2 Tbs Black Pepper
2 Tbs Garlic
2 Cups Soy Protein Concentrate

Mix all ingredients well to form meat paste. Stuff into casings, hang in cool place to dry or place in fridge overnight.

Place in a 110* F preheated smokehouse and let dry for 1 hour.

Gradually raise temp of smokehouse to 165* Apply heavy smoke for about 4 hours.
Continue to cook sausage until the sausage`s internal temp is 154*
Remove from smokehouse and cool with cold water until internal temp is 110*. Allow to bloom till desired color is reached.
Place in Fridge overnight. Then cook or vac pack.

The casings I bought from the local supermarket. I'm guessing 32 - 38's or so variety pack.

On the grapes, I buy juice from a local vineyard. This year I will buy 5 gallons each of 4 different varieties. I will end up with about 3 gallons of wine (15 bottles)from each. I have also same some pretty good "country wines"; Dandelion, honeysuckle, peach, plum, and even maple. Wine making is almost as much fun as sausage making

Bubba · Post by **Bubba** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 00:51

Dave Zac wrote:The only part of the recipe that is my own, is hand cutting about 2.5 of the 10 lbs.

Hi Dave,
Your Kielbasa looks better than I have ever seen, and I bet it tastes even better than they look in the photos.
I have never thought of hand cutting some meat and grinding the rest then stuffing, I'll try that soon as well.

partycook · Post by **partycook** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 01:51

Hi Dave
Thanks for the recipe.wine making is definitely on my list of things to learn how to do.First I'll have to master salami making.I have finally found a place that processes hogs and sells retail.I'm going to try CW's bacon recipe.Hey why did you move so far away from CW?he-he

John

crustyo44 · Post by **crustyo44** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 02:43

Hi Dave,
Thank you for your recipe of the kielbasa. They look great and I particularly like your chunky version.
This definetely is on my list as I have heaps of frozen pork on hand at the moment.
Best Regards,
Jan.
Brisbane.

Dave Zac · Post by **Dave Zac** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 12:07

partycook wrote:.Hey why did you move so far away from CW?he-he

John

It's funny how how small this world really is. Back then I was just a dumb kid learning to find my way in this crazy world. I prolly couldn't have appreciated that old fool then. But now, how I wish I had the opportunity to meet and learn from a fella as smart as Chuckwagon!! Some day I'll be back there.

partycook · Post by **partycook** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 02:32

Y'a I often think of how great it would be to stuff a few links and hoist a couple with him. I am sure glad that we have him as a teacher.Not to take anything away from Stan and Adam

John

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 05:26

The old saying about holding a candle for someone referred to the priviledged apprentice that was allowed to hold the masters light while he worked. That way the person holding the light got the best view of how the work was done. In today's world There are certain men for whom I would sweep floors or wash equipment just for the priviledge of standing at their elbow and seeing how they made it work. There are a couple of sausage makers here and a few wooden boat builders elsewhere for whom I would do clean up just to be able to work in the same space.

Chuckwagon · Post by **Chuckwagon** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 06:10

Geeeze guys... what nice things to say! I really appreciate it. Wow, that just about brought a tear to my eye. Words like that make it all worth it. I am a wealthy man with friends like you. Thank you kind sirs. You are the best!

Your most appreciative sidekick,
Chuckwagon

Dave Zac · Post by **Dave Zac** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 21:08

5 lbs of powder keg pepperoni into the fermentation chamber this morning. Looks like about 1lb/stick.

I changed a few things though. No cayenne added because I used Hot Hungarian Paprika and only use 3/4 lb beef (all I had) and 4 1/3 lbs pork butt.

Fingers crossed.

Dave Zac

Dave Zac · Post by **Dave Zac** » Sun Sep 25, 2011 00:53

Question for you fermentos...F-LC instructions say "fast fermentation" in 2 days at 115* depending on salt.

CW's recipe says 24 hours at 100*. I thought the lower the temp, the longer the fermentation.

Just curious.

Dave

Chuckwagon · Post by **Chuckwagon** » Sun Sep 25, 2011 06:35

Good question Dave. I'm one of those fermented types! Mind if I take a crack at it?
The foremost purpose of fermentation is the creation of lactic acid to increase the acidity of the meat. How do we increase acidity? We simply provide more carbohydrates to the lactic acid producing bacteria. If the sugar has been metabolized within 24 hours, there is no need to wait another 24 hours to see if the acidity increases. It won`t. Without additional sugar, it can`t. Chr. Hansen (the manufacturer of Bactoferm™) has stated that LHP is capable of lowering the acidity to 5.0 pH in only 2 days. It doesn`t say we have to drop it that quickly or even that much. It entirely depends upon the volume of carbohydrate that we feed the bacteria. In other words, the amount of sugar metabolized by the lactic acid bacteria completely controls the degree of acidity. Thus if we want a very acidic product, we add lots of sugar (carbohydrates). On the other hand, if we desire less acidity in a sausage (sour taste), we simply don`t need high levels of sugar (thus more TIME) to metabolize it. The amount of sugar and dextrose in my ten pound recipe isn`t much at all (only 45.5 grams each). If a proper balance has been established, the temperature of the fermentation chamber may be slightly reduced to coincide with the length of time needed for an established amount of pH. What makes this kind of speed possible? Whenever a very rapid development of acidity is required, (such as in LHP, CSB, F-PA, or HPS cultures), the manufacturer uses pediococcus pentosaceus, or pediococcus acidilactici rather than one of the strains in the lactobacillus family (such as sakei, farciminis, plantarum, curvatus, or pentosus), which are used in the slower cultures.

I hope you enjoy Powder Keg Pepperoni. Please use only freshly cracked black pepper in it. That pre-ground pretend pepper on the grocer`s shelf is an insult and only a maladroit, mutton-head, kicked in the cranium by his horse, would buy the stuff

- the taste is gone!

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

Dave Zac · Post by **Dave Zac** » Sun Sep 25, 2011 12:14

Chuckwagon wrote:If a proper balance has been established, the temperature of the fermentation chamber may be slightly reduced to coincide with the length of time needed for an established amount of pH.

Does too high of a temperature affect the fermentation? My chamber was at 112* when I went to bed last night. I just have a box with a 60W bulb heating it. Humidity was OK but not at 90%

While I don't think 112* is too high, what is the upper (and lower) limits. Heat PLUS carbohydrates PLUS humidity must all be a part of the proper recipe...true?

Dave