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Homemade Kielbasa Recipe

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4.6 from 122 reviews

This Homemade Kielbasa recipe guides you through making traditional Polish sausage using a flavorful blend of pork and beef, seasoned with garlic, pepper, and a special meat cure. The sausage is carefully mixed, stuffed into casings or shaped by hand, cured overnight, and then baked to perfection, resulting in a rich, savory sausage ideal for slicing and enjoying on its own or in your favorite dishes.

Ingredients

Scale

Seasoning Mix

  • 0.2 oz. garlic
  • 1.25 oz. salt
  • 0.25 oz. Morton’s Tender Quick Meat Cure
  • 0.15 oz. pepper
  • 1 drop liquid smoke (optional)
  • Water (as needed)

Meat

  • 2 lbs. cubed pork, ½” cubes
  • 1.5 lbs. ground pork
  • 1.5 lbs. ground beef

Instructions

  1. Puree Garlic: Use a blender to puree the garlic with 2 tablespoons of water. Set this mixture aside momentarily to prepare other ingredients.
  2. Dissolve Salts and Cure: In a small bowl, measure 2 tablespoons of water and dissolve the salt and Morton’s Tender Quick Meat Cure into it thoroughly.
  3. Combine Seasonings: Add the salt and cure solution to the garlic puree. Then add the pepper and liquid smoke (if using), mixing well to create a uniform seasoning blend.
  4. Prepare Meat: In a large mixing bowl, combine the cubed pork, ground pork, and ground beef thoroughly by hand.
  5. Add Seasoning to Meat: Pour the garlic-pepper-salt-cure-water mixture into the meat bowl and mix extensively with your hands to distribute the seasoning evenly.
  6. Adjust Texture: Continue mixing the meat; add additional water one teaspoon at a time until the mixture becomes sticky and tacky enough to adhere to your hands. Test this by squeezing a handful and inverting your hand; the meat should stay adhered.
  7. Stuff or Shape Sausage: Load the seasoned meat into a sausage stuffer and fill casings, or form the sausage mixture into cylinders about 1½ inches in diameter and 12 inches long by hand if no equipment is available.
  8. Refrigerate to Cure: Arrange the stuffed or shaped sausages in a single layer, cover with plastic wrap and foil if uncased, and refrigerate for 24 hours to allow the cure to penetrate and shape to set.
  9. Preheat Oven: Set your oven to 325°F (163°C) and allow it to fully heat while preparing for baking.
  10. Prepare Sausages for Baking: Remove any plastic wrap or foil from the meat carefully. Place the sausage cylinders or casings on an oven-safe rack set over a baking sheet to catch drippings.
  11. Bake Sausages: Bake in the preheated oven until the internal temperature reaches 160°F (71°C) as measured by an instant read thermometer, approximately 45-60 minutes.
  12. Cool and Serve: Remove the sausages from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before slicing and enjoying.

Notes

  • If you don’t have sausage casings or a stuffer, you can shape the sausage meat into logs and wrap tightly with plastic wrap followed by foil before refrigerating and baking.
  • Using Morton’s Tender Quick Meat Cure ensures safer curing and helps develop traditional kielbasa flavor and color.
  • Liquid smoke is optional but adds a subtle smoky depth reminiscent of smoked sausages.
  • Make sure to use a meat thermometer to confirm proper internal cooking temperature for food safety.
  • Resting the sausage overnight allows flavors to meld and the meat to firm up for better texture.
  • Wear disposable gloves when handling sausage meat and curing salts to maintain hygiene and safety.

Keywords: homemade kielbasa, Polish sausage, sausage recipe, baked sausage, sausage curing, pork sausage, ground beef sausage

Find it online: https://messykitchenmagic.com/homemade-kielbasa-recipe/