Slow Smoked Fresh Kielbasa

It is the holiday time of year and during that time, my local butcher (Dave's Country Meats) has some products that you cannot get year round.  One of the these tasty treats is fresh kielbasa...

In the winter time, he tends to make ring kielbasa and in the summer he makes patties for grilling.  Each have their good points.  I like the ring kielbasa for smoking and the patties for grilling out.  Either way, his homemade kielbasa is outstanding.  Perfectly seasoned with spices that you can actually see, unlike the store brands.

So, when I was picking up other holiday treats, I picked up a five pound ring to smoke.

First, I bought some untreated dowel rods and cut them down to size so that they would fit across the top rack of my smoker.  They are perfect for hanging any sausage.

I cut the ring in two pieces so that I could do two types of cooks.  More on that later.  First, I brought my smoker temperature up to 165 F and added oak wood in the ash pan for smoke flavor.  Take my word for it, oak wood goes very well with any type of sausage.  The fat just soaks up that oaky goodness.

Once the smoker was up to temp, I arranged my kielbasa on the dowels for placement in the smoker.  As you can see, I attracted a lot of attention...

Then, I took the dowels outside and hung on the top rack of the smoker...

It was a very cold and snowy day...

For 3/4 of the ring, I smoked for about two hours until the internal temperature of the sausage was 150 F.  This leaves the sausage about 15 degrees F short of being safe for consumption.  Again, I attracted a lot of attention...

I plunged the kielbasa in cold water for 10 minutes to stop the cooking process...

Then, I rinsed with fresh water, patted dry, cut into bun sized pieces, and vacuum packed for summertime grilling...

The remaining kielbasa stayed in the smoker until it's internal temperature reached 165 F.  This internal temperature thoroughly cooks the sausage but leaves the fat intact.  Remember, don't eat any sausage that has not been cooked to at least 165 F internal temperature...

As you can see, the color of the sausage is darker due to the longer cooking time, the added smoke, and the partial rendering of the fat.  These tasty treats were cut up and will be served with cheese and crackers for a nice appetizer over the holidays...

There you have it, two different ways to cook and serve fresh kielbasa that you can buy at your local butcher.  Both are excellent ways to prepare this tasty polish treat.

Thanks for stopping by...

Bill