Smoked Kielbasa
updated 09/08/2025
I’ve wanted to make smoked kielbasa for a while, but I’ve had mixed results with keeping an even temperature in my charcoal smoker, so I didn’t make it. However, the recent purchase of an electric smoker spurred me to make kielbasa, and this one is very successful.
Smoked Kielbasa
This recipe is an amalgamation of several recipes I read. One called for nutmeg, others called for marjoram, and some called for Accent (MSG). I didn’t use nutmeg or Accent, and substituted for the marjoram as I didn’t have any.
I expect to make adjustments to this recipe, so this will definitely change.
- 10 lbs coarsely ground pork
- 2 Tbsp ground black pepper
- 2 Tbsp minced garlic
- 3 tsp granulated garlic (yes, 2 garlics!)
- 3 tsp Kosher salt
- 3 tsp Prague Powder #1
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp tarragon
I used peppercorns and put everything in my spice grinder, e.g., a Mr. Coffee rotary coffee grinder. This did NOT work well, as the result is a paste and the garlic did not chop up. I moved the mixture to Oskar (chopper) and it worked out ok. Next time I’ll grind the peppercorns first, and will press the garlic, then use Oskar to mix it.
Note: The recipe I cobbled together calls for 3 tsp marjoram, which I didn’t have as I didn’t put it on my shopping list. I substituted 1 tsp tarragon, using a lesser amount. For the next batch I will have marjoram on hand.
After grinding a pork shoulder, I had 9 lbs of meat, and went ahead with the full amount of seasoning. I used the medium grinding plate — next time I may use the coarse, as the meat goes through the unit twice.
I put 1/4 of the meat into a large bowl and spread 1/3 of the seasoning mix across it. This was repeated twice more, with the remaining meat on top. The idea is to distribute the seasoning as much as possible before mixing. Then I mixed the meat by hand for a couple of minutes. Any time I spotted a clump of seasoning, I mixed it in.
My stuffing attachment on the grinder requires a plate, so I used the coarse plate. It took about 20 minutes to stuff natural hog casings. Collagen casings are far easier to use, but I don’t like the texture as much.
The sausage went into the electric smoker on 225 F for 3 hours. The target temperature is 160 F, and all sausages were in the 165 to 168 F range. I save the oak cubes I use in winemaking, drying them out. These work very nicely for smoking.
Next Time
Next time I’ll grind the peppercorns and press the garlic prior to making the seasoning mix.
IMO the black pepper is a good amount, but I’ll see what my wife thinks.
I will definitely have marjoram next time. I may add nutmeg.
Since one or both of my sons will probably be involved, we’ll probably make at least 20 lbs of sausage.
9 lbs of sausage may sound like a lot, but I have a feeling it will go VERY quickly.