Kaszanka (Polish Blood Sausage)

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh pork blood
• ½ pound pork liver
• ¾ pound pork shoulder or butt, coarsely ground
• ¾ cup buckwheat groats (kasha), uncooked
• 1 whole yellow onion, large
• 4 whole garlic cloves
• 3 feet pork intestine casings, rinsed and soaked
• 1.5 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
• ½ teaspoon ground marjoram
• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 tablespoon unsalted butter

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare your workspace for sausage-making. Pat the pork liver completely dry with paper towels, then cut it into 1-inch cubes. Keep the pork blood cold and ready to use — if it has congealed, warm it very gently over low heat to break it up, stirring constantly until liquid but not hot.

2. 2

   Toast the buckwheat groats in a dry 10-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant and lightly golden, about 3-4 minutes. You'll smell a nutty aroma. Transfer to a plate and let cool slightly.

3. 3

   Dice one large yellow onion into 1/4-inch pieces. Peel and mince 4 garlic cloves finely. Set both aside separately.

4. 4

   In a large bowl, combine the ground pork shoulder, liver cubes, and toasted buckwheat. Add 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt, 0.5 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 0.5 teaspoon ground marjoram, and 0.25 teaspoon ground allspice. Mix gently with your hands until the seasonings are evenly distributed — do not overwork, or the texture will become dense.

5. 5

   Gently fold the diced onion and minced garlic into the meat mixture. Pour in the 1 pound of pork blood and fold together very gently — the goal is to incorporate it evenly without compacting the mixture, which would make the sausage heavy. The mixture should hold together loosely.

6. 6

   Set up your sausage stuffer with a medium-size casing tube. Tie a knot at one end of the soaked pork casing to seal it. Begin feeding the casing onto the stuffer tube, being gentle and careful — the casings are delicate.

7. 7

   Slowly crank the sausage stuffer, feeding the kaszanka mixture into the casing. Apply even, steady pressure — do not overstuff. As each section fills to about 4-5 inches, tie it off with kitchen twine. You should make 4-5 links total, each roughly the thickness of a large thumb.

8. 8

   Fill a large pot with about 3 quarts of water and bring it to a gentle simmer over medium heat — you want small, lazy bubbles, not a rolling boil, which would burst the casings. Using a fork, prick each sausage in 5-6 places to prevent them from bursting during cooking.

9. 9

   Carefully lower the kaszanka links into the simmering water. They will sink at first, then slowly float to the surface as they cook, about 15-20 minutes. Once they float, maintain the gentle simmer for another 3-4 minutes — the sausages are done when they feel firm but still yield slightly to gentle pressure.

10. 10

    Remove the sausages with a slotted spoon and place them on a clean kitchen towel to cool for 2 minutes and drain.

11. 11

    Place a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons unsalted butter. Once the butter is melted and foaming, arrange the cooked kaszanka links in a single layer and pan-fry for 3-4 minutes per side until the casings are blistered and caramelized to a deep mahogany brown. The exterior should be crispy and the filling hot throughout.

12. 12

    Transfer the kaszanka to a warm plate. Serve immediately with warm mustard, sliced rye bread, and pickled vegetables — traditional Polish accompaniments. Slice if desired, though they are traditionally eaten whole.

Tools you’ll need

• large mixing bowl
• paper towels
• 10-inch dry skillet
• cutting board
• chef's knife
• large pot
• kitchen fork
• slotted spoon
• sausage stuffer with medium casing tube
• kitchen twine
• 12-inch cast iron skillet
• instant-read thermometer (optional)

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