Polish sausage or kielbasa is a delicious sausage that originally came from Eastern Europe. Traditionally it is a pork sausage though you can also find turkey, beef or combinations of these meats.
The variations on spices are endless though caraway seeds, pepper and garlic are the most common. Polish sausages can be purchased either fresh or smoked.
If you ask ten different people how to cook Polish sausage you will get ten different answers. The methods to cook Polish sausages are as varied as the toppings people put on them.
There really is no right or wrong way to cook a Polish sausage. Some people just microwave it, wrap it in a slice of bread, squirt mustard on it and eat it. Other people would say this is a sin.
Below you will find some easy ways to get started into the mouth watering world of Polish sausages.
The easiest method, besides maybe the microwave, is boiling. If they are smoked sausages then you only need to boil them for 5 – 8 minutes. Fresh sausage can be boiled for 45 minutes to even a couple hours on a low simmer depending upon your tastes.
Another popular method is to pan fry them. You can cut up the sausage or leave it whole.
Fry them in a little olive oil until brown, lower the heat and let it simmer in its own juices.
If you prefer using the oven, broiling is a quick way to brown the sausage.
Poaching and steaming sausages are also common methods. You can pan poach them for around 5 minutes per side and steam them for 15.
The local deli in my town makes their own fresh Polish sausages. According to the owner, the only way to cook Polish sausages is to poach them in beer. This is his method for two sausages:
• Pour one beer, half a stick of butter and half a white onion into a pot and bring to a simmer.
• Poach the sausages for 15 – 20 minutes.
• Remove, brush with olive oil and grill them over a wood fire.
When you cook a Polish sausage, there is no wrong way. You can try a few of the methods above and even mix and match them. Boil and then pan fry. Steam and then broil.
Any method that tastes good to you is the one to use. Remember that fresh Polish sausages will always take longer than smoked ones.
