Csabai kolbász
Csabai kolbász: fresh Békéscsaba-style paprika and garlic pork sausage, cooked to 71 °C
Every October the town of Békéscsaba holds a sausage festival where teams grind, season and stuff pork by hand, and the town's name is on Hungary's most famous paprika sausage. The real csabai is smoked over beech and then air-dried for weeks; curing like that needs curing salt, careful temperature and humidity control and a lot of experience, so this recipe makes the same spicy pork mixture as a fresh sausage that is cooked through to 71 °C and never eaten raw. It is fiery, garlicky and deep red from sweet and hot paprika with a warm hint of caraway, and is excellent grilled or pan-fried, with mustard, fresh bread, pickled peppers and raw onion. The usual slip is letting the meat get warm while you work, which smears the fat and gives a dry, crumbly sausage; keep everything ice cold. Chef's tip: fry a small test patty before stuffing to check the salt and heat.
- Total time
- 240 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the sausage
- 3 ⅓ lb boneless pork shouldercut into 3 cm cubes
- 10 ½ oz pork back fat or fatty pork belly, skinlesscubed
- 1 oz fine salt
- 8 garlic clovescrushed to a paste
- 1 tsp ground caraway
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ½ cup ice-cold water
- 4 m natural hog casings (32–35 mm)soaked in cold water
To cook and serve
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 4 tbsp mustard (optional)
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (2)
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Method
0/10 doneStep 1: Chill the 3 ⅓ lb boneless pork shoulder and 10 ½ oz pork back fat or fatty pork belly, skinless in the freezer for 30 minutes, with the mincer blade and plate, until firm and very cold but not frozen solid.
30 minStep 2: Mince the meat and fat together through a 6–8 mm plate into a bowl set over ice.
15 minStep 3: Add the 1 oz fine salt, 1 oz sweet Hungarian paprika, ⅓ oz hot Hungarian paprika, 8 garlic cloves, 1 tsp ground caraway, 1 tsp black pepper and ½ cup ice-cold water. Mix with cold hands for 3–4 minutes, until the mixture is sticky and holds together when you pull a handful apart.
5 minStep 4: Fry a teaspoon-sized patty in a pan over a medium heat for 4 minutes, until cooked through, and taste. Adjust the salt or hot paprika in the main mixture if needed. Wash your hands and boards well after handling raw pork.
5 minStep 5: Rinse the 4 m natural hog casings (32–35 mm) inside by running cold water through them. Thread a casing onto the stuffer nozzle and fill it evenly and firmly, without air pockets, leaving 10 cm empty at the end.
25 minStep 6: Twist into 20 cm links, prick any air bubbles with a clean needle and tie the ends.
10 minStep 7: Lay the sausages on a tray and leave them uncovered in the fridge for at least 2 hours (or overnight) to dry and let the flavours settle. Never leave them at room temperature.
120 minStep 8: Bring a wide pan of water to 75–176°F (just steaming, no bubbles) and poach the sausages for 20 minutes, until firm. The centre must reach 160°F on a thermometer.
20 minStep 9: Pat dry, brush with the 1 tbsp sunflower oil and grill or fry over a medium heat for 8–10 minutes, turning, until browned and crisp all over.
10 minStep 10: Serve hot with 4 tbsp mustard, fresh bread and pickled peppers. Cooked sausages keep 3 days in the fridge; raw ones freeze for up to 3 months and must be thawed in the fridge and cooked to 160°F.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 450 kcal
- Protein
- 28 g
- Carbs
- 3 g
- Fat
- 36 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does csabai kolbász take?
- About 240 minutes in total: 200 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of sweet hungarian paprika?
- Smoked paprika, half the amount.
- What can I use instead of hot hungarian paprika?
- Smoked paprika, half the amount.
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