In Hungary, pig slaughters have a long history. Consequently, the recipes for homemade sausages and hurka also go way back, and they have been perfected over the long decades.
In true Hungarian fashion, homemade sausages have paprika in them (both mild and hot), as well as garlic, salt, caraway (another classic Hungarian ingredient), and, of course, some meat, fat, and pig or cattle intestines that get filled with all these ingredients. Follow kolbaszaruhaz.hu‘s guide for the perfect tips and recipe.
Ingredients
10 kg mixed pork (a good ratio is 7 kg of slim and 3 kg of fatty meat)
200 g mild ground paprika
100 g hot ground paprika
100 g pressed garlic
200 g salt
3 packets of caraway (1 packet is 40 g)
20 metres of pig or cattle intestines (can be purchased in better places)
Instructions
Mince the meat with a moderate-sized disc. Add the ingredients in the following order:
1. Add the pressed garlic to the minced meat.
2. Sprinkle the caraway on top of the garlic.
3. Add the paprika, both mild and hot.
4. Finally, add the salt on top.
Make sure all the ingredients are mixed, and the pieces of meat are covered well. Make sure to knead the mixture several times.
The next step is filling the intestines. This is a very important step in making homemade sausages. Pay attention to making sure the intestines are moderately stiff. They should have some thickness and a nice shape, but they cannot be completely stiff. (For one, this would make the sausages pop easier in the oven, and it is not ideal to have too much air in between the filling.) It is a good idea to get a bigger needle and poke some holes in the sausages.
It is best to put the filling into pig or cattle intestines. Luckily, they are easy to get in shops these days. After the filling is done, let them hang from bars overnight. Now, they are ready to be smoked – 2 or 3 days will suffice.
They can be kept in the fridge for a few days, or in the freezer for a few months without smoking, too, but make sure to try it when it is freshly done, as nothing compares to the taste of homemade sausage fresh out of the oven.
Useful tips
For a nice, hot taste, use 20 grammes of mild paprika and 10 grammes of hot paprika per kilogramme of meat. This ensures the desired spiciness.
For homemade sausages, it is better to use more mature meat from a bigger animal (150-160 kilogrammes).
In terms of the paprika you use, it is better if it comes straight from a farmer and not from the store. It is not an easy task, but this is how you ensure your homemade sausages have that signature, bright red colour.
You can use both small and large intestines. Do not ask why, but they taste slightly different. Do not be afraid of the fat, it is a necessary part of sausages. In addition, thicker sausages dry out later, so, they can be kept for longer.
For the smoking, make sure you have a professional so that none of your precious homemade sausages go to waste. Insist that they smoke it on hardwood, as nothing else compares to that.
Be prepared that the fresh sausages might be spicier than you intended. No worries, though, as the fresh ones are always hotter, which goes away in a few weeks.
Eat it both fried and smoked – enjoy!
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