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Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2015 23:07
by Butterbean
Looks great. Skipped lunch. Should know better than looks at this site on an empty stomach.

Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 04:56
by markjass
Thanks for making the posting. More inspiration and something to aim for. We are in mid summer and had a crackingly hot January. Just got back from a lovely road trip. Must pull finger, toddle of to the butcher and get curing and smoking.

Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2015 19:24
by StefanS
Wow Redzed, just saw your staff, looks delicious. Can you tell me a little more about brining - I'm using a Dziadek tabela and pink salt #1. Actually my next smoking time will be on Saturday morning. - wedzonki. pics be posted

Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2015 17:11
by redzed
Hello Stefan,

My brine is quite simple, but it is flavoured and therefore not that popular with the guys on the Polish site. I would also use just salt and nitrite if I had pork raised on a small farm and where the pigs see daylight. However, I buy commercial pork which is raised in a controlled environment. While the meat is usually of good quality, it lacks in taste. Just like today's chicken, it needs a lift to make it taste better. My favourite brine is:

4 litres (1 US gallon) water
400g salt
150g sugar
3 tablespoons Cure #1
Black peppercorns
2 large cloves of garlic (smashed)
Handful of rosemary.

I heat bring everything except the Curing salt to a boil, then shut off the heat and let it cool. Then strain the contents and cool in refrigerator. Finally I add the Cure #1, dissolve and add the meat.

Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2015 20:43
by StefanS
Hello Redzed, hello All.
Today would like to show you my Saturday's smoked "wedzonki"
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meat in brine ;
My brine is very similar to yours, different is in amount of Cure #1, in 4 litters of cold (Poland spring) water I have dissolved 355 gram of salt plus 39 gram of Cure #1. plus a 1/2 cup boiled water with herbs (bay leaves, all spice, coriander)
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prepared pork loin, pork belly, cut off pork butt, spare baby ribs
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after 3 hours of hot smoking

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Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2015 16:59
by redzed
Stefan your wędzonki are first class and your new smoker obviously does an excellent job! The fruits of your labour are paying off. Your family and friends are probably very happy that you have taken this on.

Did you finish by poaching?

To have the pictures displayed in the post(using Photobucket), copy and paste the IMG link, the fourth one down in the list.





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Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2015 13:28
by Bob K
Stefan-
What type are these?


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Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2015 18:16
by StefanS
Hi Bob.
It is Kielbasa Szynkowa/Ham Kielbasa. It should be in sausage photo gallery post. There is some description of it.

Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2015 18:39
by Bob K
That looks too good not to make!
If that is the recipe from the Polish site maybe you or Redzed could post the translated version on this forum.

Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2015 18:53
by StefanS
Hi Bob.
Will do that in new tread in Sausage topic. Will present a recipe and process I used to make that one from picture.

Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2016 10:45
by BlueMonkey
Hi Redzed.

I have had a loin wet cured for 5 days as per your recipe, and is currently in the fridge until tomorrow for smoking.

Question...I note that you hot smoke for a period, finishing for several hours at 155 degrees before finishing by poaching to an internal of 152.

Why poach instead of continuing in the smoker? Does it lose some of the flavour? Is the reason you poach outway the loss of flavour?

Do you poach in a vac-pac bag or similar ( with the open end facing out of the water, so it is submerged in water but remains dry?

Thanks in advance.

I will be following your recipe all the way through, just interested to know the rationale.

Tony

Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2016 15:44
by redzed
You can certainly finish the loin in the smoker, just be careful not to take it over too much over 150F. The reason I like poaching is is that I would need to smoke longer and at higher heat which dries out the loin more. It is such a lean piece of meat and not very forgiving if you overcook it. I have an electric smoker and it tends to dry things out if smoked two long. The last time I smoked a loin I kept it in the smoker for about four hours, the whole time at 135-140. Then poached it until it reached 150, took only a little over 20 minutes. I don't poach in a bag, just drop it into a preheated pot to 180, once you put the loin in it drops to 170, where you want to keep it. There might be a slight loss in the smoke taste but it's quite negligible.

Posted: Fri May 05, 2017 20:58
by StefanS
Few days ago I have finished my new batch of wedzonki. Here a basic details on brine - 1 g/3.75l of water, 270 g of salt, 29 g Cure#1, 4 cloves of garlic (smashed), black pepper - 10 g, allspice 5 g, bay leaves - ~10. Weight of meat - 8.15 kg, 10 days in brine, refrigerator 4-6 *C.
Ham and piece of pork butt -injected with brine solution.
My purpose - ham with fat and some skin on, pork butt - in leftover of genoa casing, pork loin - in beef bung. On all pieces of meat rubbed mix of dried spices and herbs (white pepper, black pepper, garlic granulated, marjoram, thyme, juniper berries, basil) - all spices and herbs crashed (visible on beckon)-I have used mortar and pestle.
After brining ready for smoker
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After smoking and poaching
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Chilled down overnight in refrigerator
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in last picture is visible small hole in loin - thermometer probe made it.

Posted: Fri May 05, 2017 21:31
by bolepa
StefanS,
This is BEAUTIFUL! Did you use Photoshop to create such a nice pictures? Just kidding...
Would you mind to share with the detail on your smoking and poaching process? This will be much appreciated!
Thank you.

Posted: Mon May 08, 2017 18:35
by redzed
Stefan those wędzonki look fantastic, and I could almost smell them all the way across the continent! Professional grade my friend, but then by now we don't expect anything less from you. :lol:

I haven't been doing too much in the way of wedzonki for a while, but I did manage to to prepare a ham for Easter. I boned out a leg and prepared it like a culatello. Pumped and brined for 10 days. Smoked it for about 6 hours at 60°C, and on Easter Sunday roasted it with a maple syrup glaze.

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