Hungarian Smoked Sausage (Csabai-Style)

Ingredients

• 2 kg pork shoulder
• 1 kg pork belly
• 25 g salt per kg of meat
• 8 g sweet Hungarian paprika per kg
• 4 g hot Hungarian paprika per kg (optional)
• 5 g freshly ground black pepper per kg
• 4–5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 100 ml cold water
• Natural hog casings

Instructions

1. Cut the pork shoulder and pork belly into small cubes and chill well.
2. Grind the meat using a medium grinder plate.
3. Mix the meat thoroughly with the salt, paprika, black pepper, garlic, cumin, and cold water until sticky.
4. Rinse and soak the hog casings, then stuff them firmly with the meat mixture, avoiding air pockets.
5. Twist or tie the sausages into long links.
6. Hang the sausages in a cool place for 12–24 hours to dry.
7. Cold-smoke them for 2–3 days using beech or oak wood.
8. Hang the smoked sausages in a cool, well-ventilated place for 3–6 weeks to mature before serving.