Hungarian Smoked Sausage (Kolbász)

 Hungarian Smoked Sausage (Kolbász)

Ingredients:

2 kg pork shoulder

500 g pork belly (with fat)

40 g salt

8 g black pepper

20 g sweet Hungarian paprika

10 g hot Hungarian paprika (optional)

8 cloves garlic, minced

150 ml cold water

Natural hog casings

Instructions:

Cut the pork and pork belly into small cubes and grind them.

Mix the meat with salt, black pepper, sweet paprika, hot paprika, minced garlic, and cold water until well combined.

Rinse and soak the hog casings, then stuff them with the meat mixture.

Twist into long sausages and prick any air bubbles with a needle.

Hang the sausages in a cool place for 12–24 hours to dry.

Smoke them over low heat (20–30°C / 68–86°F) with hardwood smoke for 8–12 hours.

Let the sausages mature in a cool, well-ventilated place for 1–2 weeks before serving.

Enjoy sliced cold, grilled, or fried with bread, mustard, and pickles.