Sorry for the unexcused absence. This weekend was a rush. Aside from having unexpected guests, we also had our annual sausage fest. Okay, that came out wrong. What I mean is that we had our annual Hungarian sausage making party.
What? You don’t have a sausage making party at your house?
The concept of the party is really quite simple. You take lots of meat and spices, grind it all up, mix it together and stuff it into casings. Sounds simple, right? If only it were that easy. We make two popular Hungarian sausages each year, hurka and kolbász, using family recipes that have been passed down for generations. Making them is so complicated that, if you’re going to do it, you may as well make a huge batch because it is the same amount of work whether you make one or one hundred. We make enough so that all of our friends and family can have some. It just wouldn’t feel like Christmas without them.
One thing that you can know for sure is that something will inevitably go wrong at the sausage making party. One year we had a major miscalculation and ended up putting more than ten times the amount of garlic needed in the recipe. That is like using the entire bulb when the recipe only calls for one clove! Thankfully that has been our worst mistake.
This year everything was running smoothly. I had the glamorous job of grinding the meat (jealous?). It is, in all actuality, one of the best jobs because you can watch what everyone else is doing and, assuming you don’t stick your hand into the grinder, there is very little opportunity for injury, unlike peeling potatoes, which (and I know from experience) can be very dangerous… nothing like cutting the tip of your finger off with a potato peeler. Another cool job is the one where you get to mix all of the ingredients by hand in huge bins. This job can be tricky though because if you over mix the sausage it will end up being tough and if you under mix the flavors are not properly distributed. That is why this job always goes to my father-in-law. Once the meat is properly mixed, it is time to stuff it into casings.
Let me just say, we love our stuffer. It seems counterintuitive, but we like the manual stuffer better than the fancy electric kind (not true with the meat grinder… my father-in-law cringes at memories of having to grind the meat by hand as a boy). With the manual stuffer, you have total control over how much you are putting into the casings at any given time and you are much less likely to tear or overstuff the finished product. My in-laws brought theirs over from Hungary and we’ve never found any in America that we like as well. As you can imagine, replacing broken parts can get a bit tricky. We had just finished our first sausage recipe (the kolbász) when one of the gears for the crank started slipping. Before long, we couldn’t get the handle to move at all. That is when things got really interesting.
Our electric backup wasn’t cutting it and we finally decided that we were going to have to try using the manual without the crank. This meant that one person would have to hold the machine while another (and at some points two people) would push on the other end. I wish I had video to show you exactly what I mean, but it was hugely entertaining.
In the end, everything turned out well and to celebrate we had a lovely dinner of hurka, kolbász, mashed potatoes and sour kraut. The best part of the meal was the fact that it was just a small taste of what is to come on Christmas Eve!
David is making sure that I can safely run the meat grinder on my own.
Once David felt I wasn't going to cut off any digits, he left me alone.
The master at work.
David was busy making sure that everyone was doing their job.
Great post, you have pointed out some fantastic details, I besides think this is a very wonderful website.
My husbands family also would do hurka and kolbasz once a year, it too, was a family tradition that had gone on for years until the last few years when unfortunately due to sickness and the loss of family members we couldn’t do it. Now we want to start doing it again for our children and we can’t remember the exact recipe can you please help us especially with the hurka…I’d really appreciate it…Dawn
If you would be so kind as to send me your recipes for hurka and kolbasz it would be more than appreciated. My family and I just returned from Cleveland and bought some hurka there from a Hungarian butcher which we do not have here in Northern Kentucky. Thanks!
So what is the Hurka recipe?
People have been asking for the hurka recipe for quite some time and I’ve not been sure how to respond. I want to be helpful, I really do, but in this case I’m not really sure how I can without upsetting someone. This is a family recipe that goes back generations and, in a lot of ways, I don’t feel like it is my recipe to give. Another issue is that the recipe makes a batch that is so overwhelmingly large; I’m not sure how I would begin to break it into something more manageable. Then there are all of the so called, “tools of the trade” that you would need to find in wide array specialty stores that would warrant an entire post on their own. I’ve been given some hurka and kolbász recipes that are for small batches that sound promising, but I want to try them out before passing them along and I haven’t had time to do it yet (one is for s hurka casserole dish, which sounds absolutely fascinating). This is something that a lot of people seem interested in and as soon as I have something that I feel more comfortable sharing, I will post it.
Why is recipe such a big deal. Were in a generation where very few care about passing down traditions . Its by sharing that keep the culture alive . Give out the recipe no matter how big , people are smart enough to cut it down to size. Also getting the right meats is next to impossible anymore , definately not at the modern suppermarkets. Also where do you buy pigs blood – hearts – liver so on and so forth. Seems like there are a few still wanting to keep our heritage alive so why not share. The next generation may not want to spend the day making these old time favorites so they fall out of touch. While there are still a few that willing and want to carry on – SHARE Too many take their secrets to the grave then its lost forever !
If it were my recipe to give, I would gladly do it in a heartbeat. Unfortunately right now it isn’t something that I can give away without upsetting someone. You never know when someone might have a change of heart though. As for buying pigs blood, hearts, liver, etc., it’s quite easy to obtain if you just talk to a good butcher.
I believe a “butcher shop” would be able to obtain the meats or a family owned grocery store i.e. Piggly Wiggly if you have one in your neighbor. Also, try Harris Teeter. Its a try. Iam going to ask the local butcher for help. If I can get it I will send you their contact info. Nothing ventured nothing gained. Maybe between us all we can assist eachother. I believe Pig Blood is liver or called “black sauage”, not sure: but the 3 meats I heard are: 5# each Tongue, Heart, Liver grinned together add rice and seasoning, add to castings. Need to research good casings and the seasoning also amount of rice.
I agree. So my grandmother passed away and all her recepies were taken by a greedy family member or thrown out. I would give anything to have one more day with her. Ifor I would have it in would share the love. I hope you can Google it elsewhere. Good luck!
I clicked on your website thinking I’m going to get a recipe to make Kolbasz. My uncle Frank made Kolbasz every year for our Haas/Hete family picnic. Being a kid back then ( 50 yrs. ago), I didn’t realize what a wonderful gift he brought to our family. Now that he’s gone ( as all from his generation) I was really hoping I found the recipe. 🙁 If anyone out there knows how to make kolbasz AND is willing to share, PLEASE let me know where to find the recipe!
I enjoyed reading you website and looking at the pictures about the grinding of the meat. Would you please send me the recipe for the Hurka and what castings you use. I live in AZ and haven’t had Hurka in many years. My daughter in VA and I are getting together first part of December and would love to make the Hurka for our family as a Christmas surprise. Would you please help me. I am not a cook never was and never will be, but I would love to try making Hurka for the first time in my life and I am going to be 72 yrs old would love to have Hurka again, Please Help. Phone # 919 935 9636 I receive text messages also.
Kathy
https://www.thespruce.com/hungarian-homemade-sausage-recipe-hazi-kolbasz-1136673
This recipe is great!!