Mention kielbasa and most Americans can imagine a long, U-shaped sausage in a vac-seal bag next to the bacon and hot dogs at their grocery store. Regardless of brand, all these store-bought sausages taste similar: mild and smoky.

The word “kielbasa” translates to “sausage” in Polish. So our interpretation of “kielbasa” is kind of like saying “Italian pasta” with the expectation that all the shapes and styles of preparation will be the same. Kielbasa is a staple in Polish cuisine, and there are countless types and styles of Polish sausage, but somehow we have distilled an entire culinary discipline into one mild pork sausage.

While we are probably missing out on a plethora of kielbasa experiences, we have also refined and honed our generic version of kielbasa into a very distinct thing. What we expect when eating kielbasa is a smoky, lightly seasoned pork sausage that is infinitely versatile. Add it to just about any dish that could use some protein, fat, and a bit of smoky flavor. It’s a lot like bacon in some regards—it’s all kind of the same and everyone likes it.

My kielbasa recipe is an adaptation of the generic American kielbasa—a personalized take on a generic ingredient. I kept the seasonings similar but increased the doses a bit. I go a little heavier on the garlic, and pour on the smoke, and since I generally make this sausage with venison, I use a large percentage of pork fat in relation to the venison meat to mimic the texture and richness of pork sausage.

You can make this sausage with any game. I’ve made it withbeaver,raccoon,ducks, andgeese. As mentioned earlier, the high-fat ratio makes this kielbasa taste rich and juicy. Smoke and fat, what's not to like? You can eat these on a roll with kraut or slaw, toss them into pasta, saute them with veggies, grill, bake, broil, hell, or warm them up over open flames.

This is a workhorse sausage. Make them with anything, cook them however you want, and add them to everything.

This recipe is scaled out by weight instead of volume, which produces consistent results and allows you to start with any amount of meat you want instead of adjusting the recipe based on one-pound increments. For example, if you are working with 1000 grams of meat, you'll need 400 grams of pork fat. As another example, if you have 7.33 pounds (3325g) of venison, you'll need 17g instacure #1.

While this method sounds fussy, it’s very simple once you get the hang of it. And it allows you to work with any amount of meat you want, without having to scale annoying measurements like figuring out what a fifth of a teaspoon is.

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1. Weigh the venison in grams. Use the weight of the meat to calculate the amount of the remaining ingredients you need.
2. Once you have all your ingredients scaled out, mix all ingredients except water and casings. Grind through the medium (~7mm) die of your meat grinder. Spread the ground mixture out on a sheet pan, and place in the freezer for 30 to 40 minutes or until almost frozen.
3. Run through the grinder again through the same die. If you want a finer texture, run it through a fine (4-5mm) die.
4. Add water and mix well with a wooden spoon or in a stand mixer for a minute or two on low-medium speed.
5. Stuff into hog casings and twist into 12 to 18-inch links. Prick with a sausage pricker or sterile needle.
6. Place uncovered in the refrigerator for one to two hours, ideally hanging, or evenly spaced on a wire rack so the air can circulate around them, and allow them to dry.
7. Preheat your smoker to low heat (165 to 180°F) with moderate smoke.
8. Smoke until internal temp reaches 150°F. Remove from the smoker, place on a wire rack or hang from a stand and shower with cold water for 30 to 60 seconds. Allow sausages to cool at room temperature for about an hour, then place in the fridge to completely cool down.