Csabai Kolbász (Hungarian Spiced Sausage from Békéscsaba)
Csabai Kolbász is a Hungarian raw sausage from Békéscsaba with PGI protection and an intense paprika-garlic profile. It is made with a blend of sweet and hot Hungarian paprika, then cold-smoked and matured. The balance of paprika, caraway and garlic makes it one of the most famous Hungarian meat products.
Ingredients(for 1 kg)
Instructions
Mixing & Pre-salting
1 dayMince meat and fat through the 8mm plate. Add all spices, garlic and curing salt and knead thoroughly until the mixture is homogeneous and sticky. Cover and rest for 24 hours at 4 °C.
Filling & Tying
1-2 hoursFill the mixture firmly and without air pockets into pork small intestines (caliber 32-36). Twist into 30-40 cm long pairs and tie with kitchen twine. Prick with a needle to remove any air inclusions.
Cold Smoking
3-5 days (6-8 hours each)Cold-smoke daily for 6-8 hours at 15-20 °C with beech wood smoke. Between smoking phases, allow the sausages to rest in cool air (below 15 °C). The surface should be deep red and slightly dry after smoking.
Air Drying & Maturation
3-5 weeksAir-dry the Csabai at 12-16 °C and 70-80% humidity for 3-5 weeks. The sausage is ready when it feels firm and has a weight loss of approximately 30-35%. The cross-section shows an evenly saturated red color.
Pro Tip
Use only genuine Hungarian paprika (édesnemes sweet and erős hot) for the typical Csabai flavor. You can adjust the ratio of sweet to hot paprika depending on the desired heat level.
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