One of the delicious dishes enjoyed across the globe is Kielbasa which is a dark-colored, thick Polish sausage that has a flavor that is heavily smoky. Traditionally, kielbasa was eaten by knights and noblemen, people that are placed in higher authority in the society, however, everyone now enjoys eating it today.
The good thing is that this era is not an era of knights and lords any longer, so everyone now has access to this wonderful meal. What we want to find out is whether or not we can freeze kielbasa. We have been able to find out that kielbasa can be placed in the freezer and this is a wonderful way to store it and use it whenever you want to.
Is Kielbasa Freezable?
You can perfectly freeze kielbasa if you properly prepare it before the process. The ideal method to use is to do it properly so that your kielbasa will not love the texture and flavor associated with it when it is inside the freezer. The proper preparation process is as follows:
- Use saran wrap to wrap your kielbasa
- Put the wrapped kielbasa inside freezer Ziploc bags
- Put them inside your freezer
If you are looking for an alternative method to do this, you can use your vacuum sealing machine to vacuum seal your kielbasa sausages. There is no need to use saran wrap to wrap them before you vacuum seal it. You can keep your kielbasa inside your freezer for about 6 months until you want to eat it.
How To Thaw Kielbasa
The most important thing is to have frozen the kielbasa properly. If you have done that and you are ready to defrost it, the thawing process needs some special attention because bacteria and some other germs always love to be attached to the meat that has not been properly defrosted. You can defrost kielbasa through various methods, it all depends on how fast you need the kielbasa defrosted.
Defrosting with Water
The first thing to do is to remove the wraps from your kielbasa. Get a very large bowl that will fit all of your kielbasas and put them inside the bowl. Get lukewarm water of temperature around 110°F and fill your bowl with it. The bowl should be placed inside the sink under a dripping tap.
The water should not be allowed to be flowing from the faucet but instead, it should drip down for the water inside the bowl to remain at a constant temperature. This will also help to ensure the sausages are moving, to avoid the growth of bacteria due to stagnancy. The bowl should be kept under the tap until your kielbasa has been defrosted successfully.
The size and amount of the kielbasa will determine how fast the kielbasa will get defrost. If you have one kielbasa sausage or two, try to look forward to 20 minutes. Don’t allow the bowl containing the kielbasa to remain under the faucet for over 4 hours. Immediately you are done, use a kitchen cleaner (heavy-duty) to wash the sink and the bowl to kill off any bacteria.
With the Microwave
If you want to use a microwave to defrost your kielbasa, get a microwavable plate, and place your kielbasa on it. Ensure the kielbasa is kept as wrapped from frozen. If the microwave has a defrosting setting, use it to thaw the kielbasa safely. If it does not have the defrost setting, set it to about 50% of power and allow it to become warm for 3 to 4 minutes. You should check to find out if a fork can be used to separate your kielbasa after this stipulated time.
If not, allow it to stay warm for an extra minute with the setting still at 50% before you check again. Immediately the kielbasa can be separated, return them into your microwave for a 2-minute time interval to ensure that all the areas are thawed. Don’t forget to allow gaps between your kielbasa.
Immediately the kielbasa has been fully defrosted, cook them to avoid any growth of bacteria. You can consider the microwave method as one of the quickest methods to use to defrost your kielbasa but you have to eat the sausages immediately you defrost them and cook them to prevent any kind of contamination.
With a Fridge
Ensure the refrigerator is set to the correct temperature of below 41°F. The temperature must not be higher than this because you will risk getting bacteria to multiply on the kielbasa. If the refrigerator does not have an inbuilt thermometer, put your thermometer inside it and close the door of the refrigerator. After about 5 minutes, remove your thermometer and check out for the temperature.
What you need to do when you want to use the fridge to thaw your kielbasa is to first remove it from your freezer and ensure you allow it to remain inside the packaging. It will ensure that your kielbasa can thaw faster and more evenly. In case the kielbasa has already been removed from its package, use food-friendly plastic wrap to wrap it before you place it inside the refrigerator.
The next thing to do is to get a plate and place your kielbasa on it and place the whole plate at the base of your refrigerator. The plate will help contain water that is running off your kielbasa as it defrosts and will prevent it from leaking inside the fridge. Ensure you keep your kielbasa from other types of food because there could be contamination if they get in contact.
Allow the kielbasa to remain inside the refrigerator until you notice it is soft when you touch it. You should not feel any frost or ice on it. Using a refrigerator is still considered the safest method you can use to thaw your kielbasa. However, it could take about 24 hours before it defrosts properly. Once it has been defrosted inside the refrigerator, you can leave the kielbasa within the refrigerator for 3-5 days if you want to.
How Is Kielbasa Made?
Kielbasa can be made through a traditional method, however, in recent times, tools to ease the process have been made available. Kielbasa has three main variants, regular, white, and dried. You don’t need to cook or heat dried kielbasa before you eat it. You also don’t need to cook regular kielbasa but people enjoy it more when they heat it before eating it. White kielbasa, however, is the raw type and you will need to cook it before eating it.
You need to use fat to ground down the meat and then use some spices on the mixture. The mixture of spices and meat is then stuffed in hog casings to create your sausage. You will get the wonderfully flavored sausage when you smoke the sausages which can then be cooked using various methods. You could purchase some machines to make your kielbasa at home in an easy way. This will allow you to be creative, using different flavors and spices to make the kielbasa.
Different Methods of Cooking the Kielbasa
There are different ways you can use to cook this wonderful, rich flavored Polish delicacy.
Microwaving
Microwaving will give you the option of a quick snack. Put them inside your microwave for some minutes and allow them to cook until they are cooked through. This method is the fast method to use and the taste will still be superb.
Boiling
The flavor of your kielbasa will be kept intact when you boil them. All you should do is to heat water simply inside a pan on a stove and put the kielbasa inside. Allow it to cook until they are done through. If you want to make kielbasa hot dogs, this should be your option.
Baking
There are different ways to go about baking it and it is either you bake them alone to add them to dinner or you could use them for your casserole. Nearly anything like tomato or cabbage can be added to your kielbasa casserole, it depends on the kind of flavor you want out of your sausage.
Grilling
If you want an additional smoky sausage, using the grilling method is for you. You can grill the kielbasa to make a major grill dish or to snack the kielbasa off it. You could get an amazing chargrill on the kielbasa when you do it on a barbecue.
What Is The Difference Between Sausage And Kielbasa?
Sausage and kielbasa are not the same even though kielbasa of some forms could be regarded as sausage. Sausage is held within casings with the seasoned mince mix. Usually, sausages are made with pork but some other meats like chicken, turkey, lamb, veal, and beef can also be used. Sausage goes all the way to a large range of foods that are made “sausage-like.”
Kielbasa meanwhile is considered a Polish type of sausage that is made with pork or when you combine pork and beef. The garlic flavor of kielbasa is very strong and is usually complemented with pimentos, cloves, and marjoram. Kielbasa could either be served raw or dried, smoked, or even unsmoked. Kielbasa also has different types and they all have their flavor profiles as well as how they are served. You can pair kielbasa traditionally with sauerkraut; preserved cabbage.
Bratwurst is another sausage you may consider and it is of German origin made from veal, pork, and at times beef. The common seasonings used for bratwurst are ginger, coriander, nutmeg, and caraway seeds. Bratwurst could be broiled, sautéed, or grilled and you could also serve it with sauerkraut.
