Peppered Dried Sticks Seasoning, 2 lbs.

1. Grind lean pork with 3/8” plate, fatter pieces with 3/16” plate.
2. Mix ground meat and all ingredients together until the mass feels sticky.
3. Stuff mixture into sheep casings 22 mm diameter. You may use 24-26 mm sheep casings, anything bigger will not be a meat stick but a sausage. It will also need different smoking and cooking times. Link sausage into 60-70 cm (24-27”) links so when hung on a smoking stick the individual links (half of the meat stick) will be about one foot long. You can make shorter 6” links if you like. Don’t separate stuffed sausage into short individual links, leave it linked but as one long rope.
4. Leave it at room temperature for 30-60 min and then smoke it.
5. These sticks can be smoked in two stages: a. smoking with hot smoke 104-122º F (40-50º C) for 50-60 min, b. baking for about 20 min at 140-190º F (60-90º C) until the meat reaches a temperature of 154-160º F (68-71º C) inside. The color of the casings should be dark brown.
6. Total smoking and cooking time about 70 - 90 min. This is a rather short time due to the small diameter of the meat sticks. The sausage is done and ready to eat.
7. Shower with cold water, separate into links and keep refrigerated.
8. The following step was performed in the past to create semi-dry sausages that would last long time at room temperatures: place Kabanosy for 5-7 days in a room at 54-59º F (12-15º C), relative humidity of 75-80%, until the weight is reduced by 45%. If during this drying period you will see a slight accumulation of mold on the outside surface just wipe it off, this is normal.
9. Separate links into individual pieces and keep it in a cool place, no need to refrigerate. In Europe the sausages hang in the kitchen and are consumed on an as needed basis. Most people prefer them when they are about one week old. If you have made a lot of them, place them in a freezer but remember that unfrozen products, though still healthy, never taste the same.

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