Southern style cooking??

[Ed62]

We buy most of our meat from a local meat market, where they give you the old fashioned service, like you expected years ago. They also sell ready-made dinners, and they have a menu for their "Southern Style Cooking". I had a good laugh when one of the things you could order was a Polish sausage dinner. Now I'm wondering how many of you southerners even know what Polish sausage is, or if you've ever eaten it? I'm guessing if it's cooked southern style, it must come with grits.

Ed

[DonHo]

I'm not sure polish sausage is a Southern staple but one thing you can be sure of is if it's Southern style it'll be fried

DonHo

[mater]

When I was growing up the only time we had Polish sausage was when the fair came to town.

[SARGE..g-47]

I had heard of Polish saugage when I was young, but I was in my 20's before I had the opportunity to try it. As far as I know, we didn't have any Polish pigs to raise and butcher for the smoke-house... we didn't have freezers either.

Then again, I never heard of pizza till I was 15 (1972 I believe) when someone took us to a Pizza Hut in Atlanta. I took one look at a pizza at someone else's table and ordered spagetti. ha.. ha...

On the other hand.. those that were familiar with Polish saugage would most likely not have a clue what "link sausage" or press meat is. We won't go into chittlings.

[Stytooner]

Oh we have Polish Sausage. It's all kinda polish or log shaped till you slice it into patties and fry it.

[Bruce Cohen]

Y'all should be ashamed of yourselves. Not knowing the answer to Ed's post.

Polish sausage or better known as Kielbasa is an acceptable substitue for Andouille, a staple in Cajun and Creole cooking.

Andouille |anˈdoō-ē|
noun
a spicy pork sausage seasoned with garlic, used esp. in Cajun cooking.

On the other hand Polish sausage is Kiełbasa, a Polish word for traditional Polish sausage.

Now isn't it weird that a Brooklyn NY Jewish yankee has the answer.

This is something you guys that live on the Texas/Louisanna border and in Louisanna should know

Bruce

[docrowan]

I'm Louisiana born and raised and have lived in Mississippi for the past 12 years, but my mom is from Germany, so I was also raised on bratwurst, teewurst, saurkraut, etc. I can say that Polish sausage would not be considered "southern" cuisine. But, if it's full of fat, salt, and/or sugar, we'll cook it and eat it, preferably deep fried.

I lived in South Louisiana for 5 years and got pretty good at Cajun and Creole dishes. A welder in our shop named Ronnie Oubre taught me how to make chicken and andouille gumbo and jambalaya the Cajun way. I had to go to some training in Peoria, IL and saw jambalaya on the menu, so I ordered it on a lark. It had mostly the same ingredients, but it sure didn't taste like the jambalaya I'd learned to make.

[Uncle Cracker]

Polish sausage is not really traditional cracker food, but plain old smoked pork sausage certainly is. But I do like Polish sausage, and it will do in a pinch to get the fat level up.

My most fave is andouille, though. Every cajun family has its own recipe, and I'm on a mission to try them all before I have my coronary.

[docrowan]

Hey Uncle,

Ever been to LaPlace, Louisiana? They bill themselves as the Andouille capital of the world. I lived there for 5 years and, man, you can't throw a brick without breaking the window of a great place to eat. The doggone Texaco station down the street served some of the finest poboys I've ever had.

[Ed62]

On the other hand.. those that were familiar with Polish saugage would most likely not have a clue what "link sausage" or press meat is. We won't go into chittlings.

Press meat? I order link sausage when we go out for breakfast, and we usually have some in the house. Back when I was drinking, I actually ate chitlins'. At the time I thought they were pretty good, but I haven't had them since.

Ed

[LCHIEN]

Y'all should be ashamed of yourselves. Not knowing the answer to Ed's post.

Polish sausage or better known as Kielbasa is an acceptable substitue for Andouille, a staple in Cajun and Creole cooking.

...

Ja, would a Pole accept Andouille as a substitute for Kielbasa?

[Bruce Cohen]

Ja, would a Pole accept Andouille as a substitute for Kielbasa?

Depends on how hungry he is. And we're not going to get into any Polish jokes.

[Uncle Cracker]

Hey Uncle,

Ever been to LaPlace, Louisiana? They bill themselves as the Andouille capital of the world. I lived there for 5 years and, man, you can't throw a brick without breaking the window of a great place to eat. The doggone Texaco station down the street served some of the finest poboys I've ever had.

Yes! I have... and purely by accident. It was about 20 years ago, on the way from NO up to Red Stick. The 10 was shut down because of a crash, so we detoured through LaPlace (and a half dozen other burgs) on 60 or 61, or something like that. Looked like it was the main drag. Stopped at some diner-kinda place (don't remember if it even had a name) that had 3 different kinds of andouille on the menu. I couldn't decide, so I had all 3!!

Was gonna stop on the way back, but it was the middle of the night.

[SARGE..g-47]

Press meat? I order link sausage when we go out for breakfast, and we usually have some in the house. Back when I was drinking, I actually ate chitlins'. At the time I thought they were pretty good, but I haven't had them since.

Ed

Afternoon Mr. Ed... I will explain "press meat" and I do believe it has another name that doesn't come to mind at the moment. Pretty much stems from the depression years when things were hard to come by. Southeners and most likely everybody didn't waste much when a hog was slaughterd.

Press meat was ground head components that were kept together by mixing in lard or fat. The outer fat of a hog was fried and is what we call fried "fat back". As you got closer to muscle tissue it would often had a slight vein of meat in the fat. That is known as "strict-o-lean" even though there is not much lean about "fat back" to begin with. ha.. ha...

Ears and feet of the hog were pickled in vinegar and called well... you know. Brains were fried with eggs and my grandfather loved both of these. His favorite grandson passed on all three. Chitlin's as you obviously know is the intertines boiled. My grandfather loved those also, but as far as I was concerned... I avoided his home when I smelled them cooking. They had an odor that went far beyond the kitchen reaching out and grabbing your nostrils before twisting them in a knot.

And other parts you would recognize would be pork chops.. ribs.. and sausage ground from meat with fat added to make it stay together.. pork loin.. etc.

On further though.. I think "press meat" was also called "souse" or something of that nature. It was long ago for me and I just ate what was on the table as I eat almost anything and like it. But.. a few of these things even I won't eat when we are so fortunate these days.

[Ed62]

Afternoon Sarge,

On further though.. I think "press meat" was also called "souse"

Now that sounds vaguely familiar. Thanks for the education.

Ed