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Brined & cooked recipeOrigin Recipe

Kiełbasa Jałowcowa Staropolska

A cooked charcuterie preparation from the Salumi Atlas

Draft

This recipe is a draft, pending verification by The Curesmith. Treat the salt, cure and timing figures as provisional and confirm them against your own judgement before curing.

Introduction

Kiełbasa jałowcowa staropolska is a Polish Traditional Speciality Guaranteed built around cured pork, freshly crushed juniper berries, smoking, cooking and drying. It is made as a dark brown, wrinkled ring in natural hog casing, with a coarse slice and a clear juniper aroma. The protected identity is more specific than the English source title Juniper Sausage, which could describe any link seasoned with juniper.

Where it comes from

Pork cut chart with the Shoulder highlighted
Pork · ShoulderPork shoulder

Before you begin

Purpose and scope

The recipes published on The Curesmith are intended for educational and informational purposes only. Meat curing, fermentation and smoking involve processes that, if carried out incorrectly, can result in products that are unsafe to eat. By using any recipe on this website you acknowledge that you do so entirely at your own risk, and you agree that The Curesmith and its authors cannot be held liable for any outcome arising from its use.

Limitation of liability

The Curesmith and its authors accept no responsibility or liability for any illness, injury, loss or damage arising from the use of these recipes, including but not limited to illness caused by improperly cured, handled or cooked meat products, errors in measurement or technique, equipment failure, or deviation from the stated method or quantities.

Nitrite and cure safety

Meat curing involves the use of nitrite salts, which must be measured accurately and used strictly according to the quantities specified. Nitrite in excessive quantities is toxic. Please ensure you understand the following before proceeding:

  • Always use a calibrated digital scale accurate to at least one gram. For smaller batches, a scale accurate to 0.1g is strongly recommended.
  • Never exceed the stated cure amounts. Never substitute cure types without recalculating.
  • Store all curing salts clearly labelled, separately from regular salt, and out of reach of children.
  • Different cure products have different nitrite concentrations. Always check your manufacturer's label and adjust quantities accordingly.

Food hygiene and cross-contamination

Raw and cured meat products must be stored, handled and prepared in a clean environment using food-safe equipment. Hands, surfaces, tools and containers must be thoroughly cleaned and where appropriate sanitised before use. Cross-contamination between raw meat and ready-to-eat products must be avoided at all times.

Temperature control

Temperature control is critical throughout all curing and smoking processes. Inadequate temperature management can allow the growth of dangerous pathogens including Clostridium botulinum, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella and E. coli. A reliable refrigerator thermometer and a calibrated probe thermometer are essential pieces of equipment for anyone producing cured or smoked meat at home.

Uncooked cured products

Whole muscle products that are eaten without cooking, such as air-dried bresaola, coppa or prosciutto, must reach their target weight loss before consumption. Products that have not been cured and dried to the correct specification may not be safe to eat uncooked. Pancetta and guanciale cured to less than 38% weight loss must not be consumed uncooked.

Bacon and other uncooked cured products

Bacon and other uncooked cured products must be cooked thoroughly before eating. Cold smoking adds flavour and colour but does not cook the product. A cold-smoked bacon or sausage remains a raw product and must reach a safe internal temperature before it is safe to consume. For pork and beef this is 72°C / 162°F. For poultry this is 74°C / 165°F.

When in doubt, seek professional guidance

If you are unsure about any aspect of the curing, smoking or fermentation process, we strongly encourage you to seek formal training or guidance from a qualified food safety professional before proceeding. The information on this website is not a substitute for proper food safety education and training.

Commercial production

These recipes are produced for home and small-scale producers. They are not intended for commercial food production. Commercial meat processing is subject to regulatory requirements that vary by country and jurisdiction. If you intend to produce cured or smoked products for sale, you must ensure full compliance with all applicable food safety regulations in your region.

The recipe

StyleSmoked and cooked
MeatsPork shoulder, Pork ham, Pork shank
Salt2%
CureCure #1
Cook to72 C / 162 F

New to curing, or want step-by-step guidance?

The Recipe Wizard walks you through this recipe one step at a time, with explanations at every stage.

Ingredients

gAdjust to
scale the recipe
Meat & fat
Pork shoulderReference1000 g
Pork ham40% of pork shoulder400 g
Pork shank40% of pork shoulder400 g
Pork back fat20% of pork shoulder200 g
Seasoning
Salt2%36 g
Cure #1156 ppm5.0 g
House Cure #1 at 156 ppm ingoing, suited to a short cooked process.
Black pepper0.3%5.4 g
Freshly crushed juniper berries0.2%3.6 g
Crushed ice6%110 g

Nitrite safety check

Nitrite (NO₂)
156.0ppm
Standard maximum
156ppm
Nitrite level156.0 / 200 ppm max
0156 ppm200 ppm
Safe
Within safe limits. Effective for pathogen control and colour development.

Production

GrindAs the style requires
Rest1 hour, ideally overnight
SmokeCold-smoke below 30 C (86 F), then cook
Cook to72 C / 162 F internal

Method

1
Chilling / rest. Trim the pork into the declared lean, medium-fat, connective and fat fractions and chill to 0–2°C. (Endpoint: The class structure is part of the identity translation.)
2
Chilling / rest. Dissolve Cure #1 in the crushed ice, distribute it with salt across the full 1,000 g animal block and refrigerate for 36–48 hours. (Endpoint: Hold at 3–5°C.)
3
Comminution. Grind each fraction as specified, then mix with pepper and freshly crushed juniper until cohesive. (Endpoint: Keep the mass below 10°C.)
4
Stuffing. Fill natural hog casing, form 200 g rings and remove visible air. (Endpoint: Return rings to refrigeration if processing pauses.)
5
Smoking. Dry the surface, apply warm smoke with optional clean juniper twigs, then cook until the cold point reaches 71°C. (Endpoint: Juniper smoke is a sensory step, not the lethality control.)
6
Drying / maturing. Cool under control, then dry at 10–12°C and 75–80% relative humidity with gentle air exchange to 25–29% weight loss. (Endpoint: Record each ring's starting and final weight; avoid direct fan blast.)
7
Drying / maturing. Measure water activity on the finished lot. Without aw at or below 0.90, package and refrigerate at 0–4°C. (Endpoint: This home adaptation is not certified TSG product and carries no automatic ambient-stability claim.)
Smoking guidanceHot-smoked over wood until it takes colour and the centre reaches its cooking temperature. The heat is doing the cooking here and the smoke is flavour and colour, so cool it quickly once it comes out.
Key tipsThis is the house version of a cooked product; the Atlas entry carries the traditional detail. Keep everything cold, cook to a measured core temperature, and cool quickly.
ImportantThis is a cooked product. Cook thoroughly to a safe internal temperature of 72 C / 162 F before eating, cool promptly and keep refrigerated.

Recipe by The Curesmith — thecuresmith.com