Kopytko's, R.I.P.

[jbk101]

I'm going to have to ask my friend [[still lives in the Detroit area) if he is related to this person. I grew up in Hamtramck and was really sad when if found out that Kopytko's closed. Since then I have been researching how to make my own so thanks again for the recipe. If I may ask do you smoke your's and if you do are you cold smoking or hot smoking it. Also any other tips are and would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks again,
John

[jbk101]

Do you smoke your sausage? I have been trying to find out if Kopytko's cold or hot smoke their chunky version of Kielbasa which I loved dearly. Any tips or suggestions on how you make your own Kielbasa would be appreciated.

[jcole]

We always hot smoked ours on a home smoker. It turned out really well. We would also keep some of it fresh.

[jbk101]

I am considering both methods [[Cold and Hot Smoked), I have been told that the traditional Polish method is cold smoking the sausages using Juniper wood. What kind of wood are you using when you hot smoke? I like both the fresh and smoked kielbasa so I would keep some fresh and smoke the rest when I do attempt to make it. Where I live at in Southern Indiana cannot find any good Polish or Eastern European types of sausages.

[jcole]

I am considering both methods [[Cold and Hot Smoked), I have been told that the traditional Polish method is cold smoking the sausages using Juniper wood. What kind of wood are you using when you hot smoke? I like both the fresh and smoked kielbasa so I would keep some fresh and smoke the rest when I do attempt to make it. Where I live at in Southern Indiana cannot find any good Polish or Eastern European types of sausages.

It's been a while since we smoked any but I think we were using hickory and apple. It's what we had.

[ja!mz]

Whats the origin or history of the recipe for kielbasa that was posted? I cant wait to try it...

[jcole]

As I said above, it was Judge Szymanski of Detroit's recipe; it was posted in one of the local papers in the 70's. I may still have the actual clipping somewhere; I'll look for it

[jcole]

BTW, it's Judge Frank Szymanski

[ja!mz]

Info on the Judge:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Szymanski

[Frumoasa]

The Wedding and Grill Sausage at Produce Palace is the closest I have come to Kopytko's flavor...lean and garlic and pepper flavored. The other decent west side shop is Markowcz's Home Style European Sausage, 8616 Michigan Avenue Detroit, MI 48210 [[313)846-6870.
Been around since the mid 1950's and is the last holdout of the old neighborhood.

I second this opinion. Excellent quality and old fashioned. If anyone is interested in the Romanian version of these prodicts, Nortown bakery's owner does his own carnatzi and salam of a very good quality. He is located at 7 mi and VanDyke in a decidedly non-Romanian enclave.