A funny thing happened to my kielbasa on the way to the grill

[Ellen]

About six weeks ago I bought some smoked kielbasa from the Polish market. I dont recall which kind, they have so many, but they said that this version was good for grilling. Well, it sat around in the refrigerator loosely wrapped in a plastic bag and also endured four trips in a cooler, and I never did get around to cooking it at either house. So, I looked at it the other day, debating whether or not to slice it up in some cabbage soup I was making or just toss it, figuring it had to be dead or dying. It looked fairly dried out but it still smelled OK. So I sliced a small piece off and tasted it. And dang if it didn't taste really good, with the texture of a cured salami. I never did put it in the soup but now enjoy it with some sharp cheeses like manchego and cheddar, Did I inadvertently make salami out of my kielbasa?

[Thefoodgenius]

Well, botulinum will only grow at above 40 degrees, so I'd say if you were below that, then, yet, you did. If you were above 40, then you may have been lucky so far.

[PurpleTeeth]

In my experiance most smoked Polish Sausage is much better after a little drying out. In most Polish homes in the country they hang them from the rafters in the kitchen until they are needed. I find that at home if I wrap the sausage in butcher paper and let it sit for a few weeks I get a similar effect to teh ones I had in Poland.

[bluishgnome]

Sit outside or in the fridge? This sounds very interesting and delicious (and easy to do...) Is there a specific type of smoked Polish sausage that I should look for?

[Hal Laurent]

It will dry out in the fridge wrapped in paper (rather than plastic). The flavor concentrates nicely as it dries. The stuff I buy is labelled "polska" at the market where I buy it, but I don't know what it would be called in Poland.

[aussiewonder]

I'd like to try this, Hal are you buying Ostrowski's by chance?