The Chicago Hot Link

If you want to make Chicago Style BBQ, then you gotta make hot links. I have always liked having sausage as part of a BBQ spread, but I never realized the hot link is part of what defines our regional style. In this episode I have two hot link recipes to share and I'll talk a little about why I think they represent the sausage known as the Chicago hot link.



I made my first hot links in 2007. I molded the recipe from several online variants which I later learned all came from a single recipe in Hot Links and Country Flavors, Bruce Aidells. At the time most of my searching associated the hot link sausage with Texas style of BBQ. I always wondered how did a Texas sausage end up in BBQ joints in Chicago? Turns out it didn't, The Chicago hot link was born right here, founded on a tradition that came up out of somewhere a little east of Texas. This revelation came to me in the form of a video titled "A Barbecue History of Chicago" by Michael Gebert. In it Gebert presents a thoughtful history of Chicago BBQ and defines the BBQ Style of our region. Take the time to watch it.



Since I first saw the documentary last September, I've been mixing batches sausage and searching the internet trying to find he right link. I have had a few hot links around town and they all can be described, as they were on one food forum, as a "Spicy breakfast sausage." But before I could work on that, I came across another description a hot link containing only salt, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. I'm sorry I have since lost the page where I read this (it's in the LTHForum somewhere), but author claimed to have fashioned these hot links at Hecky's in Evanston. Hecky's is a special place for me because it was the first place I had BBQ in the Chicago area way back in 1990. Misty reminiscing aside, I liked the idea of of those three ingredients making a tasty sausage. Well, it didn't work, batch after batch, it always seemed to be missing something. I finally got it right, with a few more ingredients thrown in.



Chicago Bacon Hot Link

Per 1000g of Meat
80% pork shoulder
20% bacon
16g salt
10g fresh garlic, minced
10g paprika
7g ground black pepper
7g mustard powder
5g sugar
2g red pepper flakes

20g milk powder

100 ml water or beer.

Hog casings soaked at least a half an hour.

Cut pork into manageable cubes toss with the salt. Dice the bacon. Put both in the freezer for half an hour. When the meats are crunchy but not quite frozen, run them through the grinder. Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment or a big wooden spoon beat in spices and milk powder. Gradually add liquid and continue to stir until you get a nice paste. Stuff into hog casings, twist into links (or not) and let them hang in to fridge for at least 24 hours. Slow cook hot links over a gentle wood fire into done, about half an hour depending on your fire.

Substituing Chicken for the pork and cured jowl for the bacon also makes a nice link, here's one stuffed into a lamb casing for a bite sized portion.



I realize bacon may be a surprise ingredient for a hot link. I use it to get more smoky flavor, without having to hot smoke sausage for a long time. I cooked the chicken hot link pictured above in the oven, and the bacon gave it a fresh off the smoker taste.



I really like the Bacon garlic hot link, but for that authentic South side flavor, you've gotta go for with the spicy breakfast sausage.



Chicago Sage and Beef Hot Link
Per 1000g of Meat
60% pork shoulder
40% beef chuck
20g salt
7g paprika
7g ground black pepper
5g sage
5g fennel
3g coriander
2g allspice
5g sugar

20g milk powder

100ml water or beer

Hog casings soaked at least a half an hour.

Cut up the pork and beef and toss with salt. Put both in the freezer for half an hour. When the meats are crunchy but not quite frozen, run them through the grinder. Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment or a big wooden spoon beat in spices and milk powder. Gradually add liquid and continue to stir until you get a nice paste. Stuff into hog casings, twist into links (or not) and let them hang in to fridge for at least 24 hours. Slow cook hot links over a gentle wood fire into done, about half an hour depending on your fire.





Of course these sausages get a better with age, after cooking let them hang in the fridge unwrapped for a couple days, then reheat when you're ready to serve. Or you can chomp on them cold, or roll them in bread dough, and you've got a party in a bun.



Anyway you put it, The Chicago Hot link is a tasty part of our food history that you can now make at home.



Cheers.

South Side Irish Shepherd's Pie Sausage

Happy St. Patrick's Day. Are you looking for an authentic "Irish Bangers" recipe? Well good luck, The Irish don't have much of a sausage making tradition, unless yer up for making a Dirsheen, which is a blood sausage. For a further discussion of Irish bangers, click here.

One thing the Irish do have a lot of is sheep, and last week I was obssesed with lamb.



I went looking for a saddle (that's a cut not a ride) but I ended up with what the packer called a rear quarter; It was cheaper than a leg, but it looks like a leg to me. I chopped up the joint and made stock with the bones. I planned on making Shepherd's pie, so I fired up the search engines and got a couple of books from the library and looked for the perfect recipe. They all boiled down to this: Ground lamb, ketchup, peas, carrots and mashed potatoes. Yumm-o? I realized what I really wanted was a lamb stew, yes that's it, topped with mashed potatoes and browned in the broiler. With a nice stock, it's not too hard to make a stew.





I browned the lamb then removed it from the pot. Next I threw in some sliced onions and carrots let them saute for a few minutes then sprinkled over a bit of flour over the mixture and deglazed with beer. After the beer reduced, everything gets thrown in: Stock, tomatoes, garlic, seasonings, lamb. Set for stew.

For the topping I made what the pros call Duchesse Potatoes. They are potatoes that you mash add a little butter and some eggs. Then using a pastry bag, The potatoes are piped into whatever shape you want. So I put my stew into a casserole topped it with potato and browned it in the oven.



Stew is good but sausage is good and fun. I started thinking about all the ingredients for Shepherd's Pie in a link.



I put together the spices and I got grinding. I did a ratio of fifty percent potato to lamb and twenty-five percent onion to lamb. Also like the stew I added a wee bit of beer.


I had planned on using Guinness, but I forgot to get some, so I ended up using something even better: Home brewed pale ale, made in Beverly by me friend John. Now I have the sausage, I just have to find a party.

St Patrick's Day in Chicago.



On Saturday we went downtown so the boys could see the Chicago river change from dark green to bright Irish green.





Then Sunday we went up to Beverly for the South Side Irish parade. Corinne, John, Jack and Will hosted an open house. We had corned beef, cole slaw, shepherd's pie sausages and more basement brewed ales.



What a weekend, and nice weather to boot. I'd give you a recipe for the Shepherd's Pie Sausage, but I forgot to write it down. I'll make it again soon. In the meantime enjoy St. Patrick's Day, the green means Spring is coming.

Cheers.

Kick it to the Curb Tony: My Southside Ain't Gritty

Once again someone from the national media cannot resist the adjective "gritty" when saying the word "Southside." Anthony Bourdain braved our mean streets in a rented caddie for last week's episode of No Reservations. Apparently he made is back North with all his hubcaps in tact. But nobody told him he was parked in the dead guy's spot.

On the episode he visited Calumet Fisheries. I wrote about this place back in November, and last Saturday I had the chance to spend most of the day there taking pictures, talking to the people who work there and observing first hand the power of cable TV.

"I have no idea how they picked us, but this is great." That's Mark Kotlick, one of the owners of Calumet Fisheries. He spent the day gladly talking to inquisitive new customers, discussing the history of the place and showing off the fish that are smoked right outside. "We smoked a week's worth of fish and we might run out today."

Thank you Tony.



Oh yeah about the dead guy: The manager, Carlos, (who has worked there on and off since 1995, and has a Culinary Certificate from CHIC) told me his story: "I come in one morning and there's a car parked out front, there's usually no cars here, and I notice there's a guy in there. Sleeping. After a few minutes I decide it's time for him to move along and I tap on the window. Nothing. I beat on the window, and I yell and still nothing. Now I'm starting to get a bad feeling. I call 911. A cop shows up, I don't know his name but I recognize him, he opens the door, put his fingers on the guy's neck, then closes the door. The cop says "Yep he's dead. You got any smoked chubs?"



To the guys at Calumet, thanks for letting me spend the day with you, I'll get the photos to you soon.

A different kind of Southside, Pilsen.

If Tony had been a really lucky travelling TV personality, he would have ended up where I was on Sunday, Pilsen. This quarter at Kendall I have Cuisine of Mexico class, and Chef took us on a field trip.



We visited World Wide Produce at the Chicago International Produce Market Then we went to Cermak Produce Which is a beautiful store, not gritty at all.



Then Chef led us to El Milagro for fresh masa. We all got a turn feeding the masa machine.



Masa is used for making corn tortillas or tamales. El Milagro also offeres Chicharrones, chips and tortillas, It(1923 S Blue Island Ave, Chicago) was a fun stop.



But what Tony really missed out on was Carnerceria Don Pedro. As the name implies, they sell carnitas either to eat in or to go.



You don't really need a menu because all they serve is carnitas, or if you are not feeling porcine, barbacoa of goat.





We were served family style with sides chicharrones and jalapenoes escabeche. Chef showed us the proper taco: Some carnitas, crushed chicharrones, onion, cilantro, a squirt of sauce and a squeeze of lime. After lunch Don Pedro showed us the kitchen.





We saw huge kettles where they cook the pork in lard. That right, carnitas are pork confit. Recently I have been reading a lot about chefs getting whole hogs and breaking them down themselves, and making a menu of "nose to tail" dishes. Don Pedro said he goes though fifty whole hogs in a weekend.



He also makes head cheese and long ropes of sausage. It's nose to tail eating on the cheap. The business there is swift on the weekends with the carryout crowd jamming the front of the room, A man in behind the counter chops at the carnitas in a digit removing fashion, and packs to go orders by the pound. There are maybe ten tables for eating in. And don't show up late, at least not on Sunday. We got there at 1:15 and we got the last of the barbacoa, and they were down to their last tray of carnitas.



Carnerceria Don Pedro
1113 W 18th ST
Chicago
312-829-4757
Cash Only
Small parking lot just west of the building.

So come visit the Southside. We got more than just grit.

Cheers.