Kranjska Klobasa
A sausage named for the historical region of Carniola, elevated to EU Protected Geographical Indication status in January 2015 as Slovenia's 22nd protected food product. The Slovenian name 'Kranjska klobasa' is legally reserved for sausage made in Slovenia under the registered specification — Austria retained the right to use the separate German name 'Krainer Wurst' as part of the negotiated settlement, a real point of historical friction. The legal recipe permits only coarsely chopped pork, a measured percentage of back fat, sea salt, garlic, black pepper, and curing salt — nothing else, and the fat must stay in visible chunks rather than being finely emulsified.
Meat
Ingredients
- 1 kg pork shoulder, coarsely ground
- 200g pork back fat, diced small
- Natural hog casings
- Sea salt
- 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
- Black pepper
- Curing salt (sodium nitrite, optional)
- Sauerkraut, mustard, and horseradish, to serve
Steps
- Coarsely grind the pork shoulder and back fat separately, keeping the fat in visible small chunks.
- Mix the meat and fat with salt, crushed garlic, pepper, and curing salt if using. Chill thoroughly.
- Stuff into natural hog casings, twisting into pairs.
- Hot-smoke over beechwood until cooked through and colored, or poach gently in barely simmering water as a home alternative.
- Serve hot with sauerkraut, mustard, and horseradish.