Kranjska klobasa

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Kranjska klobasa (German: Krainer Wurst) is a Slovenian national meat dish. It contains at least 68% pork (aside from the bacon), 12% beef and at most 20% bacon. It may contain as much as 5% water, table salt, garlic and pepper. No other ingredients are permitted. Meat must be cut in pieces 10 to 13 mm and bacon 8 to 10 mm. The filling is stuffed into pork intestine with a diameter of 32 to 36 mm. They are formed in pairs of 12-16 cms lengths and weight of 180 to 220 gramms. Pairs are linked together with a wooden skewer. The sausages are hot smoked and heat-cured at about 70 degrees Celsius.

[edit] Variations and Preparation

The “Käsekrainer” (also Kaesekrainer) is a variation of the Kranjska klobasa with small chunks of cheese. “Käsekrainer” contains 10% to 20% cheese (e.g. Emmentaler) cut in small cubes. Käsekrainer were first made on a wide-scale in Austria in the early 1980s. Today they are a standard offering at sausage stands (“Würstelstand”). Käsekrainer can be boiled, baked or grilled. It is essential to keep them on low to medium heat otherwise the outside is burned and the inside is still cold. Care should be taken when preparing, as the cheese can become quite hot; the sausages are cut or poked while cooking to release the melting cheese.
The sausage can be served with curry on top; mustard, ketchup and a piece of dark bread or in the most common form in Austria as a “Käsekrainer-Hot-Dog”. By Hot Dog Austrians mean the bun not the sausage. The bread used is very similar to a French baguette, but shorter (9 to 10 inches long). The bun is cut open at one end and a hole is poked with a warm 1 inch in diameter metal piece. The next step is to put the sauces in the hole. Austrians usually select from the following three: sharp mustard, sweet mustard and ketchup. Often the choice is ketchup and one - or even both - of the mustards.