Prime Cuts

Medisterpølse, or Danish sausage, a staple of my immigrant grandparents. It’s hard to come by and most butchers won’t make it for you because there’s not enough demand for it. Many can order it from German sausage makers, it’s close but never right in my opinion. One of the few places to get it is in Solvang, CA. Solvang was to my grandparents what Chinatown is to many immigrants, an over commercialized version of a time better remembered than actually lived. In Solvang, Danish sausage is easy to come by but so many differ in taste.

Growing up my grandparents would take us to Solvang in an attempt to get in touch with our Danish heritage. We ate well, to say the least, my grandparents would go on and on explaining what Denmark was like and how they missed it. They would always buy at least 10 pounds to go back home with. We would have a traditional meal, or at least traditional to us, that would consist of Danish sausage, red cabbage, boiled red potatoes and brown gravy. All of it simple in it’s preparation and execution but like most great meals, sometimes simple is best. It was this meal that brought so many good times and tales of a land I have yet to visit. The stories were always mesmerizing keeping us at the table for what seemed like all night.

Sadly, my grandparents have long past and we continue to head to Solvang to find the good sausage. After this last Christmas my brother and I set out to make our own and to make it as close as possible to the way my grandparents were familiar with it. We scoured cookbooks, old and new, even a 1942 cookbook written Danish requiring us to translate word for word. We finally found a recipe that we felt comfortable with and began our journey.

If you’ve never stuffed sausage before it’s an experience you’ll never forget but it is well worth the struggle. After grinding the meat three times progressively grinding finer, we chilled, then added spices and chilled again. Then we stuffed, it came out perfect, I still need to master twisting sausage into equal lengths though. We let them rest for a short period, then boiled them setting some aside to eat and froze the rest.

We began the meal humbly and as usual, cutting potatoes, starting the cabbage hours before, constantly checking for the perfect balance of bitterness and sweetness. When time was right we heated and browned the sausages. We deglazed the pan and made our gravy. The meal was perfect, the sausage simple yet great.

It took me back to a time when my grandparents were still with us and would talk for hours. This time gathered around the table we reminisced the good times with our grandparents explaining to our spouses who our grandparents were why we loved them so much. I believe it is this singular meal that constantly reminds me of family and heritage of which I still have much to learn from. I know all of this might sound silly and most obviously exemplary of my passion for food but what is great food if not shared with the people we love?

Below is the recipe we used, enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 5lb. lean pork shoulder, ground 3 times and chilled
• 1 large onion, grated
• 1 Tbsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 tsp. allspice
• 1/2 tsp. cloves
• 1 cup stock (chicken broth)

Preparation

Add seasonings to the meat, mix well. Add the stock. Press into casings (about 5ft. of hog casing) and tie at regular intervals to make links (I had trouble with this, you would think it’s super easy). Here’s where we made our change, instead of instantly frying or baking we boiled until cooked. Then we fried the sausage to give it nice markings and to crisp the casing. Finally, eat and enjoy!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to receive future articles delivered to your feed reader.

There are times in life where having a nice cut of beef for dinner is great but then there is the time when you have the tri-tip trifecta. What is the tri-tip trifecta you ask? It starts with a glorious cut of beef stuffed with sausage and two types of cheeses. This my friend, is something of glory. By no means is this meal my “last meal” but it comes pretty damn close. It all started one summer evening over drinks, we were talking about how one could make one great meal even better, that’s when I heard about the tri-tip trifecta. My friend Nicolette told us what it was and when we heard about it our mouths watered, we almost went to the market to make it right then.

We first tried with two different tri-tips, one stuffed with mild italian sausage and the other with hot italian sausage; the hot was better. We used sharp, white english cheddar and gouda; both were awesome. The first time we tried it we made an amazing coffee-based rub for it, it was amazing but we thought we could do better. The second time we replicated the trifecta and made a brown sugar and scotch wet rub; this was absolutely ethereal.

The best part about the trifecta if done right is that both meat flavors are balanced well, the cheeses are strong but not overpowering and the rub will be tasted subtly in every bite. This is a meal you should come hungry to, you should skip lunch, maybe even breakfast. The trifecta needs to be paired with something great to drink, I decided to pair it with a nice 18 year old scotch, pair it right and you will not be disappointed. As amazing as the trifecta was, it needed to be balanced with fingerling potatoes and grilled asparagus. This mixture was the right amount of texture, starch, and love. As we gathered around the table to eat there was moment of silence as each person was served, it wasn’t in awe of the trifecta itself but that the complexity and fullness of the meal just made sense. Everyone ate pausing for moments, to understand and take in all of the flavors that was being presented in an almost perfect succession. This meal wasn’t fancy, it wasn’t a Michelin star dish, it was simple cooking perfected by people who really love the journey and the taste of food. By people who love sharing their lives around the table one meal at a time. The tri-tip trifecta brought us to the table but we stayed because of each other. Make it, enjoy it, love your friends and family.

Ingredients

Rub
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp paprika
3 tbsp chili powder
3 tbsp garlic powder
3 tbsp onion powder
2 tsp crushed coriander
pepper and salt to taste
1/2 cup fine scotch (the better the scotch, the better the rub)

Trifecta
3lbs. tri-tip
2lbs. hot italian sausage
1/2lb. sharp white cheddar
1/2lb. gouda
kitchen string

Preparation

Rub
Mix contents until fully mixed, this is all about your personal taste, I started with small quantities until I found something I liked. I like heat and scotch so my recipe definitely reflects that, rework accordingly.

Trifecta
Make two cuts along the side of the tri-tip, almost like you’re going to butterfly it. You’ll have essentially two pockets, this works better as the tri-tip stays together better.
Cut the sheathing off the sausage and remove it. Stuff the sausage into the two pockets.
Cut cheese into small cubes, mix and stuff. (At this point the tri-tip should be about twice it’s original size)
Tie the tri-tip so it holds everything in, you don’t want the cheese melting out onto the grill or your oven.
Apply the rub evenly and allow it to rest for at least an hour before cooking.
Cook at 350 until desired doneness is achieved.