This traditional Chicago dish is a bun-topped sandwich with grilled or fried polish sausages, sweet grilled onions, and hot sports peppers. The original Polish sausage, known as kielbasa, which is made with ground pork and seasonings like red paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, must be purchased in order to make the Maxwell Street Polish sandwich. The ingredients and proportions for the sausages used in Jim’s Original are kept a closely-guarded secret and are specially produced for this restaurant.
The sausages are first grilled on an iron plate with a thin layer of oil. The next step is to slice a warm normal hot dog bun lengthwise, spread mustard on it, and then put the sausage in the middle. The sandwich is generously topped with caramelized, thinly sliced fresh onions that have been grilled. Add some pickled green sport as the final step.
What Exactly is Maxwell Street Polish?
A Maxwell Street Polish is a Polish sausage length that has been grilled or fried, topped with grilled onions, yellow mustard, and optionally pickled entire green sport peppers. It is served on a bun. One of “the traditional meals connected with Chicago,” the sandwich has its roots in Chicago’s Maxwell Street market. A Maxwell Street Polish is a must-have in Chicago. For the rest of this essay, I’ll just refer to them as “MSP” because I’m too lazy to keep typing their full name.
Polish sausage on a steamed bun with grilled onions and yellow mustard on top. It’s also possible to add spicy pickled sports peppers, which I believe shouldn’t be overlooked. At Jim’s Original, a man by the name of James “Jimmy” Stefanovic created the MSP in 1943. Jimmy took over his aunt’s hot dog store on the corner of Maxwell and Halsted streets after arriving in America from Macedonia in 1939. The Maxwell Street Polish was developed by Jim’s Original, who rose to fame. Maxwell Street no longer houses Jim’s Original.
How to Make Maxwell Street Polish Recipe?
A flavorful combination of premium ground beef and pig is used to make Maxwell Polish Sausage. Then, a top-secret concoction of seven spices and herbs was added. A substantial sausage with a light garlic flavor and scent is the end result. It is frequently sold as the “Maxwell Street” variant of kielbasa, a Chicago-specific variation of the sausage differentiated by being frequently highly seasoned and manufactured from a blend of both beef and pig. The majority of Polish sausages sold in supermarkets are already cooked and smoked, so all you need to do is place them in a hot skillet for a few minutes to heat them through and achieve a nice crisp on the outside. Also, if you like, you can grill them.
Ingredients
- 1/9 cup of vegetable oil
- 4 links Approximately 1 1/2 pounds of dried-off Polish kielbasa sausage
- 1 yellow onion thinly sliced
- fresh black pepper and Kosher salt
- 4 hot dog buns with fresh poppy seeds
- yellow Mustard
- 6–10 jarred sports peppers
Instructions
- Achieve a 175°F oven temperature.
- In a heavy-bottomed skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. The sausages should cook for about 5 minutes per side, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. To keep a warm, place it on a baking sheet.
- Onions should be added to the same skillet with oil, then stirred together. When the bottom of the onions start to caramelize, which takes about 10 minutes, season them with salt and pepper and simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat.
- Cook for 25 more minutes without stirring after one brief stir. Set aside the onions once they have turned golden and tender. To assemble the sandwich, put a sausage on a piece of bread, spread some nice yellow mustard on top, then pile on plenty of caramelized onions and two or three sports peppers.
- Sandwiches should be wrapped in foil, parchment paper, or deli paper. Give it five minutes to get nice and steamy. eat while standing, using only TWO napkins, and consume a large pop.
What does “Polish Sausage” Mean?
The phrase “Polish sausage” is a general term for smoked sausages. It is frequently replaced by the word “kielbasa,” despite the fact that in Polish, “kielbasa” means “sausage.” Kielbasa can be smoked, fresh, or cured; however, the majority of Polish sausages sold in the US are produced with either pig, beef, or a combination of the two and are smoked.
I became aware of the variety of Polish sausage as I was trying this recipe. I knew I would be using the MSP at Jim’s Original, which is a smoked pig and beef sausage, but I was curious about the others and wanted to give them a try also for mouth-wateringness. So I got three different kinds of Polish sausage, just like any other regular person would! All beef, all pork, and both beef and pork. The picture above shows the various sausage varieties. Pork is at the top left, beef is at the top right, and pork and beef are at the bottom.
What is the Most Traditional Polish Sausage?
A traditional kind of sausage is referred to as kielbasa in Polish. A mainstay of Polish cuisine, kielbasa is available in a number of different forms, notably as smoked or freshly cooked lean pig, though it is also made from cattle, chicken, turkey, and veal. There are distinct ingredients and recipes from each Polish area. Classic Polish pork sausage is known as kielbasa parówkowa. Typically, a mixture of semi-fat pork, jowls, salt, nutmeg, garlic, paprika, and white pepper is used to make these tiny sausages. The ground beef and fat are combined with the other components, such as the ground jowls, after being emulsified with cold water or ice. Before being hot-smoked till light brown, the mixture is packed into casings, and the sausages are linked, coiled, and hung at room temperature.
In Poland, parówkowa is frequently served for breakfast after being briefly cooked in hot water. The name “parówkowa” comes from the steam that the sausages produce when they are placed on a plate. This well-known Polish blood sausage comes in many regional variations, but its basic ingredients are usually pork offal, animal blood, barley or buckwheat, and a variety of spices and fresh herbs. Kaszanka was most popular among the nobility and was presumably developed under the influence of German and Danish culinary traditions. One of the most popular Polish sausages nowadays is the modern variant of kaszanka, which came into being later. It is typically served with caramelized onions, potatoes, or sauerkraut whether it is grilled, fried, or boiled.
What Makes Polish Sausage and Polish Kielbasa Different from One Another?
I’ve heard that they are interchangeable, however, kielbasa, which is Polish for sausage, may occasionally appear on the packaging of the same brands. The two phrases are essentially synonymous in American grocery stores. They both consist of smoked sausage. On the other hand, smoked sausage is prepared before being smoked. Additionally, synthetic smoke “flavors” are frequently added. Smoked sausages can be consumed either cold or heated because they are fully cooked. Italian mortadella, Cajun andouille, German bratwurst, bologna, and hot dogs are among the additional kinds.
Ground pork, turkey, beef, or a combination of meats may be used to make smoked sausage, which may also contain a variety of seasonings. Pork is typically used to make kielbasa in Poland. Ground turkey is used in certain commercial kielbasa versions, but they are not the real thing. The most common seasonings are ground cloves, pimentos, and garlic. Along with other typical Polish sides like pierogies — potato dumplings — pickled cucumbers, and buckwheat groats, serve kielbasa heated, grilled, or boiled.
Is Polish Sausage Healthy?
The sausage known as “kielbasa” has only 6 ounces yet packs 330 calories, 24 g of fat, and 1,590 mg of salt. It is strongly advised to stay away from these meals. She makes the point that although a link of swine sausage can have 290–455 calories and 23–38 grams of fat, a link of turkey or chicken sausage only has 140–160 calories and 7–10 grams of fat.
A strong source of protein and thiamin, this dish has both. High quantities of iron and vitamin B-12, both of which are necessary for producing healthy red blood cells and hemoglobin, are found in abundance in sausages. Additionally, B-12 aids in the metabolism of both fats and proteins! An estimated third of your RDA is provided by each sausage. In order to improve your general health, choose sausages that are low in salt and saturated fat, or even better, use poultry sausages. Using small amounts to flavor a dish, rather than making it the focal point of your meal, is one piece of advice.
Even though a hamburger is a good substitute, you should only eat red meat occasionally, ideally once or twice a week. Niacin, which is important for maintaining a youthful appearance, is found in a sausage in amounts that exceed 40% of your RDA. It’s because sausages are high in phosphorus, which is necessary for sustaining renal function and for creating healthy bones and teeth. Selenium, a vitamin essential for your health, is abundant in pork.
It supports thyroid health, strengthens the immune system, and lowers the risk of heart disease. A fantastic method to support excellent health is to incorporate some foods high in selenium into your diet. Although sausages sometimes get a poor name, they should have a regular place in your refrigerator given their amazing health advantages!
Conclusion
The distinctive sausage, which is frequently offered in retail establishments throughout the Chicago metropolitan area, is the sandwich’s distinguishing feature. The “Maxwell Street” kind of kielbasa, a Chicago-specific variation, is essentially what it is promoted as. The ideal pairing is kielbasa and onion.
A Maxwell Street Polish sandwich consists of a length of Polish sausage that has been grilled or fried and is then topped with grilled onions, yellow mustard, and optionally pickled entire green sports peppers. The sandwich is one of “the traditional meals identified with Chicago” and has its roots in the Maxwell Street market in Chicago.
What makes Maxwell Street Polish great is the fact that it uses a smoked and highly flavorful kielbasa as its main ingredient. Ideally, you want one with a casing that has a big snap. But if you can’t find these, no worries: any similar smoked, bun-length Polish sausage will do. If the only sausages you can find are too long for a hot dog bun, just trim them down to the length of a bun, and you’re good to go.
