Penrose hot sausage recipe.

[shelly_belly]

Yum!

 

[Oldskewl]

^Those look delicious!

I made some last week while I was making Fridge pickles. I used Johnsonville Beef Brats cut in half, as my local grocer only had lil smokies. I'll let you know how they are this evening.

 

[Oldskewl]

Follow up on the Johnsonville Beef Brats:

They worked just fine. Been quite a few years since I had the real thing but the taste was damn close, texture was a tad courser, but I'd use them again.

 

[unfairbeef]

Been subscribed to this thread for many years; it's time I put in. You mentioned sweet pickles so I'll post my variation of them with a spicy kick.

Ingredients
3 english seedless cucumbers, sliced
½ onion, thinly sliced
3 jalapenos, thinly-ish sliced
4-5 very hot peppers like habaneros, sliced
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 cups of white sugar
2 cups of distilled white vinegar
¼ cup water
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 tsp to 1 tbsp dried dill
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
1 4ish oz can chipotle in adobo sauce, pureed
1 tsp smoked hot paprika
1 tsp turmeric

Instructions
Combine veg/peppers, salt well (really well), refrigerate overnight stirring once or twice.
Rinse the **** out of the veg/peppers. Seriously.
Fill jars with rinsed veg/pepper mix.
Combine vinegar, sugar, water, seasonings and pureed chipotle/adobo; bring to boil.
Pour seasoned brine over veg/peppers in jars, seal. Refrigerate.

 

[Oldskewl]

^ Sounds spicy! I don't usually do sweet pickles(I prefer garlic/dill), but there is something special about "Sweet Heat". For store bought pickles I enjoy Vlasic Bold & Spicy, Sweet Chipotle.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I grab singles of Hannahs Red Hot all the time. Love them.

Wondering if this Penrose Clone recipe would work well with Vienna Sausages.

Ima hafta try this.

 

[brewbama]

Made some today

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1468626227.275129.jpg

 

[Oldskewl]

I grab singles of Hannahs Red Hot all the time. Love them.

Wondering if this Penrose Clone recipe would work well with Vienna Sausages.

Ima hafta try this.

In my experience you need to cut the sausage to let the vinegar and spices penetrate. When I used lil smokies whole they never absorbed the flavor enough. That is why I like to use hillshire farms or johnsonvile sausages that are pre cooked and cut them in halves or thirds.

 

[brewbama]

^ Sounds spicy! I don't usually do sweet pickles(I prefer garlic/dill), but there is something special about "Sweet Heat". For store bought pickles I enjoy Vlasic Bold & Spicy, Sweet Chipotle.

Famous Dave's are a good spicy pickle also.

 

[passedpawn]

Nice. I just might give this a try with the Lil smokies. Thanks!

(btw, looks like it's time to clean that keyboard! Hah! OTOH, how do you clean a keyboard?)

Nearly 5 years ago I found this thread in the "unanswered posts" list. I replied because it looked interesting and Ottis seemed to have poured his heart into it and it looked lonely there.

Well, I'm slow, but I finally gave this a shot. I used fresh cayenne peppers because I grow them and have a ton.

I considered halving the lil smokies to get more flavor into them, but ultimately didn't since I wanted to follow the recipe as closely as possible.

 

[majormac2]

Ottis, you are the man! I've longed for ConAgra to see the light and bring Penrose back, but to no avail. I've now made these a couple times trying to find the best product. For me, Hillshire beef sausage has the right texture and mouth feel and I've tried lil smokies and Eckrich sausages too.

I had a small batch in the fridge and my brother-in-law came up and he loved them too. I just can't say how happy I am to have found this site and your recipe.

 

[Nichole123T]

i have never done any canning, but im definitely going to do this.. im 25 and i can still remember just how delicious those sausages were. ive searched and searched for a copy, but nothing never stood out like those even the individual penrose sausages were nothing close. so i will venture into making my own.. my grandma and my uncle bought these often and damnit i would eat them all before they could. they should have hid them well! i hope i do this correctly! i will comeback in a week or so with my results thank you

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

ConAgra does still makes pickled sausages under the Penrose name. Not sold in jars tho'. Singles only. Big Mama, Tijuana Mama, and Firecracker.

I'd have never known if it weren't for this thread. And now I am an addict.

 

[passedpawn]

i have never done any canning, but im definitely going to do this.. im 25 and i can still remember just how delicious those sausages were. ive searched and searched for a copy, but nothing never stood out like those even the individual penrose sausages were nothing close. so i will venture into making my own.. my grandma and my uncle bought these often and damnit i would eat them all before they could. they should have hid them well! i hope i do this correctly! i will comeback in a week or so with my results thank you

I've made two batches of these now. They are delicious, but I'm definitely going to change the sausages I use. Both times I've used "Lil Smokey's" and they just don't absorb the solution enough. I even put holes in the second batch, but no change. I think in the middle of this thread some other sausages were recommended. I'd look for those.

 

[Nichole123T]

im about to go get the stuff now i have keilbosa i was just gonna do both. imma cut the lil smokies in half to see if that helps!

 

[vanishingpint]

I highly recommend Nathan's bun length hot dogs.They have a very good texture that reminds me of my beloved Penrose. I cut them in about in three pieces and add some red food coloring .They look better that way and you can tell how much the brine has penetrated. Yes I know red food coloring will kill me,but I'm hoping the processed meat kills me first.

 

[passedpawn]

I highly recommend Nathan's bun length hot dogs.They have a very good texture that reminds me of my beloved Penrose. I cut them in about in three pieces and add some red food coloring .They look better that way and you can tell how much the brine has penetrated. Yes I know red food coloring will kill me,but I'm hoping the processed meat kills me first.

I'll try that this wkend. I added a bunch of paprika for color, but I might just add the coloring this time. They need to LOOK like fire.

 

[Oldskewl]

I have made 2 batches over the last month. Took the last batch into work for everyone to enjoy and got lots of praise. I have used both Hillshire Farms Kielbasa and Johnsonville Beef Brats. I prefer the Johnsonville Beef Brats.

 

[vanishingpint]

That color is so much of what makes them good!

 

[lovepenrose]

For over a 1/2 hour tonight, I was on the Amazon site looking to buy a box of the Penrose Red Hot Firecracker sausages, but talked myself out of it knowing that I will eat them all and that may not be too good given all the extra things and the type of meat used in them (i.e. mechanically separated chicken, 1200 mg sodium each, etc). But I do remember the Penrose in a jar as I would pick them up years ago in a local Kroger.

I decided to see if I could find a better option or a clone. I wasn't finding a recipe with any rave reviews until I happened to come across this link here.

Some questions if you don't mind answering for those who have done the recipe.

For those of you who have made this repeatedly, did you use the V3.5 method? Would you say this recipe is equally as good as the original Penrose sausage or better? Does the juice have the same type of bite to it - just as good?

Did anyone end up trying the V3.5 method described by putting the spices on top of the sausage in the jars and then pouring the brine in instead of mixing in directly as described in V3.0?

Also, in terms of the coloring with Paprika to get more of that red coloring ( really like to avoid the food coloring), did you find adding a little more does the job or is the measurement just right as is already?

Did anyone try the suggestion of mincing garlic cloves and dicing a white onion instead of using the powders? Did you notice a result/difference?

Tomorrow, I am heading to get some mason jars, and gonna get the ingredient list - can't wait. I hope have time to make them tomorrow or by Saturday. I will be sure to post an update when I get them done.

Thanks!

 

[passedpawn]

For over a 1/2 hour tonight, I was on the Amazon site looking to buy a box of the Penrose Red Hot Firecracker sausages, but talked myself out of it knowing that I will eat them all and that may not be too good given all the extra things and the type of meat used in them (i.e. mechanically separated chicken, 1200 mg sodium each, etc). But I do remember the Penrose in a jar as I would pick them up years ago in a local Kroger.

I decided to see if I could find a better option or a clone. I wasn't finding a recipe with any rave reviews until I happened to come across this link here.

Some questions if you don't mind answering for those who have done the recipe.

For those of you who have made this repeatedly, did you use the V3.5 method? Would you say this recipe is equally as good as the original Penrose sausage or better? Does the juice have the same type of bite to it - just as good?

Did anyone end up trying the V3.5 method described by putting the spices on top of the sausage in the jars and then pouring the brine in instead of mixing in directly as described in V3.0?

Also, in terms of the coloring with Paprika to get more of that red coloring ( really like to avoid the food coloring), did you find adding a little more does the job or is the measurement just right as is already?

Did anyone try the suggestion of mincing garlic cloves and dicing a white onion instead of using the powders? Did you notice a result/difference?

Tomorrow, I am heading to get some mason jars, and gonna get the ingredient list - can't wait. I hope have time to make them tomorrow or by Saturday. I will be sure to post an update when I get them done.

Thanks!

I can't answer most of your questions because I made v2 or something. But I will say the brine is going to satisfy you. The only problem with the ones I made was in the sausage. I used the Lil Smokies. For whatever reason, those don't soak up the brine very well. I would not use those. Also, while paprika did make the brine reddish, it's still not that alarming red that the Penrose was. I'm afraid you'll need to add food coloring to get that.

 

[vanishingpint]

For over a 1/2 hour tonight, I was on the Amazon site looking to buy a box of the Penrose Red Hot Firecracker sausages, but talked myself out of it knowing that I will eat them all and that may not be too good given all the extra things and the type of meat used in them (i.e. mechanically separated chicken, 1200 mg sodium each, etc). But I do remember the Penrose in a jar as I would pick them up years ago in a local Kroger.

I decided to see if I could find a better option or a clone. I wasn't finding a recipe with any rave reviews until I happened to come across this link here.

Some questions if you don't mind answering for those who have done the recipe.

For those of you who have made this repeatedly, did you use the V3.5 method? Would you say this recipe is equally as good as the original Penrose sausage or better? Does the juice have the same type of bite to it - just as good?

Did anyone end up trying the V3.5 method described by putting the spices on top of the sausage in the jars and then pouring the brine in instead of mixing in directly as described in V3.0?

Also, in terms of the coloring with Paprika to get more of that red coloring ( really like to avoid the food coloring), did you find adding a little more does the job or is the measurement just right as is already?

Did anyone try the suggestion of mincing garlic cloves and dicing a white onion instead of using the powders? Did you notice a result/difference?

Tomorrow, I am heading to get some mason jars, and gonna get the ingredient list - can't wait. I hope have time to make them tomorrow or by Saturday. I will be sure to post an update when I get them done.

Thanks!

I've made these numerous times.I prefer the v3.5 method as it is easier to distribute the spices that way. Have only used dry spices but i think they turn out very good.As I said before I'm hoping the processed meat kills me before the food coloring does cause they taste better if they're fire engine red. I think you'll enjoy them whatever route you go.

 

[Oldskewl]

I've done them both ways. Really can't tell much difference in the end product. Your friends and family will appreciate the v3.5 method as the earlier version will make everyone's nose and throat burn if boiled inside. Most of the spices settle to the bottom after a few hours in the fridge so I would say red food coloring is the only way to get the color. I don't really care what they look like. Taste and texture are my concerns and this recipe gets you darn close. Good luck!

 

[lovepenrose]

Here is my first batch attempt and I have included some pictures below (see attachments).

A few things I did.

I ended up adding a Picking Salt for the preservation as specified, but then 1/2 tsp of Picking Spices for extra flavor. I also bought a fresh garlic and white onion to mince, but I wanted to try the first batch with the regular spices first to see. I have enough to make a second batch and this time will try adding the fresh garlic and onion to see how that influences the taste.

You will notice vice grips. One of the spices was jammed tight and would not budge after straining and straining. Nothing was to go stop me now

I ended up mixing the spices together in a bowl first before pouring in, but it doesn't matter, it was just easy for me to see what I put in and haven't quite yet as opposed to directly adding in the jar. In the end, it's going to mix together regardless.

I used Eckrich smoked sausage (2 packs) and cut in half since they were hot dog bun length. They didn't have Hillshire farm and thought the smokies were too small for my liking.

When I finished pouring the hot base brine in and sealed it, I rocked the jar back and forth end to end to mix the spices very well with the base brine, in doing so I ended up with a nice richer darker red coloring.

I am going to wait a full 7 days before I open and try them. I will be back next Friday 10/7 to give a report

 

[lovepenrose]

I just made the second batch, except this time I minced up fresh garlic and white onion to add. I could tell when I was cutting the garlic that it may help bring out a little more flavor, but I will be able to compare both by next Friday.

Word has already gotten around in the family, my first request to make a batch for them. If this turns out awesome, I may be making some smaller batches and gifting it for Christmas hehe

 

[lovepenrose]

This is a related question to pickled hot sausage, but I was just trying to recall when I first encountered having a pickled sausage. Then I remember in the 80s, there was a red hot sausage you could buy in a package like you see today with Firecracker and Big Mama, etc.

I think it was in a white packaging with blue lettering on the name. Did Frito Lays happen to make a red hot sausage they sold? I tried searching the internet to see if could find a package or wrapper, but can't seem to find what it was. Whatever that red hot sausage was, I thought it had such a great taste as well.

It wasn't until I came across the penrose firecracker that I thought it tasted very similar, but I remember the 80s one being so much better. Anyone recall what it could have been?

Thanks!

 

[lovepenrose]

3 more days to go unto I can unveil on Friday, need my countdown calendar!

I've done them both ways. Really can't tell much difference in the end product. Your friends and family will appreciate the v3.5 method as the earlier version will make everyone's nose and throat burn if boiled inside. Most of the spices settle to the bottom after a few hours in the fridge so I would say red food coloring is the only way to get the color. I don't really care what they look like. Taste and texture are my concerns and this recipe gets you darn close. Good luck!

 

[lovepenrose]

Given that these have been in the fridge so far and are cold, would you recommend that maybe I transfer some to a smaller mason jar on Friday with some of the brine and let it room up to room temperature? maybe warm the smaller mason jar in some hot water? or have found the preference is to eat these cold?

 

[passedpawn]

Given that these have been in the fridge so far and are cold, would you recommend that maybe I transfer some to a smaller mason jar on Friday with some of the brine and let it room up to room temperature? maybe warm the smaller mason jar in some hot water? or have found the preference is to eat these cold?

Eat them both ways and you decide. I ate mine cold.

 

[Oldskewl]

I always eat mine cold. I usually ate my Penrose cold also. You may get some greasy texture from the sausages if you let them warm