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Posts Tagged ‘@KlementSausage’

One of Milwaukee’s largest and oldest sausage companies, Klement’s is often my ‘go-to’ purveyor when I’m looking for processed meats.  When I’m not in their distribution area, I even order care packages online.  The company has a wide variety of fresh and cooked sausages, as well as deli and sandwich meats.   I am fond of their summer sausage, corned beef, cocktail sausages,  and liver sausage.

Today I’m cooking up some of their Polish for breakfast. This is a natural casing sausage (YAY), and the company website lists the following ingredients: Pork, water, Beef, Salt, Contains less than 2% of Flavorings, Corn Syrup, Potassium Lactate, Isolated Oat Product, Dextrose,
Sodium Phosphate, Paprika, Sodium Diacetate, Sodium Erythorbate, and Sodium Nitrite.

I’m not one of those consumers that gets all bent out of shape about certain ingredients, too late in my life cycle to worry about any of the alledged effects at this point in time.

Anyway, these are great, for  a breakfast side, or any meal,  on a bun, or on the grill.  I’d be careful on the grill to watch the direct heat, if the casings split, you’re gonna lose a lot of flavor.  My preferred method is to simmer in a cast-iron skillet until the water is gone, and then put a slight char on the sausages.

Perfection.

These beauties come out of the Klement’s plant at 207 E Lincoln Ave in Milwaukee, according to the USDA establishment number on the package.

Klement’s Polish Sausage

Factory – Aerial View

Milwaukee Factory

Klements Polish Sausage Review

I have been on a mission lately on corned beef and pastrami, haven’t I?  Last week, it was WalMart’s house brand, and I’ve previously covered Dietz & Watson, Vienna Beef, and others.  This week, it’s up to sausage town Milwaukee, to cover one of their iconic brands, Klement’s, which was on sale at one of my local groceries for $6.99 a pound, almost half the price of national brands.

Klement’s is full of rich flavor and has a fairly nice texture/chewability.

Ingredients and nutrition are not found on the Klement’s site, unfortunately.

The product is showing a little of that iridescent one occasionally sees on sliced meat, which naturally occurs when the iron in meat comes in contact with a knife or slicer resulting in a slight oxidation.  The sharper the knife or slicer, the more brilliant the colors.

Klement’s can go on my ‘regular’ list, especially when it’s at this price point. Chicago’s Vienna Beef remains my number one choice, preferred for its texture.

I’m working up to trying to make corned beef and pastrami at home; any suggestions would surely be appreciated.  If you have a craving and want to order quality corned beef or other meat products, just click over to our Amazon shop.

Klements Corned Beef Review

I’ve talked about this fine Milwaukee company in the past, opining on their cocktail sausages, and fresh Hot Italian.  Klement’s  makes great natural casing weenies, too.  A number of stores had their summer sausage on sale this weekend, regular or garlic, for less than $2.50 a pound.  A fabulous deal.  This is a pork and beef product, a little more than 2″ in diameter, and the meat / seasoning slurry is packed into an inedible casing before going on to hardwood smoking (peel before eating!).  The garlic is fairly mild, it’s a high quality sausage from a quality maker, who has been around a long time.  We have a few Klement’s products in our little estores.   It does not need to be refrigerated until after it is open.

It’s such a good deal, I’m tempted to buy a bunch for the freezer, but really have no idea how that would work out.  Here’s how you can get some Klement’s  shipped to you.

Ingredients:  Beef and Pork, Salt, Contains less than 2% of Flavorings, Corn Syrup, Dextrose, Lacic Acid Starter Culture, Granulated Garlic, Sodium Erythorbate, Sodium Nitrite. 

Klement’s Garlic Summer Sausages are made in the Milwaukee factory pictured below, according to the package’s USDA code (Establishment 2426B).

Milwaukee Factory

Milwaukee Factory

Klements Garlic Summer Sausage  Klements Garlic Summer Sausage

I’ve written a ton about Chicago’s iconic specialty, the Italian Beef sandwich.  I’ve looked at different brands to prepare at home, as well as a number of restaurant offerings.  Check all those posts out here.  Today we tried Vienna Beef’s home version of the preparation, beef and gravy frozen in a tub.  Spoiler.  Any of these brands will disappoint you if you don’t COMPLETELY thaw prior to heating, and when heating GENTLE rules.  Boil any frozen Italian Beef and you’ll hate it, I promise.  Packaging says you can thaw in the microwave, but I personally would not.  I thaw in frig and the in pan.  24 hours +.  The beef in the au jus appears to be whole muscle meat, not pressed, chopped and formed.  I did inquire of Vienna as to the composition of the beef, but they did not reply.

The product is available in different weights, with just meat and gravy in a tub in your grocer’s freezer section, or as “sandwich kits” which include authentic Chicago rolls and the pickled vegetable relish known as giardiniera.  Several manufacturers of Italian beef in this style, also sell a “French dip” style.  Same stuff, I imagine, without Italian seasonings.

Nestle a hot Italian sausage within your beef, and you have a “Combo.”  I prefer Klement’s from Milwaukee.  I have no ‘beef’ with Vienna’s Italian Beef product.  I love all their products. They tie at #1 on my preference list with one other brand.  Vienna’s beef is mild but very flavorful.  Some other brands are spicier, like Mike Ditka’s (which I believe is also made at the Vienna factory, but with a different recipe).

Have some Italian Beef shipped to your house, just heat, eat, and enjoy.   You’ll be happier if your store leftovers – separate (beef and gravy). We can also hook you up with some great Klement’s Italian sausage.

Klement’s Sausage

Frozen Italian Beef

Thawed, Ready to Heat

Assembled Sandwich, Prior to Dipping!

Vienna Beef Italian Beef Kit

Milwaukee  is a great meat town, and an even better sausage town.  Two of my favorite companies are there,  Klement’s, and Usingers, with the latter dating back well over one hundred years, and the former, the upstart, being only about 70 years old.

Both companies offer a wide variety of smoked and fresh sausages, deli meats, and other specialities, and at least Usingers ships;  seems Klement’s used to, not sure if they do any more or not.   The products are widely available in Southern Wisconsin, Northern Illinois, and Chicagoland groceries.   Both companies use old world recipes, and top quality ingredients for a product you can depend on.