History

Polish and Slovak butchers in Slavic Village smoked kielbasa for the neighbourhood's mill-worker tables from the 1880s. The Slovenian and Polish parishes still run Easter blessing-of-the-baskets with kielbasa-and-eggs through Lent.

Common allergens: Gluten, Sulphites

Make it at home

Yield Serves 4Hands-on 15 minTotal 25 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 4 smoked kielbasa links, about 600g total
  • 4 long rolls or rye slices
  • Yellow ballpark mustard
  • Bertman or Stadium Mustard spicy brown
  • 200g sauerkraut, drained and warmed
  • 1 onion, sliced and slowly caramelized

Method

  1. Score the kielbasa lengthwise to prevent splitting.
  2. Grill over medium heat 4 minutes per side, or pan-fry in a dry skillet until charred and heated through.
  3. Toast the rolls or rye lightly.
  4. Lay a kielbasa link on each roll, top with warm sauerkraut and caramelized onion.
  5. Finish with a heavy stripe of Stadium Mustard or Bertman Ball Park Mustard plus optional yellow ballpark mustard.

Tip from the editors. Smoke the links over applewood for 30 minutes before grilling if you want extra depth.

This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.

Where to eat kielbasa

Kielbasa in Cleveland

West Side Market food stalls ★ 4.8

ohio-cityMon, Wed, Fri-Sat 08:00-17:00, Sun 10:00-16:00, closed Tue Thu

The West Side Market on West 25th Street since 1912, the 60-vendor public market in the Hubbel and Benes Hall, runs cheap-eat lunches from bratwurst, pierogi, gyros and tacos under one roof.

Try: Cheap-eat lunches from 60+ vendors: bratwurst, pierogi, gyros, tacos

1979 W 25th St, Cleveland, OH 44113

Seti's Polish Boys ★ 4.6

ohio-cityFestival, ballgame and private-event schedule, see Facebook for current dates

Seti's Polish Boys, Cleveland's longest-running Polish Boy food truck on the festival circuit, runs the canonical kielbasa-fries-slaw-BBQ stack of the city's signature sandwich.

Try: Polish Boy: grilled kielbasa, fries, slaw and BBQ sauce on a bun

Cleveland, OH (mobile food truck across Northeast Ohio)

Prosperity Social Club ★ 4.4

tremontMon-Thu 16:00-00:00; Fri-Sat 16:00-01:00; Sun 10:30-22:00Until Mon-Thu 24:00, Fri-Sat 01:00

Prosperity Social Club on Starkweather Avenue in Tremont, a 1938 tavern with original wood-paneled walls and Wednesday polka, runs late-night pierogi and tavern fare through 01:00 on weekends.

Try: Pierogi, kielbasa and tavern fare

1109 Starkweather Ave, Cleveland, OH 44113

More cities are in research. Want kielbasa covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

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