Non-meat eaters: don’t read.  My love of sausage is about to spill forth.

In my search to hold on to some semblance of Christmas tradition, I’ve searched for a decent replacement for the infamous fresh Polish kielbasa found in Hamtramck, MI.  For years, my family has dined on these links of terrible gluttony twice a year: at Christmas and at Easter.  So, having moved away from a Polish food haven into a not-so-Polish food haven, I was left wondering if I’d ever find a comparable sausage.  I searched and, indeed, I found.

Otto’s Sausage Kitchen does it right.  Not only do they do it right, but they do Hamtramck and all Polish lovers of sausage right in their meticulous spicing and crafting.  Located in the Woodstock neighborhood of Southeast Portland, the aroma from not only the shop itself, but the grill that is kindled every day to serve their beautifully simple and delicious wieners to their aromatic brats fills the entire immediate neighborhood with the smells of sweet smoke and sizzling sausages.  Their obvious care in making their product shows.  I made my second trip there in as many years to get a few pounds of Polish kielbasa today and I was assured that my taste buds did not steer me wrong last year.  Last Christmas I was suffering from an illness that caused my throat to constrict, so I couldn’t eat anything that I’d prepared.  After consuming what I could of the sausage last year, I wasn’t really prepared to say whether this is was the real thing or not, but I am now.  The meats and casing used in the processing of the sausages are of top quality and the spices are perfect; strong, pungent, without being overbearing.  The garlic plays top shelf, but the pepper is dominant enough to balance out the flavor variation.  The snap of the casing is perfect and, when cooked properly, the sausage is moist and delectable.  Perfection!

Otto’s has been featured in various media outlets such as:

America Public Media’s Splendid Table

Epicurious.com (one of America’s top-ten hot dogs)

Roadfood.com (Review by Michael Stern)

Again, this shop is top notch.

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