Let’s all admit, there’s something about cooking your sausage in a hot sauna. Kiuasmakkara (stove sausage) or saunamakkara is probably the most iconic food to cook in a sauna at least in Finland. Koreans have their famous sauna eggs. However, they are usually not cooked in a sauna. So let’s just say that kiuasmakkara is the food to cook in a sauna.
The procedure of cooking this delicacy is very simple: you just put sausage and onion slices in a grilling bag and pour 3-4 oz beer in the bag. Close the bag and place it on the heated stove and leave it on for about 20 minutes. You can go to sauna and pour water on the stove or on the aluminum bag. The bag won’t care, it doesn’t have feelings. After 20 minutes, carefully remove the bag using oven mittens (yes, aluminum tends to get hot on sauna stove), open the bag and enjoy with mustard (Turun Sinappi).
As for the raw material, HK Sininen would be the only acceptable choice in Finland. However, when abroad, you have to improvise. HK Sininen taste and texture is similar to Bologna sausage and our experienced science group has tried it (see the video below). It is a great alternative. I am not suggesting that it is the best tasting kiuasmakkara but it gets close to HK Sininen.
https://kubys.com/Other great alternatives include German style wiener sausages (wiener wurst) or “knackwurst”, which are both most often pork meat based. In Dallas, the best alternative I have found are Prinskorv that I have found at Wooden Spoon in Plano and Wienerwurst and Knackwurst sold by Kuby’s.
Most regular hot dog wieners are made of beef so they won’t be ideal. Kiuasmakkara must be fatty, floury and pork meat based. Another reasonable option could be Meica Deutschländer but Mein Gott, don’t spend $35 on this via the provided rip off link. If you have an international supermarket of some kind in your neighborhood, that’s a good place to start.
Hakka-Sauna 