Wurst Behavior

From the «can smell the aroma of this post» department:
Title: Wurst Behavior's housemade kielbasa pays homage to Polish tradition
Author: Dorothy Hernandez
Date: Wed, 29 Jan 2025 12:00:00 +0000
Link: https://chicago.suntimes.com/dishin-on-the-dish/2025/01/29/kielbasa-wurst-behavior-irving-park-polish-food-chicago

Until he was 18, Artur "Art" Wnorowski would visit his family’s farm in Poland,
where for three months he would help his grandfather harvest grains, beans and
potatoes, butcher pigs and smoke kielbasa in the basement smoker.

The smoker was connected to the clay kitchen on the main floor, filling the
entire house with the aroma of kielbasa.

"Being there in the summertime for the harvest season and making sausage was a
part of everyday living, smoking ham, surviving," Wnorowski said. "That was
fun. I didn't think much about it while we were doing it. It was just Grandpa
making sausages."
[image 1]

Artur Wnorowski is seen at his restaurant Wurst Behavior.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

That tradition is on display at Wurst Behavior, 4009 N. Elston Ave. in Irving
Park, which Wnorowski and his wife and partner, Gosia Pieniazek, opened last
fall. The couple also owns Pierogi Kitchen in Wicker Park, where the housemade
kielbasa was almost as popular as the eponymous homemade dumplings.

That got Wnorowski thinking they could start exploring different kinds of
sausages, like brats and hot dogs, which star in dishes such as the Nashville
Hot Chicken (fried chicken sausage, pickles, coleslaw and aioli) and Pierogi
Dog (potato and cheese pierogi, kraut, onion and sour cream).

At the heart of it all is the kielbasa, the foundation for all of the encased
meats. The Irving Park restaurant pays homage not just to the partners' Polish
culture but also to the Old World butcher shop traditions for which Chicago was
known in the 1950s — photos of different shops adorn the restaurant walls — and
offerings like the Chicago Dog are nods to their second home.

To perfect the kielbasa, Wnorowski called in the pros: his family. The keeper
of the family recipe is his aunt, who texted it to his mom who texted it to
him, he recalled as he showed this reporter a photo of a yellow piece of paper
with the recipe written in Polish. (Sorry, the exact measurements are a
secret.)
[1][image 1]

Salt, pepper and garlic are added to pork shoulder for Wurst Behavior’s
kielbasa.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Kielbasa varies from region to region, Wnorowski said. In some areas, it is
smoked with juniper, or other areas will add more garlic. Wurst Behavior’s
version is very smoky, garlicky and peppery.

Making the kielbasa starts with pork shoulder that’s ground in-house, the fat
and meat ground separately before being mixed together for emulsification,
according to Wnorowski. He says it’s all about the ratios, ensuring the proper
amount of salt, pepper and garlic to add to the 16½ pounds of ground pork
shoulder.
[1][image 1]

Artur Wnorowski encases the ground pork shoulder at Wurst Behavior.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

The meat is cured overnight for "extra kick and flavor" before it’s stuffed
into natural casings. The kielbasa is smoked for an hour and a half over pecan
wood, which Wnorowski prefers because it imparts a sweet and nutty flavor to
the sausage, then poached and cooled. The sausage is grilled and served on a
toasted bun with caramelized onions, hazy IPA mustard and sport peppers.

Pieniazek said the food the restaurant serves is Polish American, not 100%
Polish food but inspired by the fare the couple grew up with, incorporating
diverse culinary traditions from their love of cooking and dining out.

Both immigrated to the United States, Pieniazek for high school and Wnorowski
for college. Wnorowski graduated with a degree in finance from the University
of Illinois-Urbana Champaign. They met in 2006 at a Polish hip hop festival and
got married in 2008.
[1][image 1]

Wurst Behavior is located at 4009 N Elston Ave in Chicago’s Irving Park
neighborhood.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

That’s when they pivoted to the hospitality industry as the recession upended
their careers. Their love of food inspired them to open their first restaurant,
Lokal, in 2009. Ella’s BBQ, Earl’s BBQ and Mas Tacos followed. In January 2024,
Wnorowski and Pieniazek returned to their Polish roots, opening Pierogi
Kitchen.

It’s important for them to preserve their culture because "we might be the last
generation that could do it," Wnorowski said. "We came from Poland in our
youth. We grew up there, but we also grew up here as well."

Wurst Behavior, 4009 N. Elston Ave. The kielbasa — served on a toasted bun with
caramelized onions, sport peppers and hazy IPA mustard — costs $12. Go online
to www.wurstbehavior.com.[2]

Links:
[1]: inline image (image)
[2]: https://www.wurstbehavior.com/ (link)