Housemade Kielbasa

Once upon a time there was a 900-pound side of beef in my restaurant's walk-in. Then along came a band saw, a rather large smoker, a keen desire to use evey ounce of the meat, and a staff with a flair for charcuterie. The happy ending: kielbasa, the tastiest sausage on earth. Ours, which has some pork in it, too, is smoky, soft, and moist on the inside and has a crispy, caramelized casing when grilled. There's nothing like making your own. —Michael Anthony, Gramercy Tavern, New York City