Sausage Campagnola, an Old World Tradition

georgehirsch August 11, 2025

Cooler nights and a bounty from the garden. Campagnola, an italin style hearty country dish fitting for this time of year.

The old world tradition of sausage and vegetables makes this rustic country dish ideal for cooking on the grill or stovetop. Cook it today and it will taste even better tomorrow.

Note: With this country-style dish, you can add seasonal and readily available vegetables such as mushrooms, zucchini, and peeled carrots.

Sausage Campagnola

Makes 4-6 servings

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2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 pound Italian Ring Sausage or 4 links

½ sweet onion, chopped

6 cloves of garlic

1 red bell pepper, cut into small strips

2 small Yukon potatoes, sliced thin

¼ cup dry white wine

pinch red pepper flakes

3 Tablespoons Fresh Basil, torn

¼ cup pecorino Romano cheese

Preheat a large sauté pan over medium heat.

Add olive oil and sausage and cook until the sausage has browned. Add onion, garlic, red bell, and Yukon potatoes and cook on low to medium heat until soft and a rich golden color and fully cooked.

Add Kale, red pepper flakes, fresh ground black pepper, and wine, cook 4-5 minutes.

Serve topped with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese.

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Frankfurter Wurstchen

George Hirsch August 7, 2025

My number one pick for a hot dog was found in a German rathskeller. A "Frankfurter Wurstchen" (Frankfurter Sausage) is a thin, smoked, then-boiled sausage made from pure pork meat in a sheep's casing. Traditionally, it's served very simply on a plate with hearty brown bread, mustard, and sometimes horseradish. You know it's great sausage when a frank can be served solo without a pile of toppings to drown out the taste. The name "Frankfurter Wurstchen" has been protected in Germany since 1860 as a denomination of geographical origin and may only be used for sausages from the region around Frankfurt am Main, aka just Frankfurt. BTW, this sausage has been around since the 13th century in Frankfurt.

Here in the US, there are so many packaged hot dogs in varieties made from beef, pork, chicken, turkey, and, let's not forget, soy. I have found in the US that most local butchers carry, frankly, a better quality wiener and are even better when they make their signature links. A good example of a German-style butcher frankfurter done well in the US is Forest Pork Store in Huntington, LI, which is as close to an authentic "Frankfurter Wurstchen" as you can get on these shores.

However, if you are in a pinch and your butcher is closed, follow my top criteria for packaged hot dogs. You want to taste the meat and not the fillers. Check the ingredient label and avoid fillers and other ingredients that contain non-food listings you've never heard of. Hebrew National makes an all-natural promise—no fillers or by-products, no artificial flavors or colors—and comes close to fulfilling that statement.

If I'm at home grilling "Frankfurter Wurstchen," I use New York's Brooklyn Hot Dog brand; it's an all-beef smoked hot dog—just about the best of the wurst between a bun. This frankfurter has just the right amount of snap, with a meaty flavor with zero aftertaste. Grill them just right and top with spicy mustard and kraut, too!

In Germany, the frank is served solo with dipping mustard on the side, a sure sign it's something good. It makes you wonder why, in the US, everything from kraut, onions, chili, pickles, relish, salsa, tapenade, and faux cheese toppings makes its way to top off a hot dog. That's got to be the reason we are not allowed to call it "Frankfurter Wurstchen."

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Grilling Shoyu

George Hirsch July 25, 2025

Happy Friday! Shoyu is another name for Japanese soy sauce, made from fermented soybeans, barley, and salt. It was brought to Japan around the sixth century by Buddhist monks.

George’s Shoyu Chicken

Makes 4 - 6 servings

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One 3-pound chicken, cut into 8-10 pieces, or four 8-ounce *chicken breasts

Shoyu Marinade

Makes 1 1/4 cups

1/2 cup Japanese soy sauce

1/4 cup light or dark brown sugar

1 Tablespoon sesame oil

2 green onions (scallions), chopped

6 cloves garlic, chopped fine

1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped

1 teaspoon hot sauce

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir well.

Basting Sauce

2 Tablespoons sherry

2 Tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon fresh cilantro, chopped

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Pour the Shoyu marinade over the chicken and marinate overnight or for at least 3-4 hours in the refrigerator.

Preheat grill.

To make the basting sauce: combine the sherry, honey, cilantro, lemon juice, allspice, and nutmeg in a small bowl and mix well.

Remove the chicken from the marinade and place on the grill, turning every 8-10 minutes until fully cooked, 35 to 40 minutes. After 30 minutes of cooking, brush the chicken with the basting sauce. Serve hot, room temperature, or chilled. * if cooking chicken breasts, reduce the time to 4-6 minutes per side.

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George Hirsch’s Cedar Plank Salmon

George Hirsch July 6, 2025

I've introduced the age-old art of hot smoking on wood planks for over twenty-five years in my TV shows and cookbooks. It's foolproof and quite impressive for entertaining, and as I say at the end of my show.."If I can do it, you can do it!"

However, this technique of cooking on planks is far from new. The Indians in the Pacific Northwest cooked on cedar and alder, a tradition done for many centuries, as all cooking was done on an open fire. Once you try it yourself, you'll see why.

Chef George’s Cedar Plank Salmon

Makes four servings

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*1 cedar plank

One 1 1/2-pound salmon fillet

Juice of one fresh lemon

1 teaspoon each: thyme, rosemary, paprika, black pepper

3 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons butter, melted

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh dill

1 lemon, sliced

Soak plank in water to cover for 2 hours; drain.

Preheat the Grill to high.

Rub the plank with one tablespoon of olive oil.

Place fillets on the plank; season with thyme, rosemary, paprika, black pepper, dill, and lemon juice. Top with remaining olive oil.

Grill for 10-14 minutes on a covered grill for optimum smoke or until the fish is cooked. The thickness of the fillets will determine the final cooking time.

Before serving, top with fresh dill butter and serve with extra fresh lemon slices, or grill lemon slices along with salmon.

Tips:

Planked Salmon as seen on George Hirsch Lifestyle TV Series — Planked Salmon as seen on *George Hirsch Lifestyle* TV Series

*Soak planks for at least 2 hours or more in cold water before you fire up the grill.

Make sure the grill is good and hot; this is key! Grilled cedar-planked fish takes on a wonderful smoky flavor. The plank will be charred, but the fish will be perfectly cooked. When opening the grill, if the planks do not fit up, spray the plank with water to douse the flame and immediately close the grill cover to reduce oxygen.

Note: Cedar plank should be untreated non-resin wood, no thicker than 1 inch.

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Summer Lobster Boil

George Hirsch June 26, 2025

Boils are also known as a Steam, Bake, Fish Fry, Potluck, Planks, or Seafood Barbecue. Here are a few kinds of boils I’ve either been privileged to attend in my travels or have had the pleasure of creating myself.

George Hirsch's Lobster Boil

New England - lobster steamed with beer, corn, sausage, and new potatoes
Montauk - mussels, clams, lobster, striped bass, duck quarters, LI Yukons, corn
Maryland or Chesapeake - blue crab, oysters, and clams steamed with beer, vinegar, and Old Bay cooked in a steamer basket, served with crackers, corn, and slaw
Cajun & Creole Boil - shrimp, crab, crawfish, andouille sausage or kielbasa, small red new potatoes
Low Country or Frogmore Stew - usually just shrimp with smoked sausage & corn
Texan - crawfish, oysters, and good old Texan smoked brisket
Monterey - Dungeness crabs, shrimp, and artichokes when in season
Seattle - planked salmon & oysters

Types of seafood commonly used for a boil are typically shellfish, with shrimp being the most popular ingredient. Local availability, taste preferences, and imagination can rule your boil. You may consider Dungeness and blue claw crabs, shrimp, oysters, calamari, hard-shell and razor clams, mussels, crawfish, Pacific salmon, or striped bass for your boil. Equipment: a large outdoor gas grill, cooker, or large pit with charcoal, as well as a large pot (size depends on the amount of seafood and the number of guests). 20-gallon stockpot, large paddle to stir, large wire strainer or skimmer to scoop, tongs, mallets, crackers, picks, picnic tables, No utensils––eat with your hands.

Summer Boil

Flavoring ingredients: onions, split heads of garlic, salt, lemons, beer, bay leaves, crab boil seasoning, cayenne pepper, hot sauce

George Hirsch's Lobster Boil

Serve: Remove the seafood from the pot, drain it well, and place it on picnic tables covered with newspaper, brown paper, or butcher paper. Serve with bowls of lemon wedges, melted butter, bottles of hot sauce, and good-quality pieces of bread. Beverages: Iced tubs of tall necks or keg beer (keep it local to your boil theme), tall necks of root beer, chilled rosé, iced tea, or lemonade.

George Hirsch's Lobster Boil

Preparing George’s East Coast Seafood Boil Recipe

My boil is a combination of New England, Maryland & Montauk and is easily prepared on the side burner of a gas grill. Change seafood according to your own taste and availability. Add snow peas for additional color and crunch.

Non-seafood additions to boil with cook times:

1 link per person smoked or Italian sausage, grilled & add to the boil at the end
3 small red new potatoes per person, 15 minutes
1 ear of corn per person, 10 minutes
1/4 cup snow peas, 2-3 minutes
2 Tablespoons melted butter per person for dipping
Serve hot sauce on the side

To prepare Seafood Boil:

Add 2 cups of water, 2 bottles of beer, 1 head of fresh chopped garlic, 4 bay leaves, several sprigs of fresh parsley, 1 Tablespoon of black peppercorns, 1 Tablespoon of powdered garlic, 1 Tablespoon thyme, and 1/4 cup of paprika. If you like it spicy, add dried hot pepper flakes or chopped jalapeño. Bring the liquid to a boil.

Add seafood in stages for different cooking times:

Lobster 7 minutes for a 1-pound lobster + 1 minute for each additional 4 ounces
Blue Claw Crabs 5-7 minutes
Steamers or Littlenecks- 5-7 minutes or until opened
Shrimp (shell on) 4-5 minutes
Mussels 3-4 minutes or until opened

Separately, to boil lobsters:

Fill a large pot three-quarters full of cold water and cover.
A good rule of thumb is to allow 2 1/2 quarts of water for each lobster. Two or more lobsters will cook at the same time, provided the pot is large enough. When in doubt, use two pots.
Bring the water to a rapid boil.
Lobsters should be alive with the safety bands left on the claws. Drop the live lobsters one at a time head first, let the water boil again, and cover the pot. Now you will begin to time the cooking.
Allow 7 minutes for a one-pound lobster, and add 1 minute for every 4 ounces. A 1 1/2-pound lobster will cook in 9 minutes.
Lobsters will turn a bright red when cooked. Remove lobsters from the pot with a pair of tongs.
Allow at least 2- 1 pound lobsters per person since a 1-pound lobster offers only 4 ounces of meat.

George Hirsch's Lobster Boil

To Grill Lobsters:

Lobsters are split and cleaned
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons seafood seasoning
6 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 pound clarified or drawn butter
3 lemons, cut into wedges

Preheat grill to medium-high

Combine the olive oil, seafood seasoning, and garlic in a small bowl. Place the lobster on its back and brush it with some of the oil mixture. Place the lobster on the grill, split side down, for 3 minutes. Brush with olive oil, turn, and cook for 5 to 6 minutes longer, until done. A 1 1/2-pound lobster should cook in 9 minutes: 7 minutes for the first pound and 1 minute for each additional 4 ounces.

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