Boerewors

There are many different types of sausages on the market today, but surely Boerewors will give you a completely different taste from other sausages. Boerewors is a coarse-ground sausage, therefore it has a chunky and coarse texture rather than the fine and silky texture of, instance, a German wurst. There are two kinds of wors: those that are supposed to be cooked in a pot or saucepan on the stove and those that are meant to be braaied. For the stovetop wors, various recipes are used. Some prepare it plain, while others add tomato relish and other things. It is traditionally served with papa, but it can also be eaten with rice, samp, pasta, or bread.

Boerewors seasoning is distinguished by the presence of coriander, black pepper, nutmeg, and allspice, as well as a dark vinegar (malt vinegar). The vinegar and salt both preserve the sausages and provide taste. This combination of spices and vinegar produces a distinct flavor that is distinctive to South African cuisine.

Ingredients

• 2 lb beef roast, (top round roast or brisket), trimmed of sinew, 1 lb fatty pork shoulder/butt, or pork neck or belly, 1 Tbsp ground coriander seeds, 1 Tbsp salt, ½ tsp ground allspice, ½ tsp ground black pepper, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, 1/8 tsp ground cloves, ¼ c malt vinegar, hog casing for fresh sausage

Instructions

• Preparing the Meat
  • Cube the beef and pork into pieces that will fit easily into your meat grinder. Sprinkle the spices over meat and mix to coat. Cover the seasoned meat and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
  • After the meat has rested, follow the instructions that came with your meat grinder to grind the seasoned meat using the coarse grinding blade.*
  • Add the vinegar to the ground meat and mix well.
• Stuffing the Sausage
  • Thoroughly rinse (inside and out) one salted hog casing. Prepare the casing for stuffing as directed on the casing package.
  • If using a Kitchen Aid, or similar, mixer, attach the thick sausage stuffer attachment to the meat grinder attachment.
  • Place the entire casing onto the sausage stuffer attachment, leaving 4 inches hanging off the end. Tie a knot in this end of the casing to keep your sausage mixture from oozing out. Begin to stuff your casing as directed for your machine, moving slowly and being careful not to over-stuff the casing.
  • As you stuff the casing, coil the sausage onto a large plate. Stop stuffing when you only have 5-6 inches of casing left. Remove the casing from the sausage stuffer attachment.
  • Before you knot the end, check the sausage for uneven areas. If you find any, gently even out the sausage mixture in the casing with your hands.
  • Once the sausage is even to your liking, knot the end of the casing.
  • If you still have additional sausage mixture (for us, this recipe made two 1.5 lb sausages), rinse and prepare another casing and stuff it as before.
  • Once all your sausage mixture has been stuffed, refrigerate your sausages overnight (at least 12 hours) so that the flavors can come together before cooking.
• Cooking the Sausage
  • The traditional way to cook boerewors is on the grill. Heat your grill to a medium-high heat (400F). (You should be able to hold your hand a few inches from the cooking grate for 4-5 seconds.) If desired, soak a large wooden skewer or two in water. Place the skewers through the sides of the sausage coil to make it easier to turn the sausage when it’s on the grill. If you like a little grilling adventure, cook the sausage coil loose.
  • Place the boerewors onto the grill and cook for 4-5 minutes on the first side, until the color has changed and the sausage has nice grill marks. Flip the boerewors and cook for 3-4 minutes on the second side, until the sausage is firm.
  • Remove the sausage from the grill and place on a large platter to serve.