Traditional Boerewors Recipe

INGREDIENTS

· 1 kg beef.
· 1 kg mutton.
· 1 kg veal or lean pork.
· 500 g spek (firm pork fat from under the skin).
· 25 ml salt.
· 5 ml ground black pepper.
· 15 ml corriander, singed and ground.
· 1 ml ground cloves.
· 2 ml nutmeg powder.
· 125 ml brown vinegar.
· 25 ml brandy (optional).
· 25 ml marsala (optional).
· 200 g wide sausage casings.

METHOD

· Cube all meat and spek.
· Mix together thoroughly and mince coarsely.
· Place meat in large bowl.
· Add all dry spices, vinegar and brandy (if used).
· Mix together lightly with a two pronged fork.
· Place in fridge for +/- 2 hours to blend flavours.
· Soak casings in water during this period.
· Fit casings to sausage maker and fill with mixture.
· Do not over or under-stuff.

Welma's Boerewors (since 1940)

Here is a recipe from Welma du Plessis from Fauresmith. It has been made since 1940.

INGREDIENTS

10 pounds beef
2 pounds diced fat
1 teaspoon (5ml) pepper
3 tablespoons (45 ml) salt
4 tablespoons (60 ml) coriander, minced
1 tablespoon (15 ml) All Spice

METHOD

Dice fat by hand. Cut meat into smaller pieces. Mix all spices well and season the meat. Rub pieces well.
Ground the meat after this process, but not too finely. Add the fat. Mix lightly. Shape into balls, which will make the stuffing process easier.

Boerewors - Reader's Digest

The following recipe from Reader's Digest will take about 2 to 3 hours to prepare, then a standing time of about 3 hours, and a maturing time of about 2 days.
Ingredients for about 7kg (15 pounds) Boerewors:

INGREDIENTS

3kg (6.6 pounds) beef, preferably topside
3kg boneless mutton (preferably leg - do not use lamb)
1kg (2.2 pounds) sheep tail fat
30-45 ml (2-3 tablespoons) salt
10ml (2 teaspoons) freshly ground black pepper
5ml (1 teaspoon) finely ground allspice
60ml (1/4 cup) ground coriander
100g sausage casings, soaked in salted water and rinsed.

METHOD

The meats must be well ground, but not too finely, or the sausage will have too firm a texture. Dice the tail fat into 5mm cubes. Mix the salt, pepper and spices well together. Mix the minced meats, and toss the fat pieces into the meat with a fork. Do not handle too much.
Pack the meat in layers in a basin, take out a small lump and fry to test for flavour, adding salt and pepper if required.
Stuff the mixture into the casings, using a forcing bag with a long, wide nozzle. Knot one end of the sausage casing (about 90cm / 3 feet long). Place the other end over the nozzle until the knot is as close as possible to the nozzle.
Force the meat in, drawing the filled skin away from the nozzle. Stuff fairly loosely, and, if preferred, make twists for individual sausages every 15cm (6 inches). Normally one person has to do the stuffing while another is the catcher who must make sure the sausage is curled neatly.
Allow the boerewors to mature for at least 2 days before using.

Dried sausage:
Use less sheep tail fat - 200g instead of 1kg.
Add 60 ml (1/4 cup) vinegar to the mix, sprinkling it over the meat together with the spices. Roast the coriander before grinding, and add 5ml (1 teaspoon) ground cloves and 5ml (1 teaspoon) finely grated nutmeg. Do not twist the sausage casings, but knot the ends of each length.
To dry the sausages, hang them in a cool draught, well above the floor, for at least a week.

From:
How to do just about anything, page 40; printed in 1989 by The Reader's Digest Association South Africa, 130 Strand Straat, Kaapstad, 8001, South Africa.

Country Boerewors Recipe

INGREDIENTS

· 7.5 kg beef (70% meat and 30% fat).
· 5.0 kg Pork (70% meat and 30% fat or spek).
· 1.0 kg cold water.
· 0.5 kg Country boerewors spice.
· Some thick (and/or thin) casings.

METHOD

· Mince all the meat and fat.
· Mix together with the water and the spice and leave for about half an hour.
· Soak the casings in water during this period.
· Fry a little of the mixture in a pan to try the taste.
· Fit casings to sausage maker (or use a large funnel) and fill with mixture.
· Do not over or under-stuff.

Karoo Boerewors

INGREDIENTS

500 g boned beef
500 g boned pork
1 kg mutton
1 ml coriander
1 ml ground cloves
14g fine salt
2ml freshly ground black pepper
250 g bacon
15 ml sweet red wine
25 ml wine vinegar
15 ml brandy
60 g casing

METHOD

Cut meat into 50 mm blocks. Mix in herbs. Cut bacon into 3mm blocks and add to mixture. Mix wine, vinegar and brandy. Sprinkle over mixture. Mix lightly and stuff casing. Cut into pieces only when ready to cook. The boerewors shrink approximately 30% in cooking so cut pieces at least 6 inches long.