Boerewors Recipes

SOUTH AFRICAN SAUSAGE (BOEREWORS)

Steps:

• Skip the first few steps if you are using ground beef and pork.
• Prepare beef and pork by trimming off all sinew, and other nasty bits and pieces that may affect the texture.
• To facilitate mincing, cut meat into long, narrow strips about 3 inch in diameter and freeze for about 30 minutes.
• Mince meat through a course mincer for a rough texture, or finely if you prefer.
• Allow the meat to be fed through with very little assistance from the tamper.
• Finish off by mincing a piece of bread to remove every vestige of meat from the mincer.
• Roast coriander and cloves in a dry frying pan, tossing the spices about until uniformly brown and aromatic.
• Don't allow to burn.
• Grind spices with a pestle and mortar, sift to remove husks, mix with remaining spices and sugar and sprinkle over the mince.
• Lightly mix in wine or vinegar.
• Drain the casings and place over one end of the filling horn (I use the kitchen aid attachment and carefully push all of the casings on leaving a 3 inch length hanging down).
• Tie a knot in this.
• Grabbing hold of a second pair of hands at this point makes wors-making less traumatic.
• You can then feed the mixture in while your assistant hold the casings, guiding the filling inches.
• Feed the mixture into the mincer a little at a time, while securing the casing with a gentle pressure of one hand on the horn to control the unrolling of the casing as its filled.
• Mould the sausage with your hand to make it uniformly thick.
• Don't pack the casings too full, or the wors will burst while cooking, but try to avoid air bubbles.
• After the casing has been filled, remove it - still attached to the horn - from the machine.
• Push any remaining filling into the casing and tie a knot in the end.
• BBQ quickly over hot coals.
• The skin should be crisp and the middle just pink.
• Serve immediately.

BOEREWORS RECIPE

Steps:

• Trim the beef and pork, discarding any sinew, and trim into longish pieces about 3 inches wide. This just makes it easier for the meat grinder (South Africans call it a mincer) to process.
• Place all your trimmed meats in a large container.
• Put the meat mix through the grinder on a large blade.
• Dry roast the coriander seeds in a pan on medium heat, stirring to make sure they don't burn, then remove from the heat when they are a golden brown color.
• Crush the seeds coarsely in a food processor or use a mortar and pestle.
• Add the dry spices, the vinegar and the Worcestershire sauce to the meat, or if using a readymade boerewors spice mix then follow the instructions on the pack, then add to the meat.
• Mix and leave in the fridge for two hours for the flavors to absorb.
• Put through the grinder on a medium size blade which enables the spices to be incorporated through the meat.
• Use your sausage stuffer to fill the casings with the boerewors mix.
• Roll your coils of boerewors neatly, ready to braai, and the extra can be bagged and frozen until you need them.

BOEREWORS AND TOMATO BREDIE

Steps:

• One day ahead: In a large bowl, combine the beef, pork, coriander, salt, pepper, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice. Mix until combined. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
• On the day of serving: Grind the meat mixture in a meat grinder. Add the fatback and vinegar to the meat and mix well. Stuff the meat into sausage casing, if using, or else form the mixture into sausage patties. In a skillet set over medium-high heat, cook the boerewors until browned.
• Serve the boerewors with the Tomato Bredie.
• Heat the oil in a large saute pan set over medium heat, and saute the onions until they're transparent. Add the pork and cook until brown. Add the tomatoes, potatoes, and chile to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender and the tomato liquid is almost gone, about 20 minutes.