Recipe: South African Boerewors Spiced Sausage

South African Boerewors
Homemade Spiced Beef and Pork Sausage
Source: Unknown
To make 2 sausages, each about 30 inches long.

2 three-foot lengths of hog sausage casing
3 pounds lean boneless beef, preferably chuck, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound lean boneless pork, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 tablespoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon nutmeg, preferably freshly grated
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound fresh pork fat, finely chopped

Place the sausage casing in a bowl, pour in enough lukewarm water to cover it by at least 1 inch. Soak for 2 or 3 hours, or until the casing is soft and pliable.

Meanwhile, put the beef and pork through the finest blade of a meat grinder. In a deep bowl, combine the ground meats, coriander, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Knead the mixture vigorously with both hands, then beat with a wooden spoon until smooth and fluffy. Lightly fold in the chopped pork fat, distributing it as evenly as possible throughout the mixture. To taste for seasoning, fry a spoonful of the meat mixture in a small skillet until no trace of pink remains. Drape a dampened towel over the bowl and let the sausage meat rest at room temperature for about 1 hour.

Wash the sausage casing thoroughly but gently under cold, slowly running water to remove all traces of the salt in which it was preserved. Hold one end securely up to the faucet and let the cold water run through to clean the inside of the casing.

To make each sausage, tie a knot about 3 inches from one end of one length of the casing. Fit the open end snugly over the funnel (or "horn") on the sausage-making attachment of a meat grinder. Then carefully inch the rest of the casing up onto the funnel, squeezing it together like the folds of an accordion.

Spoon the meat mixture into the mouth of the grinder and, with a wooden pestle, push it through into the casing. As you fill it, the casing will inflate and gradually ease away from the funnel in a ropelike coil. Fill the casing to within an inch or soof the funnel end but do not try to stuff it too tightly, or it may burst. Slip the sausage off the funnel and knot the open end.

You may cook the sausages immediately, or refrigerate them safely for 5 to 6 days.

Before cooking a sausage, prick the casing in 5 or 6 places with a skewer or the point of a small, sharp knife. Coil the sausage in concentric circles in a heavy 10-to 12-inch skillet and pour in enough water to cover it completely. Then bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Cook uncovered for 30 to 45 minutes, until the liquid in the pan has evaporated and only the fat given up by the sausage remains. Reduce the heat to low and, turning the sausage once or twice with tongs, continue frying for about 10 minutes longer, or until it is brown on both sides.

NOTE: If you do not have a meat grinder with a sausage-stuffing attachment, ask the butcher to grind the beef and pork. Combine the meats with the seasonings and fat as described aboe. Then pat and shape the sausage mixture into equal cylinders each about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap tightly with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 5 or 6 days, or until ready to use.

To cook, slice the sausage into rounds about 1/2 inch thick, and fry them in a little hot vegetable oil. Test for doneess by piercing the sausage with the point of a knife; the sausage is done when no trace of pink shows in the meat.