Blood sausages are one of the most adored food items across the world. Read the following article and get to know some interesting recipes.
The word sausage is derived from the Latin word ‘salus’, which stands for ‘preserved’. It is a preserved food which is made from ground pork and beef. Pork fatback is the most commonly used meat for making it. It is formed in the intestine or synthetic casing. Some sausages are cooked while some are used raw. Parts of the animals like scraps, fat, blood, and other organs, that are used for making it, are not so popular because of their less attractive visual appeal. According to the methods and type of meats that are used for making it, they can be distinguished into various types like raw, cooked, aged, cured, liver sausage, cheese sausage, salami, and blood sausage.
What is Blood Sausage
It is popular in various countries and is made by cooking or drying the blood of pork or beef. It is also called black pudding. In German, it is called ‘blutwurst‘, in French, ‘boudin noir‘ and ‘morcilla‘ in Spanish. It is a form of link sausage which is made from pork and other meats, that are mixed with fresh blood of pork or beef.
It is the reason why they have a distinctive dark color. It is an important part of various cuisines and traditions, across the world. It gets a congeal texture due to the fillers like barley, that are added during the production process.
Many people want to try making it at home. Let me tell you, it is not very easy. Making it requires easy access to the pork or beef blood, which not many abattoirs are ready to provide. You also require a strong stomach to digest the homemade varietals, because mostly you cannot make them at par with the food specialists or production companies. This is the reason because of which people try to make them with the ready-to-prepare varietals, that are easily available in market, in various flavors and seasonings of your choice.
How to Cook Blood Sausage?
There are various ways in which you can prepare this recipe. The first thing that you need for cooking them is to find a nice blood sausage link or chops. Along with that, you will require cereals like oatmeal or barley, various flavorings like cayenne pepper, black pepper, coriander, mace, and other edible herbs. Always remember that sausages are ‘almost cooked’ and ‘preserved’, hence, you only need to gently cook it. Therefore, avoid rigorous heating and sautéing.
Polish Blood Sausage Recipe
It is also called ‘Kiszka’. Here are the instructions for making it at home.
Ingredients
- Pork Shoulder Chops, (bone-in) 2 lbs.
- Pork Stock, 2 ½ quarts
- Fresh Pork Liver, ¼ lb.
- Fresh, Strained Pork Blood, 2 ½ cups
- Barley or Buckwheat Groats, 3 cups
- Ground Pepper, 2 tbsp.
- Salt, to taste
- Marjoram, 1 tsp.
Procedure
Take a large saucepan and combine pork with 2 quarts of pork stock, pepper, and a spoonful of salt. Now, bring it to boil and simmer it for 1 ½ hours. Stir it occasionally, by turning the sides of the meat. Make sure that it is perpetually covered with enough amount of stock. By the time it is getting cooked, gather the grinder and prepare the casing. For that, soak the casing in cold water for about 5 minutes. Remove all the salt from it and hold one end of it near the water nozzle and turn the tap on. This is done for checking whether there are any holes in the casing. Now, drain the casing and put it in the refrigerator, until you need it.
Now, take a clean bowl and put the fully cooked pork in it. Add liver in the remaining stock and cook for about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and remove the liver from the stock. Now, cut the pork in about 2″ big chunks and discard the bones. Later, grind the meat with help of a coarse blade. Heat the remaining stock and add buckwheat groats. Keep on stirring constantly. Simmer it until the water gets completely evaporated.
Now, mix buckwheat, ground pork, and ground liver with pork blood. Add 2 tbsp. of vinegar and marjoram in it. Stuff it in the casing and tie its end with the wooden skewers. Now, place it in a Dutch oven and bring to boil. Later, reduce the heat and simmer for about 40 minutes. Remove the blood sausage from water and hang it, so that it becomes completely dry before eating.
You can make a variety of dishes by using it. It can be grilled, sautéed, steamed, baked, etc. Brown sauce and Parmesan cheese can also be used for making your dishes more flavorsome.