Black Pudding

Traditional British Black Pudding (Homemade)

A classic British black pudding, made the old-fashioned way by combining fresh pork blood with oats, diced pork fat, onion and warming spices. Sliced and fried until crisp on the outside and soft within, it's the crown of a full English breakfast.

Prep

40 min

Cook

75 min

Total

115 min

Serves

Makes 6 x 20 cm puddings (approximately 24 slices)

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •500 ml (about 2 cups) fresh pork blood, Strain through a fine sieve to remove clots. Must be fresh and refrigerated; do not use if more than 2 days old. In countries where fresh blood is unavailable, use frozen pork blood thawed overnight in the fridge. Adding a splash of vinegar prevents the blood from coagulating too early.
• •250 g (8⅘ oz) steel-cut oats (pinhead oats), Pinhead/steel-cut are traditional; rolled oats will give a softer, less traditional texture.
• •250 g (8⅘ oz) pork fat, finely diced, Use caul fat or leaf fat for a clean flavour, or lard back if rendered. Substitute beef suet if pork fat is unavailable.
• •1 large onion, finely chopped, White or brown onion.
• •500 ml (2 cups) whole milk, Use full-fat milk for richness.
• •150 ml (⅔ cup) breadcrumbs, Fresh, from a day-old white loaf.
• •25 g (⅞ oz) salt, Fine sea salt or kosher salt.
• •5 g (1 tsp) freshly ground black pepper
• •5 g (2 tsp) ground mace, Traditional in British black pudding; substitute nutmeg if unavailable.
• •2 g (1 tsp) ground allspice
• •2 g (1 tsp) ground ginger
• •1 g (½ tsp) ground cloves
• •1 g (½ tsp) dried thyme
• •1 g (½ tsp) dried marjoram, Optional but authentic to some regional recipes.
• •2 m (just over 6 ft) sausage casing (pig intestine), Use natural hog casings, flushed and soaked in warm water. If unavailable, bake in a loaf pan lined with parchment and slice after cooling.

Steps

1. 1 Soak the oats in the milk for at least 30 minutes, ideally overnight in the fridge, so they begin to soften and absorb the liquid.
2. 2 Place the hog casings in a bowl of warm water with a splash of vinegar to soften and remove salt. Rinse thoroughly and check for holes.
3. 3 In a large bowl, combine the soaked oats and milk, chopped onion, diced pork fat, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, mace, allspice, ginger, cloves, thyme and marjoram. Mix well with a wooden spoon.
4. 4 Strain the fresh pork blood through a fine sieve into the bowl. Mix gently but thoroughly until completely combined. The mixture should be pourable but thick, like a heavy pancake batter. Add a little more milk if it seems too stiff.
5. 5 Fit a sausage stuffer or large piping nozzle onto the end of the casings. Tie a knot at one end of the casing, then slide the entire casing onto the nozzle.
6. 6 Slowly feed the mixture into the casing, supporting the weight as it fills. Do not overfill or the pudding will burst during cooking. Tie the open end firmly into a knot.
7. 7 Wrap the long sausage into a coil or several tight spirals, then tie at intervals with kitchen twine to create individual puddings about 15 cm (6 in) across.
8. 8 Bring a large pot of water to a gentle simmer, around 85 °C / 185 °F. Lower the puddings into the water using a slotted spoon. Do not boil, as vigorous boiling will split the casings and ruin the texture.
9. 9 Simmer gently for 45 minutes to 1 hour, keeping the water at a steady low simmer. The puddings are ready when they feel firm to the touch and the internal temperature reads 75 °C / 165 °F on a probe thermometer.
10. 10 Carefully lift the puddings out, drain on a clean tea towel, and allow to cool completely. They will firm up as they cool.
11. 11 Once cool, refrigerate for at least 24 hours before slicing. This resting time is essential for the texture to set properly.
12. 12 To serve, slice each pudding into 1 cm (½ in) rounds. Heat a heavy frying pan (ideally cast iron) over medium heat with a little lard or beef dripping. Fry the slices for 2 to 3 minutes per side until deeply crisp and blackened at the edges, with a soft, creamy centre.
13. 13 Drain on kitchen paper and serve immediately as part of a full English breakfast, with fried eggs, bacon, grilled tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms and buttered toast.
14. 14 SAFETY: Pork blood must be fresh and handled with the same care as raw meat. Keep refrigerated at all times and use within 2 days of collection, or freeze at –18 °C for up to 3 months. The pudding must reach an internal temperature of 75 °C / 165 °F during the simmering stage to be safe to eat. When reheating cooked slices, fry until piping hot throughout.