Boerewors

Traditional South African Boerewors

A coiled beef sausage spiced with toasted coriander, clove and nutmeg, grilled over coals until the casings snap and the juices run. Stuffing your own wors is the only way to get that true braai-shop flavour at home.

Prep

90 min

Cook

25 min

Total

115 min

Serves

6

Difficulty

Hard

Recipe ingredients

• •1.5 kg (3¼ lb) beef chuck, cubed, roughly 80% lean, 20% fat — too lean and the wors dries out
• •250 g (9 oz) pork back fat, or beef brisket fat; the fat ratio is essential for a juicy wors
• •30 g (¼ cup) whole coriander seeds, toasted then coarsely ground — do not use pre-ground
• •1 tsp whole cloves, finely ground
• •1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• •2 Tbsp fine sea salt
• •1 Tbsp black pepper, coarsely ground
• •1 tsp ground mace, optional but traditional
• •15 ml (1 Tbsp) brown vinegar, grape or malt — not balsamic
• •1 Tbsp curry powder, mild, optional; some Cape recipes include it
• •6 m (about 20 ft) natural hog casings (32–36 mm), soaked in tepid water for 30 min; collagen casings are a modern substitute but won't crisp the same
• •30 g (2 Tbsp) lard or sunflower oil, for brushing

Steps

1. 1 Toast the coriander seeds in a dry pan over medium heat, shaking often, until fragrant and a shade darker — about 2 to 3 minutes. Cool, then grind coarsely (about the texture of cracked pepper).
2. 2 Chill the cubed beef and pork fat in the freezer for 30 to 45 minutes until firm but not frozen solid — this is critical for a clean grind through a hand-cranked stuffer.
3. 3 Pass the meat and fat twice through the coarse plate of a meat grinder into a large chilled bowl. (A home meat grinder is the usual equipment here.)
4. 4 Sprinkle the ground coriander, clove, nutmeg, mace, black pepper and salt over the meat. Add the vinegar. Mix by hand, lifting and folding the mince, for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture becomes tacky and holds together when squeezed.
5. 5 Cover and refrigerate the mixture for at least 1 hour, or ideally overnight, so the spices hydrate and the salt extracts the meat proteins — this gives the wors its classic springy bite.
6. 6 Rinse the soaked hog casings under cold running water, then thread the entire length onto the stuffer nozzle. Tie a knot at the end.
7. 7 Pack the meat into the hopper, working out air pockets. Feed slowly, guiding the casing off the nozzle with your other hand so it fills evenly without bursting. Knot the start, then coil the filled casing into spirals about 12 cm (5 in) wide.
8. 8 Prick any visible air pockets with a sterile pin and rest the coils uncovered on a tray in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or overnight — this dries the casing so it crisps on the fire rather than tearing.
9. 9 Light a fire with hardwood lump charcoal (oak, rooikrans or similar), rake it out so coals are at their whitest stage; you want radiant heat, not flames — flames split the casing.
10. 10 Set a braai grid 12 to 15 cm (5 to 6 in) above the coals. Oil the grid with an oiled piece of kitchen paper.
11. 11 Brush the wors lightly with lard or oil, then lay the coils on the grid with the coil seam down. Grill for 8 to 10 minutes, turning every 1 to 2 minutes with tongs (never a fork — pierce and the juices escape).
12. 12 The wors is done when the outside is mahogany-brown and lightly charred in patches, the casing is taut and beginning to crackle, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 70 to 75 °C (160 to 165 °F). Total grill time is 20 to 25 minutes depending on coil thickness.
13. 13 Move to a warm platter, cover loosely with foil and rest 5 minutes so the juices redistribute before serving coiled on a board, or sliced into bread rolls with tomato-mayo-onion as a classic boerie.