Saveloy

British Saveloy

A bright-red, lightly spiced pork sausage with deep cockney roots, the saveloy is traditionally simmered then finished in hot oil for a snappy casing. It is most often served sliced in a soft roll with mustard and pickles, or with chips and peas at the chip shop.

Prep

30 min

Cook

45 min

Total

75 min

Serves

Makes 8 sausages (about 600 g)

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •500 g (1.1 lb) pork shoulder, about 20% fat, cut into 2 cm cubes and chilled
• •100 g (3.5 oz) pork back fat, or pork belly, diced and chilled
• •20 g (0.7 oz / 4 tsp) fine sea salt, essential for cured colour and flavour
• •2 g (1 tsp) white pepper
• •1 g (½ tsp) ground ginger
• •1 g (½ tsp) ground mace, or substitute ground nutmeg
• •0.5 g (¼ tsp) ground coriander
• •0.5 g (¼ tsp) ground nutmeg
• •2 g (1 tsp) cayenne pepper, optional, for traditional warmth
• •5 g (2 tsp) sweet paprika
• •60 ml (4 tbsp) ice-cold water
• •2 m (about 6 ft) hog casings, soaked, about 28–32 mm diameter; collagen casings are an easier home substitute
• •1.25 L (about 5 cups) water, for poaching
• •1 piece small bay leaf
• •500 ml (2 cups) vegetable oil, for finishing, optional, for the fried finish

Steps

1. 1 Set up: keep the meat, fat, grinder parts, and bowl thoroughly chilled. Combine the salt with all the spices in a small bowl. Have a tray, a funnel-style stuffer (or a sausage-stuffer attachment), and large needle for pricking ready.
2. 2 Mince the chilled pork and fat twice through a coarse plate (about 8 mm first, then 4–5 mm) into a bowl resting on ice. Sprinkle the spice-salt mix over the mince and add the ice-cold water.
3. 3 Mix on low speed (or by hand) only until the bind looks tacky and the spices are evenly distributed, about 2 minutes. Do not overwork. Cover and rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or overnight for best colour.
4. 4 Load the mince into the stuffer. Slide a length of casing onto the nozzle and tie a knot at the end, leaving a small empty tail.
5. 5 Stuff the sausages firmly enough to remove air pockets but not so tight they burst, aiming for fingers about 12–15 cm (5–6 in) long. Twist into even links, pinching and turning every link in the opposite direction from the previous one.
6. 6 Prick any visible air bubbles with a sterile needle, then hang or lay the sausages on a rack, uncovered, in the refrigerator for 12–24 hours to dry the casings and develop a slight tack.
7. 7 Cold smoke (optional, traditional): smoke the dried sausages over cool oak or beech smoke at 20–25 °C (68–77 °F) for 2–4 hours until they develop a deep amber hue. Home cooks without a smoker can skip this step; the simmer below still gives good flavour.
8. 8 Poach: bring the 1.25 L of water to just below a simmer with the bay leaf in a wide pan. Lower the sausages in, ensuring they are fully submerged. Hold the water at 75–80 °C (167–176 °F) — do not boil — for about 25 minutes.
9. 9 Doneness check: an internal temperature of 72 °C (162 °F) measured with an instant-read probe at the centre of a link confirms the pork is safely cooked. The sausages should feel firm and springy, with no pink in the centre.
10. 10 Optional traditional finish: heat the vegetable oil in a deep pan to 170 °C (340 °F). Pat the poached sausages dry, then fry for 2–3 minutes until the casings blister, darken, and crisp. Drain on paper.
11. 11 Serve hot, either as a sandwich in a soft white roll with English mustard, pickled onions, and crisps, or plated with chips and mushy peas as in the classic 'sausage, chips and peas' chip-shop dish.