Boerewors
South Africa's braai sausage: a long coil of coarse-ground beef and pork, generously spiced with toasted coriander, grilled over coals.
Overview
Boerewors, literally "farmer's sausage" in Afrikaans, is the national sausage of South Africa and the obligatory centrepiece of any braai. South African law actually defines it: minimum 90 per cent meat (beef the dominant component, often with pork or lamb for fat), no more than 30 per cent fat overall, no offal, and a defined spice profile led by toasted ground coriander. That coriander is the signature; combined with clove, nutmeg, allspice and black pepper, and brought together with a splash of malt or brown vinegar, it produces a flavour quite unlike any European sausage. The sausage is always coiled rather than linked, and grilled in a single long spiral that can be turned in one piece with a pair of long forks. Difficulty for the home cook is very low if you can buy ready-made boerewors from a South African butcher, deli or online supplier, which is the practical route for most. Making it from scratch needs a meat grinder and sausage stuffer but the spicing is straightforward. Cooking is the part everyone gets wrong: boerewors is a coarse-ground sausage with chunks of fat in the meat, and it cooks at medium heat, never high. Too hot and the casing splits, fat renders out and the sausage shrivels; just right and it stays plump, juicy, with a deep mahogany crust. The classic accompaniments are pap (a stiff white maize porridge), tomato-and-onion relish (sous), or stuffed into a fresh bread roll with tomato chutney and crispy fried onions as a boerie roll.
Ingredients
Boerewors mix (for homemade, makes about 1 ½ kg)
- 900 g beef chuck (coarsely ground)
- 400 g pork shoulder (coarsely ground)
- 200 g pork back fat (diced small)
- 25 g coriander seeds (toasted and ground)
- 12 g salt
- 5 g ground black pepper
- 3 g ground clove
- 3 g ground nutmeg
- 3 g ground allspice
- 60 ml malt vinegar (or brown vinegar)
- 60 ml ice water
- 1 ½ m natural hog casings (rinsed)
To grill (per coil)
- 1.2-1 ½ kg fresh boerewors coil (homemade or shop-bought)
To serve
- Fresh white bread rolls (or pap)
- Tomato-and-onion relish (sous)
- Mrs Ball's chutney (or other South African chutney)
- Crispy fried onions
Method
Stage 1 - Make the sausage (skip if using shop-bought)
- Toast the coriander seeds in a dry pan over medium heat 2-3 minutes until fragrant; cool and grind.
- Combine ground beef, pork, diced fat, all spices, salt and vinegar in a chilled bowl.
- Mix thoroughly by hand for 1-2 minutes until the mix becomes slightly tacky.
- Add the ice water; mix briefly to combine.
- Soak hog casings in cool water 30 minutes; rinse the inside by running water through them.
- Stuff the casings, keeping the filling even but not too tight (over-stuffed sausage splits).
- Form one long coil; refrigerate at least 2 hours to set, ideally overnight.
Stage 2 - Prepare the braai
- Build a medium charcoal or wood fire and let it burn down to glowing embers; the fire should not have visible flames.
- Test by holding a hand 15 cm above the grate: you should be able to hold it there 4-5 seconds.
- Oil the grate.
Stage 3 - Grill
- Lay the boerewors coil flat on the grate over the embers.
- Cook 6-8 minutes on the first side until the casing is browned and beginning to render.
- Slide two long forks or a wide spatula under opposite sides of the coil; flip in one piece.
- Cook another 6-8 minutes on the second side.
- The sausage is ready when the casing is glossy mahogany, fat is rendered but not running freely, and the internal temperature reads 72°C.
- Total time about 18-25 minutes depending on thickness.
Stage 4 - Rest and serve
- Lift the whole coil onto a board; rest 5 minutes.
- Cut into 12-15 cm lengths.
- Serve in fresh rolls with tomato relish, chutney and crispy fried onions, or alongside pap.
Notes
- Heat control is everything: medium embers, not raging flames. High heat splits the casing and renders out the fat that gives boerewors its juice.
- Don't prick: never pierce the casing. Tongs only, gentle handling.
- One coil, one flip: flipping the coil in one piece keeps it cooking evenly. Cut it into lengths only after cooking.
- Toast the coriander: untoasted coriander is grassy; toasting is what gives boerewors its warm citrus-pine perfume.
Storage
- Raw boerewors keeps 2 days refrigerated or freezes well up to 3 months.
- Cooked sausage keeps 3 days; slice and reheat in a covered pan.
- Leftover sliced boerewors is excellent in a breakfast roll with fried egg.
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