For anyone out there that�s interested in making Black Puddings from scratch I offer you these several gems of wisdom.
1) if you have ever over-cooked scrambled eggs and noticed the water coming out of the mixture this is exactly what will happen if you allow the mixture to boil at any time. The result being that the blood will never coagulate/congeal and the pudding will never set regardless of how long you cook it.
2) As with sausage making it is the herbs/spices that make the product. Don't use old, cheap or stale spices you'll regret it.
3) The quicker the blood is used after slaughter (if using fresh blood) the better. Stir with a wooden soon until cooled this will remove all of the threads.
3) Always gently cook the minced/kibbled onion in the pork fat as this gets rid of the overpowering smell and sharp onion taste. ALLOW TO COOL before adding to mixture.
I am afraid that I can not give you my black pudding spice mixture however I can tell you that a UK company named Perfecta Ltd. (www.perfecta.ltd.uk) sells several complete black pudding mixes with these containing dried blood, spices etc. as does Franco or you could try and locate a copy of "The Butchers' manual" or "The Handy Guide for Pork Butchers" which includes some spice mixtures.
SMALL GOODS PRODUCTION 1955 EDITION
2 lbs salt
8 oz ground black pepper
1 lb rice flour
4 oz ground pimento (allspice, Jamaican Pepper)
4 oz ground coriander
4 oz ground mustard
1 oz celery seed
USE 14 oz of above mixture to season
16 lbs blood
8 lbs flare fat
1 � lbs pearl barley
1 � lbs flour
1 � lbs fine oatmeal
1 lb onion
Basically the same in the 1976 edition.
Whatever you do, do not use the one listed on Stuffers.com as it was copied wrong from the one above and the results will be disastrous
THE BUTCHERS MANUAL (CIRCA 1929)
12 oz salt
4 oz ground white pepper
1 oz marjoram
1 oz sage
1 oz thyme
� dessertspoonful essence of pennyroyal
USE all of the above mixture to season
20 lbs blood
6 lbs pork fat
1 lb onions
2 � lbs groats or pearl barley
1 � lbs flour
2 lbs fine oatmeal
1 � lbs rusk
This is basically the same as that in the 1940 edition
THE BOOK OF SAUSAGES (which I�ve always considered a coffee table book without the pictures as opposed to a trade book on sausages)
THE FAR FAMED BURY
Four parts of rubbed marjoram to three of rubbed thyme, three of rubbed mint, two of rubbed pennyroyal and one of bruised celery seed
THE NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE
Four parts of rubbed marjoram to three of pimento (allspice, Jamaican pepper), two of marjoram, two of rubbed pennyroyal and two of ground coriander.
THE STRETFORD
Six parts of ground marjoram to three of ground thyme, three of ground mint and one of ground pennyroyal.
THE YORKSHIRE
Six parts of ground marjoram to five parts of ground thyme, two of ground lemon thyme and one of ground savoury.
Thos. B. Finney in his famous �Handy Guide for Pork Butchers� states that 6 oz of any of these seasonings are adequate for 14 lbs of black pudding mixture.
Hope that this is of some use to you.
Kind Regards
Parson Snows