dried sausage

[harley]

does anyone make droewors ?

[aris]

Not yet, but I will be attempting this week. Basically will be boerewors made with beef, and then dried in my home-made biltong box. Instructions on how to make this are on my website - http://www.biltongbox.com/

I'll be using collagen casings which I got from Franco.

[Franco]

Most sausages you make can be dried and eaten like salami, there is nothing to stop you having air dried cumberlands sausage.

The only thing you need to the mix is cure 2 which is a combination of nitrate and nitrate and suppresses botulism and other nasty things and also gives the meat it's red colour

Franco

www.sausagemaking.org

[aris]

I don't know - droewors (dried boerewors) is never red or pink - always brown and no recipe i've seen calls for any cures. I suspect that because it is made in a thin sheeps casing, that it dries very quickly lessening the chance of bugs.

If you use very fresh ingredients and keep everything very clean, you shoudl not have a problem.

[Spuddy]

How dry are droewors?
It could be that if you have removed sufficient moisture then the botulism has not enough moisture to grow in.
I would imagine that this degree of dryness would need soaking prior to using.
I have seen many (very old) recipes for cures using only salt and no nitrate or nitrites at all but they all seem to use much more salt and result in a product that needs to be soaked before use.

[aris]

It's bone dry - i.e. no moisture at all. It doesn't use a terrible amount of salt - same as you'd use for normal sausage. It does contain vinegar though - and this could have the bacterial killing effect that is needed.

[Spuddy]

I see.
As I said if there is no moisture at all then NO bacteria can multply at all.
Even botulism (which doesn't need air) cannot exist if there is no moisture.
I have a dehydrating machine which can be used to completely dry almost anything (even complete meals, soups and sauces) to a state where you can just keep them in a jar or packet at room temperature and rehydrate them by soaking in water.
Absolutely NO curing at all is needed even for meat (although it is better but not essential) to preserve it in this way.
I have used it to make Biltong before with good results.

[harley]

Thanks for the reply's i have just ordered a mincer/suasage filler and will be making some droewors shortly using spice I brought back from a trip to SA, Vinegar is an ingredient. I doubt any bugs will survive this as the spices and reciepy (? spelling) are a well and truly tried formular. Only problem is British beef just does not have the body and flavour of SA beef. any ideas on what beef to use ?
rgds

[aris]

Use Tesco's value beef - has just the right amount of fat.

[harley]

OK will check out Tesco Thanks

[boersewors]

I buy all the meat from my local butcher. I go for lean stuff, beef, pork and mutton, and then add pork fat (spek). Last winter I made really good droewors, but the casings were smaller which is ideal to allow the sausage to dry throughout. A few weeks ago I tried again but using normal (large diameter) casings, and this was a mess. DON'T TRY IT! I suppose winter being cooler helped too.
Good luck
B

[aris]

I'm not sure how good it is to use pork in droewors. Beef & mutton, ok.. but not pork.

[GAME RANCHER]

does anyone make droewors ?

Hi harley, I make droewors but mostly from game meat, however i do sometimes make it from beef or mutton.
Here are two recepies I use when using beef or mutton.
Traditional droewors:
4.5 kgs of beef or mutton
1 kg of sheeps tail fat. ( not kidney fat as this will cause the fat to stick to your pallet)
30ml fine salt
20 g whole coriander (50ml)
5 ml ground cloves
10 ml frashly ground black pepper
90 g casings 20-22 mm diameter mutton or pork casings ( not boerewors casings)
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Prepare the coriander by placing the seeds in a dry frying pan and heat, stirring constantly until they become light brown. grind them in a blender or with a pestle & mortar. Pass the crushed seeds through a sieve and remove the husks. Cut the meat & tail fat into 50 mm cubes & combine with the rest of the ingredients Mince together then loosely stuff into the casings. Dip the wors into a mixture of 4.5 l boilimg water mixed with 350 ml of brown vinegar. Place the wors in a bowl & leave in the fridge overnight. Hang the wors over wooden rods ensuring the wors does not touch each other. Dry in a cool draughty place until just before it is completely dry. ( you can dry it out completely if you prefere it that way) makes +/- 3 kgs.
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FARM STYLE DROEWORS.
4.5 kgs beef
2.5 kgs breast of muton / fatty mutton ( not kidney fat as this will cause the fat to stick to your pallet)
15 ml freshly ground black pepper.
15 ml of ground cloves.
15ml of grated nutmeg.
12g of whole coriander. (Prepared as in traditional droewors recepe)
90g fine salt
15ml brown sugar
400ml vinegar.
90g 20-22 mm diameter mutton or pork casings.
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Prepere the coriander as in the traditional droewors recepe
Cut the meat into 50 mm cubes & mix with the remaining ingredience, except for the vinegar and casings, & mince. Sprinkle vinegar over the minced meat mixture & mix lightly. stuff the mixtture loosely into the casings. Dip the wors into a mixture of 4.5 l boilimg water mixed with 350 ml of brown vinegar. place the wors in a bowl & leave in the fridge overnight. Hang the wors over wooden rods ensuring the wors does not touch each other. Dry in a cool draughty place until just before it is completely dry. ( you can dry it out completely if you prefere it that way) makes +/- 4 kgs.
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I have other recepies for venison meat, but you may not have ready access to this meat.
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Enjoy and let me know how it turned out.
Game Ranger. SA

[GAME RANCHER]

I'm not sure how good it is to use pork in droewors. Beef & mutton, ok.. but not pork.

>
What ever you do dont use pork when making droewors the traditional way it will go rancid- Game Rancher