My First Attempt at Boerewors. Feedback

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My First Attempt at Boerewors. Feedback

Postby shaunRSA » Mon Oct 26, 2015 9:41 am

Hi
I posted on here last week asking for equipment advice, and a big thank you to everyone who responded.
I am giving feedback on my first attempt at making boerewors, as promised.

I live in South Africa and this was my first experience. Maybe this will help other newbies from my part of the world.

In the end, I opted for the stand alone Kenwood MG450 grinder/sausage maker (R1800 from Freddy Hirsch's)

On Saturday I made hamburgers first, and on Sunday I tried the wors.

For the burgers I used 3 kilos of beef flank with about an 80/20 ratio of beef/fat. I also added the Stetson Burger Mix from Crown National (R33 and it can make 7.5kg of burgers), mixed with iced water as per instructions.

I made the sure the meat stayed semi-frozen and cut it into thin strips about an inch wide. I started the mincing with the coarse plate.

The Kenwood minced it like a dream.

I then minced it with a medium plate and using a hamburger press (Crown National R330) made the patties.

it was so easy, and they were delicious!

First grind, with spices added
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... 1445765684

2nd grind, ready for patties
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... 1445765715

Patties done
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... 1445765715

I knew the wors was going to be lot more difficult though :?
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Re: My First Attempt at Boerewors. Feedback

Postby shaunRSA » Mon Oct 26, 2015 10:23 am

The Wors
I used stewing steak and pork neck, basically a ratio of 75% meat to 25% fat.
It weighed 3.3 kg

I again, made sure the meat was semi-frozen and started with the coarse plate.

I added the Ouma's Wors Mix from Crown National (R57 and makes 30kg of wors) with iced water as well as 2 tablespoons of garlic powder and 2 tablespoons of chilli powder.

I mixed it thoroughly by hand for about 10 minutes and then put it through the medium plate for a second mix.

I nearly went mad trying to separate the hog casings (also Crown national @R160.50 for about 91 meters of casing), got salt in my eye, and all over the kitchen. :evil: I finally got it right and tried to guess how much I would need, then soaked it in cold water for about an hour, ran water through the casings, and was ready to go.

I set up the sausage attachment with the big filler funnel, and wet it with water. I struggled to get the casing on, but eventually prevailed. I tied a knot at the end of the casing.
(I found out it was easier to first push through a bit of sausage mix with about an inch sticking out of the filler funnel, when adding the casing. It seems to open the casing up nicely and lubricates it a bit)

Then with my wife feeding the meat, and me handling the casing, off we went.

I battled for about a minute or two to get the right pressure grip on the casing, but soon worked it out.

It was a fantastic experience to see the wors roll out on to the tray. It gave me such a feeling of accomplishment lol :D

The finished product. Not perfect, but I'm chuffed with it nevertheless.
We had friends around for a braai (BBQ) last night and they all raved about it.

Image
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Re: My First Attempt at Boerewors. Feedback

Postby kil2k » Mon Oct 26, 2015 2:36 pm

Great job! There's nothing quite like serving up your own sausages and burgers at a BBQ 8)

Start curing some bacon if you haven't tried that yet!
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Re: My First Attempt at Boerewors. Feedback

Postby wheels » Mon Oct 26, 2015 3:21 pm

They look great.

Phil :D
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Re: My First Attempt at Boerewors. Feedback

Postby Swing Swang » Mon Oct 26, 2015 5:47 pm

Congratulations, my wife wants one of your wors rolls NOW!
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Re: My First Attempt at Boerewors. Feedback

Postby NCPaul » Mon Oct 26, 2015 6:15 pm

Great start! :D

This may help you with casing amount/length:
viewtopic.php?f=15&t=11069
Fashionably late will be stylishly hungry.
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Re: My First Attempt at Boerewors. Feedback

Postby shaunRSA » Mon Oct 26, 2015 9:02 pm

Thanks everyone.
Thanks for the advice too.
It was an extremely rewarding experience, and I'm hooked now.
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Re: My First Attempt at Boerewors. Feedback

Postby shaunRSA » Tue Oct 27, 2015 1:03 pm

kil2k wrote:Great job! There's nothing quite like serving up your own sausages and burgers at a BBQ 8)

Start curing some bacon if you haven't tried that yet!


That's also on my list. Been trying to work out if my charcoal Weber will be a good enough smoker.
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Re: My First Attempt at Boerewors. Feedback

Postby NCPaul » Tue Oct 27, 2015 2:49 pm

I would look into finding a way to cold smoke. It is difficult to keep the temperatures low enough to even hot smoke in a Weber. You can use your Weber (I do), you just need a way to generate cold smoke in it. :D
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Re: My First Attempt at Boerewors. Feedback

Postby shaunRSA » Wed Oct 28, 2015 12:11 pm

NCPaul wrote:I would look into finding a way to cold smoke. It is difficult to keep the temperatures low enough to even hot smoke in a Weber. You can use your Weber (I do), you just need a way to generate cold smoke in it. :D



What technique do use to smoke in your Weber Paul?
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Re: My First Attempt at Boerewors. Feedback

Postby NCPaul » Thu Oct 29, 2015 5:29 pm

I use a sawdust cold smoke generator in the bottom of my Weber grill:

http://www.macsbbq.com/cold-smokers
https://www.amazenproducts.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=12

(yes, I have both). To hot smoke, I've used a hot plate with an iron dish of wood chips in my Weber Smokey Mountain bullet smoker (WSM). The results have been mostly erratic (operator). I have a friend with a new electric smoker, so if I need something hot smoked, I think I'll let him do it to help justify the purchase to his wife.
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Re: My First Attempt at Boerewors. Feedback

Postby shaunRSA » Sat Oct 31, 2015 6:36 am

Thanks for the reply Paul.
That cold smoker for the Weber looks ideal, and not too expensive either.
I wonder if similar products are available in South Africa?
I haven't seen anything locally like that, but maybe other Saffers on here could reply.
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Re: My First Attempt at Boerewors. Feedback

Postby Swing Swang » Sat Oct 31, 2015 7:26 am

a lump of glowing charcoal in the base of a flowerpot, covered in dry wood dust, works very well if you're keen to get started immediately
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Re: My First Attempt at Boerewors. Feedback

Postby shaunRSA » Sat Oct 31, 2015 7:22 pm

Thanks Swing
Can you give me a bit more detailed advice?
How do you set the whole thing up?
How much charcoal to how much wood dust?
Do you put it in the bottom of a Weber for example?
Is the pork on a grid above the flower pot?
Sorry for sounding so stupid, but I've never done this before.
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Re: My First Attempt at Boerewors. Feedback

Postby kil2k » Sat Oct 31, 2015 9:16 pm

shaunRSA wrote:
kil2k wrote:Great job! There's nothing quite like serving up your own sausages and burgers at a BBQ 8)

Start curing some bacon if you haven't tried that yet!


That's also on my list. Been trying to work out if my charcoal Weber will be a good enough smoker.


Most of my bacon is unsmoked, and it's really easy to make. Grab yourself some pork belly, use the bacon calculator Phil made, seal and cure it for approx 6 days in the fridge, turning and massaging every day, then rinse and leave to dry [either on a rack in the fridge, or hang somewhere suitable].

More info here - viewtopic.php?f=16&t=4835
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