Merguez?

[wheels]

Zulululu

They've not been about since 2006. But your sentiment is correct!

Hotgoblin

It's a great feeling when it all comes together, isn't it - I haven't made these (yet!) - Did you use breast of lamb and beef as per the recipe, or did you do your own combination of meat?

Phil

[Zulululu]

Hi Phil,
Helps when you check the date before you reply!!! Was thinking of sending them to my uncle's farm in Zimbawe to cool down.

[wheels]

Wow, you're mean

Could give them time with my cousin in Harare as well!

[johnfb]

I had a go at making merguez sausages based on the recipe posted by Parson Snows.

http://forum.sausagemaking.org/viewtopic.php?t=166

I've got to say it is a cracking little sausage. But is it a true merguez sausage. If any of you guys that have tried the real thing make this, please tell me if it tastes anything like the real thing.

This sausage is a bit spicy, with a full bodied taste and a note of Fennel.

Merguez

500 gm Lean Beef
500 gm Breast of Lamb
30 gm Iced Water
10 gm Olive Oil
38 gm Spice Mix

Spice Mix

18 gm Salt
2.4 gm Black Pepper
4 gm Hot chilli Powder
0.6 gm Spanish Smoked Hot Paprika
3 gm Ground Garlic
4 gm Ground Cumin
4 gm Ground Fennel seed
2 gm Spanish Sweet Paprika

Method

As with all products that are sold uncooked, it is necessary to use the
freshest ingredients possible to make merguez. The meat must be completely trimmed of blood spots and tendons. After trimming and sorting the meat, chill for at least 12 hours before grinding and maintain cold temperatures throughout production 2-4 �C (36-39 �F)

Grinding and Mixing

The meat can be ground in the grinder or chopper to obtain a grain of 4-6 mm (1/4 in) as shown. The meats are then blended with the seasonings (dissolved in cold water) on low speed in a mixer until just mixed to avoid warming the mixture which causes the release of fat during cooking resulting in a dry
product.

Filling the Casings

The merguez mixture is stuffed into sheep casings (18-20 mm (3/4 in)). The standard merguez is sectioned into 12-15 cm (5-6 in) links. Smaller sausages measuring 5 cm (2 in) are used for brochettes and are served with couscous. Tinted casings can be used to intensify the colour which makes them more eye-catching and easier to market. The filled sausages are hung in the refrigerator to drain.

I made up the spice mix for this and it tasted great, so now I will make the sausages. My question is: I always find sausages made on meat only a bit too meaty and therefore always add breadcrumbs or rusk. I want to use breadcrumbs for this recipe so what % should I add to this so as not to unbalance the recipe. Or if I add 10% breadcrumbs what increase should I add to the other parts?
Thanks

[wheels]

John

I wouldn't! But if pushed, I would add (say) 50g Rusk, and an additional 70g water making 100g total water. To balance this I would reduce the lean beef to 410g and the breast of lamb to 470g.

Phil

[johnfb]

Thanks Wheels.
I will add some breadcrumbs as I dont tlike the pure meat texture. Thanks for the help.

[wheels]

John

Just replace the rusk with breadcrumbs. I'd still reduce the meat by whatever you add otherwise the seasoning will be more dilute. Alternately, add more seasoning as well. So you could go:

500 gm Lean Beef
500 gm Breast of Lamb
50 gm Iced Water
50 gm Breadcrumbs
11 gm Olive Oil
41 gm Spice Mix

OR

450 gm Lean Beef
480 gm Breast of Lamb
50 gm Iced Water
50 gm Breadcrumbs
10 gm Olive Oil
38 gm Spice Mix

The balance of seasoning should be about the same.

Phil

[johnfb]

Thanks Phil, you're a gent

[Greyham]

Gentlemen & ladies, to make a true merguez one needs to add plenty of red wine instead of rusk or crumb. This will balance the meatiness giving a soft full bodied spicy merguez with plenty of colour and flavour. Also you could and should use only lamb. It is a north african derived sausage after all. I use both shoulder and breast.
Then again it is all about personal choice.

[wheels]

Greyham

Perfectly valid points you raise there. Do you know I nearly added a sentence to the bottom of my previous post to say "Please don't call them a Merguez sausage - they should now be renamed".

Phil

[johnfb]

I dont see any red wine in the original recipe from Oddley. So how much wine should I add??

[wheels]

John

There's no law saying you have to add wine, and many Muslims would class it as Haraam, or that it can't contain beef. Beef is a common enough meat in Algeria after all.

I doubt very much though whether it would contain rusk/breadcrumbs as that seems to be a particularly British thing.

Phil

[lemonD]

John,
I can't say I speaking from experience but the combination of oil and breadcrumbs in a sausage doesn't sound right.
I'd try a small batch first.
As for adding wine, as much as the breadcrumbs can take.

LD

[wheels]

John

It doesn't seem sensible to me either - but that's not the question you asked!

[Greyham]

I am making a merguez mix later on i will post my recipe if that helps.