Suet or not

[hotgoblin]

Ok all this may be a stupid question but it is from me
Just reading one of the wifes books and it stated use suet instead of straight pork fat whats the reason please

[saucisson]

Suet will melt into nothing, pork fat will leave a certain amount of protein/collagen structure behind it. Think the difference between the fat layer in crispy bacon (something left) and lard (nothing left). Suet may leave air pockets behind it depending on what you use it for, pork fat will leave some sort of structure.

Dave

[wheels]

Dave

I know you've researched your county's sausage: don't old recipes for the Oxford sausage have suet in them, or is it just the Mrs. Beeton one?

Phil

[saucisson]

Since doing my research the number of recipes for Oxford sausage available on the internet has grown immensely. Whether they have proliferated from a single recipe or other versions are coming out of the woodwork is not clear as there are subtle variations. What they all have in common is veal, pork (usually shoulder) and suet. Generally in equal proportions although what I suspect is a "lite" version reduces the suet by half. Some use lemon rind, others juice and I've even found one without lemon which seems somewhat incongruous and I suspect is a transcripional error.

Dave

[wheels]

Dave

All the one's I've seen seem to be cloned from the Mrs Beeton one - I'll try and find another original source for comparison.

Phil

[saucisson]

That will be interesting, thanks...

Dave

[wheels]

Dave

The book 'The Taste of Britain' has some information which to avoid copyright infringement, I will send to in an email.

It's interesting to note that Lemon doesn't appear to be mentioned in the older recipes.

Phil

[saucisson]

I wonder if lemon may have been the innovation that John Wiblin introduced in his Royal Oxford Sausage. It seems to have appeared in the 1820s back when the Wiblins were butchers in another part of the town.

http://www.headington.org.uk/oxon/stgil ... est/31.htm

[wheels]

Maria Rundell - A New System of Domestic Cookery - Spadbury's Oxford Sausage:

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Oax ... ge&f=false

See also:

http://www.foodsofengland.co.uk/oxfordsausages.htm

1826 recipe with lemon (no source though)

http://recipes.epicurean.com/recipe/778 ... ceipt.html

See also:

http://www.qype.co.uk/place/preview/uk- ... son-oxford

"Established since 1793, R R Alden & Son is one of the oldest butchers in the country. They specialise in rare-breed meats... ... including the famed Oxford Sausage, which they claim to have invented."

Also:

http://www.geocities.com/old_lead/sausage.htm

Oxford Sausage – Three pounds of Veal & two pound of Beef Suet three pound of Pork then chop them well together with a handful of Sage chopped fine put in pepper & Salt to your taste take a penny Loaf & put the Crumb in Water to soak then take eight eggs & beat the eggs & bread together roll them as long as your finger & fry them.
Backcountry Housewife (1778-1785), South Carolina.

Phil

[saucisson]

"Established since 1793, R R Alden & Son is one of the oldest butchers in the country. They specialise in rare-breed meats... ... including the famed Oxford Sausage, which they claim to have invented."

Maybe that's why they tried to get the Wiblin's shut down A pitched battle across town over who's recipe it was. Forget the Cavaliers and Roundheads facing off in St Giles it was:

Sausage Wars I : The Phantom Mace

Sausage Wars II: Attack of the Cloves

Sausage Wars III : Revenge of the Pith

[wheels]

Is that why they invented the Pith Helmet?

[saucisson]

Now you're just taking the Pith

[wheels]

[lemonD]

Dave,
Are you watching "The Hairy Bikers tour"? Their doing Oxfordshire today, and making Oxford Sausage on BBC Iplayer

LD

[saucisson]

Nooooo!!! runs upstairs and hits the Iplayer button....

Thanks LD, I'll catch it tomorrow with pen and paper

Dave