Ingredients:

  • 1 liter fresh pork blood, strained
  • 500g pork back fat, finely diced into 1/4 inch cubes
  • 100ml heavy cream
  • 250g cooked pearl barley, cold
  • 2 large yellow onions, finely minced
  • 30g rendered lard
  • 25g kosher salt
  • 5g fine white pepper
  • 2g ground allspice
  • 2g ground clove
  • 1g dried marjoram
  • 1 tsp piri-piri or smoked paprika
  • Standard hog casings, rinsed and soaked

Instructions:

  1. Rinse the hog casings inside and out with cool water and soak them in a bowl of warm water for at least 30 minutes. This makes them pliable and removes the salt used for preservation.
  2. Melt the 30g of rendered lard in a skillet and cook the minced onions until translucent and soft but not browned.
  3. In a small bowl, combine the salt, white pepper, allspice, clove, marjoram, and piri piri. Pre mixing ensures the spices distribute evenly in the liquid blood.
  4. In a large chilled mixing bowl, combine the 1 liter of strained pork blood with the 100ml of heavy cream. Whisk gently to emulsify the fat into the protein.
  5. Fold the cooled onion-spice mixture, the 250g of cooked pearl barley, and the 500g of diced pork back fat into the blood mixture until evenly distributed.
  6. Thread the soaked hog casings onto a sausage stuffer nozzle. Slowly fill the casings with the blood mixture, being careful not to overstuff as the grains will expand slightly. Tie off into 4-inch links using kitchen twine.
  7. Bring a large stockpot of water to a sub-simmer, maintaining a strict temperature range between 170°F and 180°F (77°C - 82°C).
  8. Carefully submerge the sausages in the water. Poach for approximately 1 hour, or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F (71°C). Do not allow the water to boil.
  9. Remove sausages and immediately plunge into an ice bath to stop the cooking process and set the texture. Once chilled, pat dry and refrigerate before slicing and searing.