Merguez are long, thin and taste distinctly of North Africa, thanks to the harissa, paprika and other spices with which they’re made. The meat in these wonderful sausages is always either beef or lamb (or a mixture of the two), never pork.
The sausage of choice throughout North Africa is the merguez though there are a number of variations of the Merguez. It is a culturally sensitive sausage, sheep skins, lamb meat, and sometimes lamb and beef. You can get them on almost any city street corner from Tunis in the West to Tehran in the East. From Damascus in the North to Mogadishu in the South. One version, Mirqaz dawwara is basically a thin haggis! But for now, let's concentrate on this old Traditional Moroccan Merguez sausage recipe below.
It's full of flavour and it will knock your socks off so if you're not a fan of a spicy bite... move on.
Level: Intermediate
Prep: 1 hour
Cook time: 30 mins.
INGREDIENTS
THE MEAT
1.5 Kg lamb shoulder, minced
250g beef fat, cut into 3 - 4 mm pieces
SEASONING
2 teaspoons whole cumin seed
2 teaspoons whole coriander seed
2 teaspoons whole fennel seed
2 tablespoons paprika
30 g Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 - 8 cloves of garlic, crushed
80 ml harissa
80 ml ice water
CASINGS
Lamb casings, soaked in 2 - changes of tepid water for 3-4 hours or overnight
METHOD
1. Put water in the freezer to chill and then transfer to the fridge.
2. Put your sheep skins in tepid water to soak, change the water a couple of times. A drop of oil in the last water change will make them easier to load.
3. Toast the seeds in a dry pan for 2 minutes over medium heat and then grind in a mortar and pestle.
4. Add the salt, paprika and cayenne pepper.
5. Cut your lamb and fat into 2-inch cubes and put them through the mincer.
6. Ensuring everything is cold, place the meat, fat and spices into a bowl and mix well.
7. Now put the mix through the mincer a second time.
8. Once all the mix is put through, put it into the fridge.
9. You can test for seasoning by cooking a small piece of the meat and adjusting accordingly.
10. Load your casings onto the nozzle. Get the mix out of the fridge and start stuffing casings using your sausage stuffer or mincer.
11. Link at about 4 inches.
Weschenfelder Top Tip: Rest for 24 hours and cook, preferably on a smoky BBQ, or smoke them in a smoker.