Traditional Black Pudding is a traditional British recipe for a classic sausage in ox sausage skins made from a blend of pig's blood, flat, oatmeal, spices and onions with cream. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Traditional Black Pudding.
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Ever since I saw black (blood) pudding being made in Lancashire, I've been on the hunt for a good English recipe for this breakfast staple. I'm a big fan of black pudding and have made versions around the world, from the Caribbean to Africa. But the English black pudding has eluded me, until now. As for the ingredients, I still have some contacts in the slaughterhouse trade so I was able to get my hands of pig's blood and pig back fat.
The history of black pudding is documented through Elizabethan and into Medieval times. It's called a 'pudding' because it's boiled as all medieval puddings (whether sweet or savoury) were.
Ingredients:
2l fresh pig’s blood
500g diced pig back fat (slightly sweated)
250g onions, finely chopped (gently sweated)
2 tbsp (heaped) oatmeal (soaked in water over-night)
1 tsp (heaped) ground white pepper
1 tbsp (heaped) salt
1 tsp (heaped) ground mixed spice (like coriander, cumin, ginger, paprika and allspice)
500ml double cream
Ox natural sausage casings (soaked overnight)
Method:
Set a large heavy-based frying pan over medium heat. Working in batches, add the pork back fat in a single layer and heat, stirring until it begins to 'sweat' (ie starts to render its fat). Scoop into a bowl with a slotted spoon and cook the next batch.
Once all the fat has been sweated, add the onions and fry for about 4 minutes, or until just softened. Take the pan off the heat and turn the onions into a bowl.
Drain the excess water from soaked oatmeal then turn into a bowl and set aside to drain over the sink.
Pass the pig's blood through a fine sieve into a food-grade to remove any clots. Stir in the pig fat and the onions.
Now stir in the drained oatmeal, white pepper, salt, mixed spice and cream. Use a long-handled spoon to ensure that all the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
Take the soaked ox casings and squeeze out all the excess water from them. Tie a knot at one end of a casing, leaving a long length of string as a 'tail'. Pull the other end over the nozzle of your funnel. Using a ladle, carefully pour the blood mixture into the funnel. This can get messy, so perform the entire operation over a tray to catch any overflow. Be sure not to over-fill the casing, as the pudding will expand during cooking. Leave 5–7 cm of space at the top to allow for this expansion.
If the funnel becomes clogged, use a chopstick or a similar tool to clear the offending blockage.
Take the tail of the string and tie a second knot at the other end of the casing, forming a U-shaped pudding. Complete filling the remaining casings in the same manner.
Two-thirds fill a large pan with unsalted water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Add each pudding to the water.
After about 20 minutes, prick each pudding occasionally with a needle. If a brown liquid emerges, the pudding is done. Allow the pudding to cool before slicing and serving.
It's traditional to allow the pudding to cool completely then slice into rounds and fry these in butter or oil before serving.
