What is black pudding?
My Father’s cousin Katie who he called Aunt Kate was right
off the boat from Ireland and taught me to make traditional dishes from
Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England. One such dish she introduced me to was Black
pudding, a traditional blood pudding that is made of blood (generally pigs),
suet, cereal, and spices. I won’t lie, there was one time she showed me how to
make it and it was the last time I ever had it. I personally didn’t like it and
refused to ever make it again. However, someone asked me to include it in this
series this month, because they wanted to learn how to make it. If you make it
and don’t like it, don’t yell at me. I warned you I didn’t like it either.
What goes into black pudding?
Pork blood is the star ingredient, traditionally used for
its moisture.
Cereal like oatmeal serves as a filler, making stuffing
easier.
Fat from pork adds flavor; beef or duck fat are good
alternatives.
Onions should be finely diced and caramelized for
taste.
A mix of spices enhances the dish: white pepper, salt,
coriander, cumin, ginger—and a bit of cure for safety.
Milk or cream can smooth out the strong flavors if
desired. What does black pudding taste like?
Blood Sausage
Black pudding, a classic dish from Britain and Ireland,
combines pig's blood with chopped fat, onions, grains, and spices.
Ingredients
4 1/4 Cups Pork Blood
1/2 Lb Diced Pork Fat
1/2 Cup Sliced Onions (finely diced)
1 1/2 Tbsp Oatmeal (soaked overnight)
1/2 tsp White Pepper
1/2 tsp Instacure No. 1 (optional) Curing salt
1/2 Tbsp Salt
1/2 tsp Ground Coriander
1/4 tsp Ground Cumin
1/4 tsp Ground Ginger
1 Cup Heavy Cream or Whole Milk
Natural Hog Casings
Instructions
Sauté the onion in a skillet with a bit of lard over low-medium heat until it's beautifully caramelized. Let it cool, and you can even prep this ahead of time and store it in the fridge.
In a bowl, mix soaked oatmeal with insta cure, salt, pepper, coriander, cumin, and ginger; set aside.
Next, chop some frozen or partially frozen fat for easier handling. Coat it in your seasoning blend.
Chill the blood and coated pork fat together while soaking
hog casings until everything reaches about 35˚F. Use your stand mixer or a
sturdy spoon to combine all ingredients—fat, oats, milk—and gradually add the
blood (about a cup at a time). Mix on low until well blended; things may get
messy!
Start boiling water in a large pot on the stove while mixing
your ingredients.
With the hog casing threaded onto the sausage stuffer, fill
it with the mixture, forming one long coil before tying off links with
butcher's twine.
Carefully place each sausage in the boiling water to poach
for 15-20 minutes. Check doneness by pricking; if brown liquid escapes, they’re
ready!
Prepare an ice bath and plunge them in right away after
poaching. Once cool, let them dry for about an hour on a paper towel.
Elizabeth Kilbride is a Writer and Editor with forty
years of experience in writing with 12 of those years in the online content
sphere. Author of 5 books and a Graduate with an Associate of Arts from Phoenix
University in Business Management, then a degree. Mass Communication and Cyber
Analysis from Phoenix University, then on to Walden University for her master’s
in criminology with emphasis on Cybercrime and Identity Theft and is currently
studying for her Ph.D. degree in Criminology. Her work portfolio includes
coverage of politics, current affairs, elections, history, and true crime.
Elizabeth is also a gourmet cook, life coach, and avid artist in her spare
time, proficient in watercolor, acrylic, oil, pen and ink, Gouche, and pastels.
As a political operative having worked on over 300 campaigns during her career,
Elizabeth has turned many life events into books and movie scripts while using
history to weave interesting storylines. She also runs 7 blogs that range from
art to life coaching, to food, to writing, Gardening, and opinion or history
pieces each week.
British Fare, Potpourri of Frugality. Kilbride
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