Horse Sausage (Sujuk) and Horse Pastarma
A first-person account of making a big batch of horse sausage and horse pastarma, blended with pork from ribs and fresh fatback, spiced generously and laced with a glass of bourbon and crushed ice, then air-dried on the terrace. Exact weights are given for the batch the author made (spices are always a matter of taste). Tip: before stuffing, always fry a little of the finished mince — like a meatball or the first sausage — taste it, and only then stuff the rest, so you can adjust salt or spices. Contact given in source: 0888803186. This is the result after almost 50 days of curing — a beastly delicacy.
Ingredients
| 6.3 kg | Horse meat (leg and shoulder) |
| 2.9 kg | Pork from the ribs |
| 0.8 kg | Fresh fatback |
| 250 g | Salt |
| 35 g | Black pepper |
| 100 g | Sugar |
| 20 g | Cumin |
| 5 g | Ground allspice |
| 200 ml | Bourbon (e.g. Jim Beam) |
| 700 g | Ice |
| 1 | Vitamin C ampoule (optional) |
| 20 m | Pork casings |
| 2 kg | Horse meat for pastarma, cut in strips ~25x5x3 cm |
| 1 kg | Coarse sea salt (for sprinkling) |
| 100 g | Fructose sugar (for sprinkling) |
| — | Paprika (for coating) |
| — | Black pepper (for coating) |
| — | Fenugreek (for coating) |
| — | Savory (for coating) |
Instructions
- Take nice large pieces of meat that smell of real meat. Cut and shape the best cuts to make pastarma.
- Cut the remaining meat into small pieces suitable for the meat grinder and knead it with part of the spices.
- Of course, horse meat alone gives nothing and pork must be added. From 4 kg of thick pork ribs, separate part of the meat and cut it into pieces (the ribs are left for marinating and roasting). Do the same with about 1 kg of fresh fatback.
- Grind all this meat through the coarse plate of the grinder, add the remaining spices, pour over generously with a glass of bourbon, add 3 ice-cube trays (a full 36 cubes) and knead diligently and persistently until the ice fully melts.
- Cover the basin with cling film and put it in a cool place for 24 hours.
- After 24 hours' rest for the meat, begin the fun part — the hand grinder, the nozzle and the pork casings. Shape some as large loops — they will dry out one day and be like sujuk.
- Important: before stuffing, always fry a little of the finished mince — something like a meatball, or at least one sausage (the first one) — taste it, and only then stuff the rest. This first frying best reveals the flavour of the mince and lets you add something — more salt or spices.
- Since it is for fun, also make one huge sausage which will later be tied into different pieces.
- Hang everything on the terrace in the cool to air out and gain the awaited flavour.
- Meanwhile the pastarma is ready and takes its place next to the sausages and sujuks — to rest and mature.
- After a few days: usually in the evening they are brought in, arranged between two boards and pressed with something heavy — for example a water jug.
For the sausages: 6.3 kg horse meat (from the leg and shoulder); 2.9 kg pork from the ribs; 0.8 kg fresh fatback; 250 g salt; 35 g black pepper; 100 g sugar; 20 g cumin; 5 g ground allspice; 200 ml bourbon (Jim Beam is preferable for the price); 700 g ice; and one ampoule of vitamin C (the whisky and vitamin C are not obligatory). Pork casings — depending on the type — about 20 metres.
For the pastarma: 2 kg horse meat cut into strips of about 25x5x3 cm; about 1 kg coarse sea salt and 100 g fructose sugar for sprinkling; for coating — paprika, black pepper, fenugreek, mainly savory. How to make the pastarma I will not explain — the technology is clear.