2 delicious recipes for old-fashioned pork sausages and brawn

Homemade sausages are comforting and hearty — and a welcome addition to any meal. Here are two amazing recipes for your own homemade sausages and brawn.

Ingredients:

• 2 kg (4.4 lbs) lean pork
• 1 kg (2.2 lbs) pork fat
• 15 ml (3 tsp) salt
• 25 ml (5 tsp) sage
• 10 ml (2 tsp) pepper
• 10 ml (2 tsp) sugar
• 16 (3 1/4 tsp) ground cloves
• 300-500 ml (1 1/4-2 c) iced water

Method:

1. Chill the meat and fat and put them separately through the mincer with a 1.2 centimetre (3/4 inch) cutting plate. Chill the meat again.
2. Combine all seasonings and mix into the meat, then put it through a mincer with a 0.3 centimetre (1/5 inch) cutting plate.
3. Mix the meat and fat and add just enough water to make a soft dough.
4. Stuff into casings of pig intestine or collagen, taking care to avoid air bubbles.
5. Hang the sausages in a cool dry place (or in the refrigerator) for one to two days.
6. For added depth of flavour, cold smoke the sausages at about 25°C (77°F) for 10 to 14 hours until they turn a deep, dark brown.
7. Refrigerate and cook before serving.

Preparing brawn is the most popular way of using the various bits and pieces of meat from the head of a pig, calf or lamb.

Ingredients:

• Head of a pig, calf or lamb (for calf or lamb, use half the quantities of spices)
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) salt
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) black pepper
• 1 crushed bay leaf
• 10 ml (2 tsp) hot pepper sauce
• 5 ml (1 tsp) ground mixed spices, such as garlic, onion powder, sage, mace, savory and cloves

Method:

1. Split the head into halves or quarters (most butchers will do this for you). Remove the snout, eyes, brain and any remaining bristles or extra fat. Soak in cold water for at least six hours to rinse out the blood. Then wash pieces under running water.
2. Place pieces in a heavy saucepan. Barely cover with water and bring to the boil; simmer until the meat slides off the bone.
3. Separate meat from the bones and let it cool.
4. Mince meat through a 1.2 centimetre (about 3/4 inch) cutting plate.
5. Add enough broth to the minced meat to make a soft batter consistency and discard the rest.
6. Return mixture to the saucepan and add seasoning. As soon as it boils, pour it into moulds of glass, china or enamel.
7. Cover with a cloth and plate and put a few kilograms of weight on top.
8. Refrigerate until set, then remove from mould. Serve cold in thin slices. Brawn can be kept refrigerated for five days.

There you have it -- two delicious recipes for sausages and brawn. Prepare these before your next backyard barbecue a roast the sausages on the grill.

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