Blood sausage is a delicious piece of charcuterie with a rich tradition. Black pudding, blood pudding, mutura, kaszanka, boudin noir, zungenwurst, blutvurst, biroldo, morcilla, sanguinaccio-whatever you call it, the main ingredient is the same. In this post, I'm sharing my favorite blood sausage recipe I've worked on for years. It goes without saying you're in for a bloody good time.
What does it taste like?
Black sausage isn't gamey or strong tasting at all. Blood has a mild, lightly salty flavor.
Blood sausage tastes like mild meat, just tell people what it is after they enjoy it.
How to get blood
Some butchers can order frozen blood and it will work just fine. It's legal to sell in the United States. If you find any you'll have to get it yourself.
Coagulation
Fresh blood will coagulate once it's collected but don't worry it's still good. Before freezing you need to relax what is now a giant blood clot. I do this by pureeing on low speed in a blender. Be very careful doing this to avoid spilling.
After the blood is relaxed and liquid again, strain it to remove any debris or hair. Afterwards, blood can be frozen and will stay good for months. Fresh blood has a short shelf life and should be used within a few days.
Types of blood to use
Pork blood is the most traditional, but I've made it from goat, venison, and chicken blood too. All of them are interchangeable, but pig blood is arguably the most traditional and the easiest to find.
How it's made
Most traditional recipes include a grain or starch to help give body to the sausage. Scandinavian recipes often call for oatmeal. French, Spanish and Italian recipes usually call for rice. My recipe includes a small amount of meat to make it easier to handle.
Blood sausage is made just like any other sausage-it's just more wet. You mix blood with cooked rice, meat and spices, sometimes pork fat or another fat, pack it into sausage casings and cook.
How to cook
Traditionally blood sausage is par cooked by simmering in water. Do not cook blood sausage in a pan like a regular sausage or it may break open. After par-cooking the sausages are cut into pieces and fried cut side down. You can also sous-vide your sausage and that works very well.
The Recipe
My recipe is a Creole hybrid. It's mildly spicy, flecked with onions, a bit of meat for structure. I developed it a long time ago, and spent a lot of time and money in the process.
If you make the recipe as is, you'll love it. If you want to use it as a template, shoot me a message and I'll help you trouble shoot as best I can.
Other Recipes Using Blood
I have a few other recipes that use blood you might like. Creole Blood Cake is fantastic. Chicken Boudin Noir is similar to this one but with Scandinavian flavors. Scandinavian Blood Bread is the most interesting, and probably the oldest recipe I have.
Blood Sausage
Equipment
- Sausage stuffer
- Meat Grinder
- Sheet trays or cookie sheets
- Large mixing bowls with 2-3 gallon capacity
Ingredients
- 4 lbs ground meat, such as pork lamb, chicken or pork
- 2.5 lbs (5 cups) blood lamb, chicken or pork
- 1 lb (4 cups) finely diced yellow onion
- 1 lb (4 cups) sliced green onion
- ¼ cup minced garlic
- 40 grams (1.5 tablespoons) kosher salt plus more to taste (see note)
- natural hog casings, as needed 37 mm size
- 6 cups cooked rice drained and preferably day old
- 1 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley roughly 2 bunches
- 3 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1 Tablespoon cayenne pepper or to taste
- ½ cup rice flour *see note
Instructions
Wild rice
- Cook the rice the night before, it's better if it's dried out a bit.
Onion mixture
- Saute the yellow onions and garlic lightly in the oil with the paprika and cayenne and cook in the lard for 15 minutes on medium-low, until the onions are completely cooked. Stir in the green onions off the heat and allow them to wilt.
- Cool the onions and reserve.
Blend the sausage and adjust the seasoning
- Combine the onion mixture with the ground pork, blood, and remaining ingredients.
- Cook a little of the mixture to double check the seasoning and adjust as needed, then pack into casings. Chill overnight to hydrate the flour and make it easier to case (optional).
- I like to keep the blood sausages around 2 feet, so they can fit easily into a pot of simmering water.
Poach, portion and store
- Poach the sausages in simmering, lightly salted water until hot throughout, and firm, about 10-15 minutes, then dry, portion, vacuum seal and freeze.
- To serve the sausages, cut them into thick coins and fry crisp. Nothing could be better with eggs.
Notes
Salt
I suggest 40 grams as a starting point, which is just under 1% of the weight of the meat in salt. It's very important to taste the sausage before you pack it into casings. Adjust the seasoning until it tastes good to you, but remember that blood is saltier than typical meat.Rice Flour
This is not exactly traditional, but it works well. To make rice flour, grind rice in a spice grinder until fine, then sift. Spices and Herbs Fresh or dried marjoram is traditional here, but fresh oregano is a good substitute.If I don't have access to fresh herbs, I may add warm spices, especially quatre epice (equal parts cinamon, clove, nutmeg and black pepper) just a tiny amount--1-2 teaspoons for this entire batch would be fine.
Ashley Boursin
Using Rice In The Sausage Will Soak Up The Blood. Personally, I Prefer To Drink My Blood Instead Of Eat It Because That Gets The Best Vampire Juices To My Energy Cortex.
Alan Bergo
I laughed at this, but you’re a troll. I hate trolls. Leave another silly, irrelevant comment I’ll ban you faster than you can say Nosferatu. -Alan
Ashley Boursin
Dear Friend Alan. I Am Sorry That You Thought I Was A Troll. My Comment Was Relevant Because While I Liked This Recipe, I Wasn't A Big Fan Of The Rice. I Am Also Just A Tad Bit Hurt That You Find My Comment Silly. This Has Been My Life's Work For Twenty Years. Additionally, Per Your Comment, Actually, A Long Time Ago Nosferatu Was In A Rival Vampire Family From The Slade Ragar Vampire Family. I Am Alight For Cooking, So I Would Greatly Disappreciate A "Ban".
Mike Moranz
Alan, you demon of the night! Blood sausage where I grew up was an annual spring thing. They even had a festival called St Mary's Founders day/Beaverville Homecoming in Illinois where hundreds of pounds of blood sausage was devoured. I lived in St Anne IL a few miles North and ever since moving to MN in 1987 I have missed the wonderful breakfast of blood sausage and eggs. So, I appreciate your efforts, offer this article, https://www.daily-journal.com/life/food/taste-for-boudin-sausage-is-in-blood/article_6d169213-103b-5821-9951-ee0afb3e3915.html and have a question.
Your recipe says 1lb 4 cups. Is that one or the other, or is it 1 lb plus 4 cups?
By the way I have spoken with the meat man,Kelly Langellier who made the sausage for 20 years until the festival ended, and he says no fillers like rice but he does use ground pork to firm it up. If you want his phone # I can provide by private email. His recipe which I don't have is in the traditional French/ Cajun style flavored with marjoram, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, parsley and some milk.
Alan Bergo
Hey Mike, so the recipe needed some parenthesis. It's one pound or 4 cups. Obv weight is the best here but so many Americans are addicted to cups I feel like I need to add them.