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Droëwors

Dried coriander beef sausage

Droëwors: thin coriander-spiced beef sausage, cooked through and then dried until it snaps

Long before road trips had petrol-station snacks, Voortrekker families packed droëwors: thin beef sausage seasoned with roasted coriander, clove and vinegar and dried until it keeps for weeks. Today it hangs in coils in every butchery from Bloemfontein to Bellville, and bags of it go to cricket matches, hikes and the back seat of long drives to the coast. The bite is chewy and slightly crumbly, salty-sour with that toasted coriander warmth. The fat must be beef or lamb, never pork: pork fat goes rancid as it dries, and too much of any fat does the same, so keep it to about a sixth of the mix. This home method cooks the sausage to 71 °C before drying, but it is still not for pregnant women, young children or anyone with a weakened immune system. Chef's tip: use thin sheep casings, and don't twist the sausage into links; a long, even rope dries evenly.
Total time
555 min
Difficulty
medium
Serves
14
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Ingredients

Serves14

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Method

0/10 done
  1. Step 1: Toast 2 tbsp coriander seeds in a dry pan over a medium heat until fragrant and a shade darker, then grind it finely and sieve out the husks.

    3 min
  2. Step 2: Mince 2 ¼ lb beef chuck or topside and 7 oz beef or lamb fat together through the coarse plate of a mincer (or ask the butcher to do it). Keep everything cold: warm fat smears and the sausage turns greasy.

  3. Step 3: Add the ground coriander, 1 tbsp salt, 1 tsp ground black pepper, ½ tsp ground cloves, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg and ¼ cup red wine vinegar and mix with your hands for 2 minutes until the mince turns slightly sticky.

    2 min
  4. Step 4: Fry a teaspoon of the mix until cooked through and taste it; it should taste a touch salty, since drying concentrates flavour. Adjust if needed, then chill the mix for 30 minutes.

    30 min
  5. Step 5: Thread 4 m sheep casings (20–22 mm) onto the sausage nozzle and fill them evenly and firmly without twisting into links. Prick any air bubbles with a clean pin.

  6. Step 6: Bring a wide pan of water to 176°F, just steaming with small bubbles at the base. Lower in the sausage coils and poach until a thermometer pushed into the middle of the sausage reads 160°F and the meat is grey all through.

    8 min
  7. Step 7: Lift out, pat dry with kitchen paper and cut into 30–40 cm lengths.

  8. Step 8: Heat the oven to its lowest setting, 50–140°F. Hang the sausages over the oven shelf, or lay them on a rack, with a tray below and the door propped open a crack.

  9. Step 9: Dry until the sausages are dark, shrunken and snap cleanly when bent, 6–10 hours. In a biltong box with a fan, allow 2–3 days.

    480 min
  10. Step 10: Cool, then keep in a paper bag in the fridge and eat within 2 weeks. Not for pregnant women, young children or anyone with a weakened immune system.

Nutrition per serving

Calories
190 kcal
Protein
22 g
Carbs
1 g
Fat
11 g
Fibre
0 g

Nutrition values are estimates.

K
Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

Good to know

How long does droëwors take?
About 555 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 495 minutes to cook.
How many people does it serve?
14 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
Is it gluten free?
Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
What can I use instead of coriander seeds?
Ground coriander, same amount (add it later in the cooking; it burns faster).
What can I use instead of ground black pepper?
Black peppercorns, freshly ground, same amount.

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