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Ossenworst
Spiced beef sausage
Ossenworst (cooked home version): Amsterdam spiced beef sausage with cloves and mace
Ossenworst is Amsterdam's own borrel sausage, made since the seventeenth century from lean beef spiced with cloves, nutmeg, mace and white pepper, and sliced thin at cafés in the Jordaan with mustard, pickled onions and gherkins. The traditional sausage is raw and lightly cured, so it is best bought from a specialist Amsterdam butcher, and like all raw meat it is not for pregnant women, young children or anyone with a weakened immune system. This home version keeps the same spicing but is gently poached until the centre reaches 71 °C, then chilled and sliced, which makes it safe for everyone. A common mistake is boiling it hard, which makes it dry and crumbly. Chef's tip: keep the water at about 80 °C, never bubbling, and check the core with a thermometer.
- Total time
- 80 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ lb lean beef mince, finely groundvery cold
- 2 ⅞ oz beef suet or fatfinely minced, very cold
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground white pepper
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground mace
- 1 clove garliccrushed to a paste
- 3 tbsp ice-cold water
- 4 tbsp Dutch mustardto serve
- 8 gherkinsto serve
- 16 pickled silverskin onionsto serve
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (4)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put 1 ⅓ lb lean beef mince, finely ground, 2 ⅞ oz beef suet or fat, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground white pepper, ½ tsp ground cloves, ½ tsp ground nutmeg, ¼ tsp ground mace, 1 clove garlic and 3 tbsp ice-cold water in a cold bowl and knead hard for 5 minutes until the mixture turns sticky and holds together like paste.
10 minStep 2: Divide in two. Spoon each half onto a large sheet of heatproof cling film, roll into a tight 4 cm log, twisting the ends firmly, then wrap again in a second layer so no water gets in.
10 minStep 3: Heat a large pan of water to about 176°F, just steaming with no bubbles. Lower in the logs and poach for 40–45 minutes until a thermometer in the centre reads 160°F.
45 minStep 4: Plunge into iced water for 10 minutes, then chill in the fridge overnight so the sausage firms up and the spices settle. Keep for up to 4 days.
10 minStep 5: Unwrap and slice thinly. Serve with 4 tbsp Dutch mustard, 8 gherkins and 16 pickled silverskin onions.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 170 kcal
- Protein
- 21 g
- Carbs
- 1 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ossenworst take?
- About 80 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 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 ground cloves?
- Ground cloves, ¼ tsp for every 3 whole cloves.
- What can I use instead of ground mace?
- Ground nutmeg, same amount (a little stronger).
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