Utopenci
Utopenci: Czech pickled sausages with onion, chilli and vinegar, a pub snack
Utopenci means "drowned men": fat pork sausages slit open, stuffed with onion and sunk in a jar of spiced vinegar brine, and they sit in big jars on the bar of almost every Bohemian pivnice, fished out with a fork and eaten with dark bread. The usual sausage is the špekáček, a short, plump pork-and-beef sausage with visible fat. After a few days in the brine they are sharp, garlicky and juicy, with sweet, soft onion and a slow chilli heat. Where most people go wrong is using raw sausages or skipping the cooking: heat the sausages through to 71 °C in the centre first, cool them quickly, and keep the jar in the fridge the whole time, not on the counter. Eat within 10 days, using a clean fork. Chef's tip: let them pickle for at least 3 days; on day one they just taste of vinegar.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the sausages
- 3 onionssliced into thin rings
- 2 small red chillieshalved
- 2 cloves garlicsliced
For the brine
- 1 ¾ cups water
- ¾ cup spirit vinegar (8%)
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Bring the 1 ¾ cups water, ¾ cup spirit vinegar (8%), 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 6 allspice berries, 10 black peppercorns, 3 bay leaves and 1 tsp mustard seeds to the boil, simmer for 3 minutes, then cool quickly in a cold-water bath and chill.
5 minStep 2: Peel the 6 špekáčky or other thick cooked pork sausages, gluten-free if needed if they have inedible casings. Simmer them in water over a low heat for 8–10 minutes, until the centre reads 160°F on a probe.
10 minStep 3: Cool the sausages in cold water for 5 minutes, then slit each lengthways along one side, leaving the ends and back intact.
6 minStep 4: Stuff each slit with a few rings of the 3 onions.
4 minStep 5: Layer the sausages in a clean 1.5 litre jar with the remaining onion, the 2 small red chillies and 2 cloves garlic.
3 minStep 6: Pour over the cold brine to cover completely, close the lid and refrigerate for at least 3 days. Keep refrigerated at all times and eat within 10 days.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 310 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 9 g
- Fat
- 25 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does utopenci take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 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 onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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