MERGUEZ SAUSAGE
2 ½ pounds or ten 5-inch sausages
A lamb sausage with North African spices. We particularly enjoy merguez as a breakfast meat with Shakshouka with Tuscan Beans or Ful Medames, or grilled and served in Flatbread or Pita Sandwiches. Please read Making Sausage at Home and Grinding Meat at Home.
Cut and chill as directed in Grinding and Mixing Sausage:
- 2 pounds lamb shoulder, trimmed of connective tissue
- 8 ounces leaf lard, pork fatback, lamb suet, or beef suet
As the lamb and fat chill, mix together in a bowl:
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons sweet paprika (half may be smoked)
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground sumac
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground fennel, preferably toasted first
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
Grind the chilled meat with a food processor or a meat grinder fitted with a ¼-inch plate (if using a food processor, mix the meat with the seasonings after grinding; if using a meat grinder, mix them before grinding). Fry a small piece of the mixture in a skillet, taste, and adjust the seasonings if needed, being careful not to overmix. Form into patties or stuff into:
- (5 feet of 1 ½-inch sausage casings or about 2 ½ square feet of caul fat, prepared as described in Stuffing Sausage)
To fry sausage patties and crépinettes, see Country Sausage I. To cook links, see here; remember that crépinettes can also be grilled. The sausage can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or tightly wrapped and frozen for up to 3 months.