How to Make Mouthwatering Boerewors with a Meat Mincer: A South African Culinary Tradition

Boerewors, the sausage of South Africa – a cultural icon, a meal for the masses, and a national celebration of flavour – is like no other. A meat mincer is a handy companion for making your own boerewors. While you can purchase it precooked and ready to eat at most supermarkets in South Africa, nothing compares to the experience of making your own boerewors with a meat mincer. 

We are also looking at how meat mincers are made, what materials are used, and more, so don’t miss that either. Right, let’s show you how to make this dish. 

Here’s how:

Why Make Your Own Boerewors?

• Flavour-Control: You are in control of the ingredients. You can make the spice mix to your own specifications and create a flavour profile to your taste.
• Quality Ingredients: Choose the freshest, highest-quality meat cuts for a superior taste and texture.
• Healthy Alternative: Reduce the fat content and avoid additives or preservatives often included in commercial boerewors.
• Braai Boasting Rights: Make your own boerewors, and you’ll be the envy of your next braai (barbecue).

Essential Equipment

• Meat Mincer: This is the showstopper. It will turn your lumps of meat into smooth sausage meat. Choose a mincer with several grinding plates for different textures.
• Sausage Stuffer (Optional): A sausage stuffer is optional but will make filling your sausage easier and more manageable.
• Mixing Bowl: A large bowl for combining the meat, spices, and other ingredients.
• Measuring Spoons and Cups: Accurate measurements are crucial for achieving the perfect flavour balance.
• Sausage casings: For the best flavour and texture, choose natural casings (typically lamb or beef intestines).

Ingredients for Traditional Boerewors

• Meat: Traditional combinations are a mixture of beef and pork, but experiment with lamb, venison, or ostrich.
• Fat: Use pork back fat for flavour and juiciness. Aim for 20-30 percent.
• Spices
  • 50g dried coriander
  • ½ tsp dried nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp each of cloves and allspice
  • 60g salt
  • 30g black pepper
  • 1 tbsp coriander seed, crushed to bring out the oils
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • Take your pick.
• Vinegar: Adds a tangy note and helps preserve the sausage.
• Water: Helps bind the ingredients together and ensures a moist sausage.

The Boerewors-Making Process

1. Meat: Chop your Meat and Fat into pieces small enough for your mincer, and cool the Meat so that it isn’t soft when it comes out of the mincer.
2. Grind the Meat: Get out your meat mincer and grind the meat and fat together (mixing the two will help the mixture stick to itself). Use a coarse grinding plate first, and then use a finer plate for a smoother texture.
3. Mix the Spices: In a separate bowl, combine the spices, vinegar, and water.
4. Mix the spices with the mince: Wet your hands, add the spice mixture to the mince and mix it well.
5. Still, stuff the Casings: If you’re using a sausage stuffer, fill it up with the meat filling and gently pack the casings, working in air pockets. If you’re not using a stuffer, use a spoon or funnel to fill the casings.
6. Twist into Links: Twist the filled casings every 10 cm to make each wors a link.
7. Chill and cook: Leave the boerewors to chill in the fridge for a few hours or overnight if you have the time to allow the flavours to develop. Cook over a braai (barbecue) or grill on medium heat until cooked through.

Meat Mincers: Grinding Up Culinary Delights

Meat mincers, or meat grinders as they are sometimes called, are an essential piece of kitchen equipment in kitchens around the world, for they are the machines that turn chunks of meat into the versatile ground meat that we use to make sausages, burgers and countless other dishes. Have you ever wondered how they are made or what materials they are made from? Read on to find out.

Anatomy of a Meat Mincer

• Hopper: This is where you feed the cubed meat into the mincer.
• Auger: A screw-like mechanism that pushes the meat towards the grinding plates.
• Grinding Plates: Perforated discs that come in different sizes to control how coarse the grind will be.
• Cutting Blade: This sharp blade works with the grinding plate to mince the meat.
• Motor: Electric mincers have a motor that spins the auger and blade, while manual models need to be hand-cranked.
• Body/Housing: This is often a metal container (cast iron, stainless steel, aluminium, etc) that encloses the internals and provides a stable platform.

Materials Used in Meat Mincer Construction

• Stainless Steel: The most commonly used material in grinding plates, cutting blades, and the auger. It’s durable, rust-resistant, and easily cleaned.
• Cast Iron: The mincer’s body/housing is made of cast iron, which is heavy and provides good stability.
• Aluminium: You can get a mincer like this in an aluminium shell, which is lighter and cheaper than cast iron or stainless steel but also not quite as robust.
• Plastic: Some mincers have the hopper or motor housing made from plastic; this is cheaper but less durable than metal.

Fun Facts about Meat Mincers

• Ancient Origins: Our ancient relatives once used hand-cranked devices to grind meat. The first mechanised meat mincer was patented in the 19th century.
• Versatility: You’ll soon find that having a meat mincer isn’t just for mincing meat. You can use the mincer to make vegetable mince, grind nuts, cheese, pasta and more.
• Accessories: Plenty of plug-ins come with modern mincers, such as sausage stuffer tubes, kibbeh kits and cookie dough nozzles.
• Power: Electric mincers range in power from 300 watts to over 2000 watts, and everything we tested had a blade that could grind through anything. The more wattage, the more work you can do before your machine overheats.
• Safety: Do not put your fingers in the feeding tube or near the grinding plates or blade, and use the pusher to feed the meat into the mincer.

Choosing a Meat Mincer

• Capacity: How much meat do you want to grind at a time? Pick a mincer with a hopper size to match.
• Power: Higher wattage models are more efficient for grinding tougher meats and larger quantities.
• Grinding Plates: It is best to have a mincer with multiple grinding plates with different thicknesses. This way, you can have different textures of ground meat.
• Attachments: Consider what you will be mincing and pick a mincer with the right attachments.
• Ease of Cleaning: Look for models with removable parts for easy cleaning and maintenance.

Whatever your skill level – whether you’re a seasoned sausage maker or an up-and-coming home cook – a meat mincer can open up a whole new world of culinary creativity in your kitchen. By knowing how they’re made, what materials are used, and what features they offer, you can choose the best mincer and start to diversify your daily meals. 

SUMMARY

Making your boerewors is very rewarding – spice and guts: I can’t, I won’t! – It’s not that complicated, and you only need a few tools and ingredients. The smell of spices filling up your kitchen, the pleasure and pride of twisting the sausage, the lustful expectation of the first bite.Whatever your skill level – whether you’re a seasoned sausage maker or an up-and-coming pioneer – a meat mincer can open up a whole new world of culinary creativity in your kitchen. By knowing how they’re made, what materials are used, and what features they offer, you can choose the best meat mincer for you.