SausagesSheftalia, Cypriot Caul Fat Sausages
Minced pork and lamb wrapped in caul fat, which melts as it cooks and bastes the meat from the outside in. There is nothing else quite like them.
SausagesBoerewors on the Braai
A single continuous coil of coarse beef sausage spiced with coriander and clove. The rules are simple: never prick it, never rush it, and never cut the coil.
SausagesGrilled Chorizo with Peppers
Cooking chorizo releases its smoky paprika oil, and over charcoal that oil crisps the skin and coats whatever it touches. Grill it with peppers and mop it up with bread.
The single most repeated piece of sausage advice, to prick the skin, is wrong. The casing is what holds the fat and juices in while the meat cooks. Pricking releases exactly what you are trying to keep, dries the sausage and causes the flare-ups you were trying to avoid.
Cook them gently. A fierce fire splits the skin before the middle is done, and a split sausage empties itself into the coals. Indirect heat first, then a short spell over the fire to colour, is right for almost every sausage worth eating.
Coarse-ground sausages with a high meat content behave completely differently to fine emulsified ones. Boerewors and sheftalia both want to be treated as minced meat in a wrapper rather than as a supermarket banger.
At a glance
| Recipe | Method | Grill temp | Cook time | Pull at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheftalia, Cypriot Caul Fat Sausages | Direct heat | 175 to 230°C (350 to 450°F) | 20 min | 75°C (165°F) |
| Boerewors on the Braai | Two-zone cooking | 175 to 230°C (350 to 450°F) | 20 min | 70°C (160°F) |
| Grilled Chorizo with Peppers | Direct heat | 175 to 230°C (350 to 450°F) | 15 min | 70°C (160°F) |
Techniques used
Direct heat. Food straight over the coals. Fast, fierce, and finished before the inside overcooks. Two-zone cooking. Coals banked to one side: a searing zone and a gentle zone in one grill. The single most useful technique in charcoal cooking.
Cookers these suit
Asado grills. Foukou rotisseries. Kamado grills. Kettle grills. Portable grills.