Boerewors is a traditional South African sausage. It is delicious, but like all sausages, it’s an involved process to fill the sausage casings. So I made patties instead! These homemade boerewors patties are based on the traditional recipe for boerewors so you get all the great taste without any of the hassle.
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What is boerewors?
Boerewors (literally translated as ‘Farmer’s Sausage) is a traditional South African sausage made from ground beef, pork and spices and normally sold in a coil, unlike the more common links we are used to today. It has a distinctive taste, being flavoured with ground coriander, allspice, cloves and vinegar, and is utterly delicious.
No self-respecting South African barbeque would be complete without a bowl of mielie meal (stiff white porridge made from ground maize meal), a dish of tomato and onion gravy and a link of boerewors sizzling over the coals.
On a Saturday morning, the smell of boerewors permeates the air around all the shopping centres, as pop-up caravans sell boerewors rolls to hungry shoppers. And no self-respecting church bazaar or school fete would be complete without the obligatory boerewors stand.
Boerewors sausage is the South African equivalent of the American Hot Dog, the German Wurst, or the English Banger. This boerewors patty recipe I am sharing today is made with all the spices that go into proper boerewors, and it tastes just like proper boerewors, but it has none of the effort that goes into making proper boerewors sausages.
How to cook boerewors
In South Africa, boerewors is traditionally cooked over coals as part of a barbeque, or fried in a pan on the stove. It is normally served in a bread roll topped with a delicious tomato and onion sauce (boerewors roll). In South Africa, it is readily available at any butcher or supermarket, but a lot of people still make their own, using recipes that have been handed down over the generations.
I must admit I haven’t actually tried making these boerewors patties on a barbeque yet. I tend to either fry them or bake them in the oven. If I did barbeque them, I would be inclined to put them into a folding barbeque basket so there would be less chance of them falling to pieces on the grill.
I remember watching my mother-in-law chop mounds of raw beef and pork before mixing in handfuls of spices. She then fed it through a mincing machine, stuffing a pig’s intestines full of the savoury mixture. It took hours of effort, but well worth it for the delicious result. She filled our freezer to the brim – it must have lasted about 6 months.
Today, of course, we just head for the nearest South African shop and purchase our boerewors ready-made.
Hubby had his first taste of boerewors last Christmas when we were visiting my daughter in South Africa. His verdict – delicious!!! So when we got home I stocked the freezer with a few packets from our local South African shop, even though the price of it made my eyes water.
The price of local boerewors got me thinking – why not make your own? But the thought of all the effort involved was a bit off-putting, so I came up with another idea that would give us the great taste of boerewors but with minimum effort. I decided to try my hand at homemade boerewors patties.
Let me show you how I made them!
What you will need
Equipment
You won’t need much, just a large mixing bowl for mixing everything together, and a baking sheet for baking the patties. If you prefer you can fry the patties in a frying pan instead. This frying pan has a non-metal handle, so there’s little chance of you burning yourself on a metal handle.
Ingredients
**You can get the complete list of ingredients and full instructions on how to make boerewors patties on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**
This recipe makes 6 large patties which will be more than sufficient for 4 people (I can only manage one!) If you have children in the family you may want to consider making them a bit smaller.
A mixture of minced beef and minced pork – you can get away with using just beef mince, but I find that a half/half mixture of beef and pork makes a much juicier patty. Remember, when you cook a sausage a lot of the moisture is held in by the sausage casing – patties don’t have the casing so they are inclined to be drier.
White spirit vinegar – not malted vinegar as that will give a completely wrong taste.
Ground coriander – you may think there is a lot of coriander in the recipe, but it this that provides the distinctive taste.
Ground cloves – not too much of this otherwise it will overpower the flavour.
Allspice – this adds a slightly warming note.
Salt and black pepper – for seasoning.
Panko breadcrumbs – as the meat is not forced into a sausage casing, we need something to hold it all together. Panko breadcrumbs are light and absorbent and they do the job perfectly. The Amazon link I’ve provided is where I buy my Panko breadcrumbs – this is amazing value for money – much cheaper than the supermarkets. If you don’t have Panko you can substitute with fresh breadcrumbs.
What to do
This couldn’t be easier!
Place all the ingredients into a mixing bowl, get your hands in and mix thoroughly until the ingredients are well combined. Make sure you distribute the spices evenly throughout the mixture.
Divide the mixture into 6 and form into patties. Mine were about the diameter of a tennis ball, and roughly one-inch in thickness. You could make 8 if you want smaller patties.
Arrange the patties on a baking tray lined with tin foil (for easier cleanup). There is no need to add any oil.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in a preheated oven (200C / 400F) until cooked through. The actual time will depend on the thickness of the patties.
You could also fry these patties in a little sunflower oil on the stove. Fry them gently for about 5 minutes per side until they are no longer pink on the inside.
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What to serve with boerewors patties
The last time I made these we had them with homemade crispy fries, peas and a leafy green salad. They also make delicious hamburgers, served in a crusty ciabatta bread roll with shredded lettuce, homemade pickled onions and slices of tomato. Or why not try them with my delicious home-made chilli tomato sauce.
Of course, you could turn this into a proper ‘braai’ (barbeque to the non-South Africans) and serve them with a selection of salads. Why not try some of these salad recipes:
- Copper penny salad (otherwise known as sweet and sour carrots)
- Spicy beetroot salad – tangy beetroot and onions in a homemade vinaigrette
- Curried green bean salad – the tangy curry-flavoured sauce is the perfect foil for the sweetness of the beans
- Roasted red pepper pasta – just leave out the prawns
Can I freeze homemade boerewors patties?
These patties freeze very well, both raw and cooked. Both raw and cooked patties can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To freeze raw patties
Form the patties into shapes and then place them on a baking tray in the freezer to open-freeze them. Once the patties are frozen, transfer them to a plastic bag. Keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To use, allow to defrost in the refrigerator then cook as per the recipe instructions.
To freeze cooked patties
Allow the patties to cool and then pack them into plastic bags in a single layer and place them in the freezer.
To use, either defrost in the refrigerator or if you are in a hurry, you can defrost them in the microwave. Reheat in a frying pan on the stove-top, or place on a baking tray in a hot oven for a few minutes until they are heated through.
Save for later
If you would like to try these homemade boerewors patties, why not pin the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click the image below.
Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.
Other recipes
You may also like to try some of my other South African recipes:
- Vetkoek and Curried Mince – tasty vetkoek filled with curried mince
- Bunny Chow – a traditional South African delicacy
- Cheese and Sweetcorn Samosas – I first ate these at the Oriental Plaza in downtown Johannesburg
- Lamb Curry in Pita – a mild lamb curry served in pita bread
The recipe
Homemade boerewors patties
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
- Baking parchment or tin foil
Ingredients
- ½ lb (225g) minced beef
- ½ lb (225g) minced pork
- ¼ cup white spirit vinegar
- 3 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon all spice
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs or make your own breadcrumbs using day-old bread
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 200°C/400°F
- Place all the ingredients into a mixing bowl, get your hands in and mix thoroughly until the ingredients are well combined. Make sure you distribute the spices evenly throughout the mixture.½ lb (225g) minced beef, ½ lb (225g) minced pork, ¼ cup white spirit vinegar, 3 teaspoons ground coriander, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground cloves, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon all spice, ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- Divide the mixture into 6 and form into patties. Mine were about the diameter of a tennis ball, and roughly one-inch in thickness. You could make 8 if you want smaller patties.
- Arrange the patties on a baking tray lined with tin foil (for easier cleanup). There is no need to add any oil.
- Place in the preheated oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes depending on the thickness of the patties.
Notes
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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I can’t wait to try this out. I’ve been lussing for word since moving from SA 2 years ago. We can get wors from the SA store but, like you say the pricing is crazy and the quality is still not as good as back home.
I remember at one point McDonald’s SA had a boerie flavored burger, and it was really good.
Thanks sharing!
I know how you feel – I really miss a good piece of boerie!!!!!
Fabulous you are ! Chef “GURU” . Would like free cookbook .
Thank you. You can get the cookbook by signing up for my newsletter via this link – https://www.foodleclub.com/free-cookery-e-book/ – enjoy!!!!