Meats and Sausages
Saumagen
Saumagen literally means “pig’s stomach” (sau=sow, pig, magen=stomach) but like a sausage, the stomach is only used to accommodate its filling. In Pfalz region the sausage is as sacred almost as the Haggis to the Scotts (a traditional haggis was stuffed inside the sheep’s stomach, which was sewn closed). Helmut Kohl, the German former chancellor from 1982 to 1998, who came from Pfalz area, loved Saumagen so much that he had it served to visiting premiers, including Margaret Thatcher, Mikhail Gorbachev, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. The story goes that he even invited them to a restaurant named Deidesheimer Hof, located in the small village Deidesheim where they all enjoyed the dish. Originally, Saumagen was a poor man’s dish which was made with leftover cuts, but nowadays it becomes more appetizing: lean pork meat, various herbs and spices, cured red show-meat as well as diced potatoes.
| Materials | Metric | US |
|---|---|---|
| Pork meat from upper shoulder and neck area | 500 g | 1.10 lb |
| Pork belly | 200 g | 0.66 lb |
| Pork meat with some connective tissue* | 300 g | 0.66 lb |
| Potatoes | 500 g | 1.10 lb |
Ingredients per 1000g (1 kg) of materials
| Salt | 30 g | 5 tsp |
| Cure #1 | 2.5 g | 1/2 tsp |
| Pepper | 4.0 g | 2 tsp |
| Marjoram, rubbed | 1.0 g | 1 tsp |
| Thyme, rubbed | 1.0 g | 1 tsp |
| Basil, rubbed | 1.0 g | 1 tsp |
| Allspice, ground | 1.0 g | 1/2 tsp |
| Nutmeg | 1.0 g | 1/2 tsp |
| Cardamom | 0.5 g | 1/2 tsp |
| Ginger | 0.5 g | 1.2 tsp |
| Bay leaves, ground | 2 leaves | 2 leaves |
| Onions, diced | 30 g | 1 oz |
Instructions
- Cut shoulder meat and pork belly into 20 mm (3/4") cubes. Mix with salt and Cure #1 and pack firmly into a suitable container, Cover with a clean cloth and hold in refrigerator for 2 days. This curing step will color the meat red so it will be more visible in sausage slices.
- Dice potatoes into 20 mm (3/4") pieces. Place in water until ready for stuffing otherwise they will turn dark.
- Grind pork meat with connective tissue through 3 mm (1/8") plate.
- Mix all meats with spices together.
- Stuff the mixture loosely into pork stomach or 100 mm synthetic waterproof casings. Sew with twine stomach openings leaving only one for stuffing.
- Tie it off when the stomach is filled.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Insert the stomach, lower the heat and cook at 85° C (185° F) for 3 hours. Hot Saumagen can be served now directly with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes OR place the stomach in cold water for 15 minutes, then drain and finish cooling on a flat surface.
- Refrigerate.
Notes
* pork shoulder, legs, jowls, up to 5% skins.
To warm up again cut the Saumagen into slices 12-25 mm (1/2-1") thick and fry in some fat on both sides. You may also bake the sausage in the oven at 204° C (400° F).
Saumagen is a large sausage so at home or in restaurants it is sliced and pan fried, then served with sauerkraut or mashed potatoes.
The dish is somewhat similar to the Scottish haggis, although the stuffing is quite different.
Curing time not included in preparation time.
To warm up again cut the Saumagen into slices 12-25 mm (1/2-1") thick and fry in some fat on both sides. You may also bake the sausage in the oven at 204° C (400° F).
Saumagen is a large sausage so at home or in restaurants it is sliced and pan fried, then served with sauerkraut or mashed potatoes.
The dish is somewhat similar to the Scottish haggis, although the stuffing is quite different.
Curing time not included in preparation time.
