Meats and Sausages
Merguez
Merguez, the French transliteration of the Arabic word mirqaz, is a spicy, short sausage from North Africa made with lamb or beef, and flavored with spices. Spices such as paprika, cayenne or harissa, a hot chili paste that gives Merguez sausage its red color. Sold by street vendors in Paris, can also be found in London, Belgium and New York.
| Meats | Metric | US |
|---|---|---|
| lamb | 1000 g | 2.20 lb. |
Ingredients per 1000g (1 kg) of meat
| salt | 18 g | 3 tsp. |
| pepper | 4.0 g | 2 tsp. |
| garlic | 7.0 g | 2 cloves |
| cayenne pepper | 4.0 g | 2 tsp. |
| allspice, ground | 1.0 g | ½ tsp. |
| paprika | 4.0 g | 2 tsp. |
| cumin | 1.0 g | ½ tsp. |
| olive oil | 14 g | 1 Tbsp. |
Instructions
- Grind through 1/4” (6 mm) plate.
- Mix ground meat with all ingredients and olive oil.
- Stuff into 24-26 mm sheep casings. Leave as one long rope or make 5” links.
- Store in refrigerator.
- Cook before serving.
Notes
Some recipes call for a mixture of lamb and beef.
Merguez owes its red color due to the high amount of paprika.
Some recipes call for Harrisa Paste which is nothing more than a combination of the spices that are already listed above (garlic, cumin, olive oil, hot chili peppers) plus coriander.
