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Oxford Sausages (Chop a pound and a half)
348. Chop a pound and a half of pork, and the same of veal, cleared of skin and sinews; add three-quarters of a pound of beef-suet; mince and mix them; steep the crumb of a penny-loaf in water, and mix it with the meat, with also a little dried sage, pepper, and salt.
This is a sausage-meat mixture rather than a finished dish: the original assumes you know to shape it and fry it. The proportions are sound, but two of the measures need translating and the seasoning is left almost entirely to the cook.
- The penny loafA penny loaf was a small white loaf, though its weight varied with the price of grain, so treat any modern equivalent as approximate: figure on something in the region of 4 to 5 oz of crumb (a few thick slices, crusts removed) and adjust by feel. Soak in cold water, then wring it out firmly in your hands before mixing, or the mixture will be slack and the sausages will steam rather than brown.
- Beef suetThree-quarters of a pound of shredded beef suet is the fat that makes these work. Fresh suet from a butcher is best; packaged shredded suet is often part flour, and vegetable suet will not give the same texture. Pork back fat, finely chopped, is the usual substitute and behaves well.
- Chop, do not purée"Chop" and "mince" here mean a coarse hand-chop or the coarse plate of a grinder. A food processor turns pork and veal into paste in seconds; pulse briefly if you use one, and keep the meat and fat very cold throughout so the fat stays in distinct specks.
- Season by tasting"A little dried sage, pepper, and salt" is no guide. For 3 3/4 lb of meat and fat, start with about 1 1/2 tablespoons fine salt, 2 teaspoons ground white or black pepper and 2 teaspoons dried sage, then fry a teaspoon of the mixture flat in a pan, taste it, and adjust before shaping the rest.
- Skinless by designOxford sausages were traditionally made without casings. Roll the mixture into short thick fingers or flatten into patties, dust lightly with flour, and chill for half an hour so they hold together in the pan.
- CookingFry gently in a little dripping or oil over medium heat, turning, for 12 to 15 minutes; because this is a veal and pork mixture it should reach 160F at the centre. High heat splits the surface and drives out the suet before the middle is done.
- Yield and keepingThe full quantity gives roughly 3 3/4 lb of sausage meat, about 20 sausages. It is fresh, uncured meat with no preservative: cook within two days of mixing, or shape and freeze raw for up to three months.
Oxford sausage is distinguished by its meat rather than its casing: pork and veal in roughly equal parts with beef suet, seasoned with sage and often lemon peel and nutmeg, and sold loose to be shaped by hand at the stove. Recipes under the name circulate in English household books from the eighteenth century onward. The soaked bread crumb serves the same purpose as the rusk in a modern British sausage, holding the rendering suet in suspension so the meat stays moist.