Morcilla

Morcilla is a blood sausage, very popular in Spain and Latin America.

Meats Metric US
pork blood 250 g 0.55 lb.
fat (beef suet, pork back fat, hard pork fat trimmings or bacon) 250 g 0.55 lb.
rice 250 g 0.55 lb.
diced onions 250 g 0.55 lb.

Ingredients per 1000g (1 kg) of meat

salt 18 g 3 tsp.
black pepper 2.0 g 1 tsp.
Spanish paprika, sweet 10.0 g 5 tsp.
Spanish paprika, hot 10.0 g 5 tsp.
cinnamon 1.0 g ½ tsp.
cloves, ground 2.0 g 1 tsp.
oregano, ground 2.0 g 1 tsp.

Instructions

  1. Peel off onions and chop them finely. Mix them with rice and leave overnight in a suitable container. The rice will absorb onion juice and will increase in volume.
  2. Dice fat into 1/2” cubes.
  3. Stuff loosely into 32 - 36 mm hog casings as the rice will still increase in volume during cooking. Make 12” rings.
  4. Cook in a hot water at 176° F (80° C) for about 60 minutes. Any sausage that floats to the top should be pricked to remove air. Don’t increase temperature as the casings may burst.
  5. The color should be dark brown - red with white pieces of fat.

Notes

The remaining morcilla stock known as “calducho” is used for cooking.

There is a morcilla variety where instead of the rice the bread crumbs are used. Everything else remains the same.

Pimenton is Spanish Smoked Paprika that gives chorizos or morcillas this particular flavor and deep red color.