South Africa | Recipe

Boerewors

Name: Boerewors
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: South Africa, Southern Africa
Ingredients: 1½ kg beef, coarsely ground; 500 g pork fat or lamb fat, coarsely ground; 2 tbsp coriander seeds, toasted and crushed; 1 tsp black pepper; ½ tsp cloves; ½ tsp nutmeg; 2 tbsp salt; ⅓ cup malt vinegar; 2 m sausage casing, optional

South African coiled sausage seasoned with coriander, cloves, nutmeg, vinegar, and pepper, then cooked over a braai.

Country

South Africa

Region

Southern Africa

Time

65 min

Serves

Level

hard

Start cooking Explore South Africa recipes

01 / Get ready

Everything you need

Tap each ingredient as you gather it. Illustrations are visual guides; follow the ingredient names and quantities.

Servings 8

Scale the dish before you shop, then use the checklist while you cook.

Jump to method My cookbook

Ingredients

For 8 servings

Recipe

Meat

1½ kg beef, coarsely ground 500 g pork fat or lamb fat, coarsely ground

Spices

2 tbsp coriander seeds, toasted and crushed 1 tsp black pepper ½ tsp cloves ½ tsp nutmeg

Seasoning

2 tbsp salt ⅓ cup malt vinegar

Casing

2 m sausage casing, optional

A few kitchen essentials

Suggested from the recipe method. Use equivalent equipment you have.

Wooden spoon

02 / Let’s cook

One step at a time

Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.

Back to South Africa

4 steps 45 min prep 20 min cook (check method) 65 min total hard

Season meat

Mix meat, fat, spices, salt, and vinegar gently until evenly seasoned.

mix 12:00

Stuff or shape

Stuff into casing as one loose coil, or shape into thick patties.

shape 25:00

Rest cold

Chill so the flavor settles and the sausage firms.

rest 30:00

Braai gently

Cook over medium coals, turning carefully, until juicy and cooked through.

braai 18:00

Beef-led versions are common, sometimes blended with pork or lamb. The coriander-heavy spice profile is the constant.

Cooking notes, photos & serving ideas

Recipe context

More about this dish

Serving ideas, regional context, and cooking cues for when you want more detail.

When to cook it

Best for braai days, boerie rolls, sports gatherings, and family cookouts.. Plan on a hard cook. Allow about 65 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Pap, chakalaka, tomato relish, rolls, or potato salad.

Regional lane

Braai sides and sweet table. Relishes, custards, puddings, and tea-table desserts.

Chef watch-outs

Skipping the resting time after grilling.
Rushing the base before the raw edge has cooked out.
Adding all seasoning early and forgetting to adjust at the end.

How you know it is ready

The surface should be deeply colored while the center stays juicy.
The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.
Oil, sauce, broth, or steam should look settled and deliberate.

Pantry lane

curry powder, apricot jam, chakalaka, mince, custard

Recipe photos

See the dish before you cook

Take a closer look at the dish and its serving ideas.

Boerewors recipe from South Africa — Boerewors finished dish

Chef board

Build the table around Boerewors

Pap, chakalaka, tomato relish, rolls, or potato salad.

Best route from here

Braai sides and sweet table

Collections to keep cooking

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