Merguez (Tunisian Sausage)

Name: Merguez (Tunisian Sausage)
Prep time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 16-20
Ingredients: Ground beef,1 lb; Ground lamb, 1 lb; Lamb intestines, 3; Garlic (minced), 20 cloves; Harissa paste, 4 tbsp; Dried mint (crushed), 3 tbsp; Fennel seeds (ground), 3 tbsp; Paprika (ground), 3 tbsp; Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 3 tbsp; Turmeric (ground), 2 tbsp; Coriander seeds (ground), 2 tbsp; Kosher salt, 1 tbsp (adjust to taste/preference); Caraway seeds (ground), 1 tbsp; Black Pepper (ground), 1 tbsp

March 27, 2024

Merguez (Tunisian Sausage)

Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users

Servings

16-20

Prep Time

75 minutes

Cook Time

0 minutes

Merguez is a classic Tunisian sausage of Andalusian origin made of either lamb, beef, or some combination of the two. Merguez may seem daunting to make but it’s quite simple, especially if you have a mixer/grinder with a ‘sausage stuffer’ kit. You can also completely skip the ‘sausage stuffing’ part of this recipe and simply cook the ground merguez meat mix by shaping it into balls or links!

Ingredients

Ground beef,1 lb
Ground lamb, 1 lb
Lamb intestines, 3
Garlic (minced), 20 cloves
Harissa paste, 4 tbsp
Dried mint (crushed), 3 tbsp
Fennel seeds (ground), 3 tbsp
Paprika (ground), 3 tbsp
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 3 tbsp
Turmeric (ground), 2 tbsp
Coriander seeds (ground), 2 tbsp
Kosher salt, 1 tbsp (adjust to taste/preference)
Caraway seeds (ground), 1 tbsp
Black Pepper (ground), 1 tbsp

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Directions

1. In a large bowl, add the ground beef, lamb, minced garlic, harissa paste, extra virgin olive oil, salt, spices and thoroughly mix everything with your hands until it is well homogenized. Really get in there!!
2. Set the bowl aside and prepare your lamb intestines.
3. For the lamb intestines, you want to first rinse them out well in your sink by running the water through them, several times (at least 4 until the water runs clear). While you’re at it, discard any excess fat tissue on the sides of the intestines. After they are all rinsed out, place them in a small bowl and let them sit in water with 2 tbsp white vinegar and a pinch of salt for 15 minutes. Afterwards, dump the water, rinse them out a final time, and put them back in the bowl. They are clean and ready to be stuffed.
4. Take one end of the intestine and wrap it around the tip of your funnel and push it down, pulling the intestine down towards the base of the funnel as much as you can.
5. Take your merguez mix and begin pushing through the funnel, stuffing the intestines bit by bit. Do this until the link is completely stuffed and repeat with the other intestines until you’ve used up all the merguez mix you have. If there is any leftover, you can simply cook it as is without its casing!
6. Pinch your links every 6 inches to form smaller links, fold them over each other until they are all done. We recommend keeping them in separate portion sizes in air-tight zip-lock bags and storing those you plan on using the next day in the fridge and the rest in your freezer for any future usage.
7. Merguez is great in a variety of ways! Try grilled on its own for your next BBQ, in stews, Tunisian ojja, and so much more. If this is your first time making and trying merguez, we highly recommend you give this Merguez Sandwich recipe a try!
Note: You can find lamb intestines at your local middle eastern/halal butcher shop. Alternatively, you can use any other type of casing that is more accessible to you!