Sausages

Merguez

Spicy Lamb Merguez Sausage

Merguez is a smoked sausage built on a 60% lamb / 40% lean meat or lamb blend, using lamb shoulder. Finish at an internal 160°F (71°C), stuff into 22-24 mm natural sheep casing, grind at Medium (1/4"). Exact amounts scale to any batch weight in the DeepWoodz Smokehouse app for iPhone and Android.

Merguez is thin, brick red and hot, and it is supposed to drip on the grill. Toasting the cumin, coriander and fennel whole before you grind them is the difference between a sausage that tastes of chile powder and one that tastes like a North African street grill. Harissa brings the heat and the color. Stuff it in narrow sheep casing so it cooks fast over hot coals, and eat it with flatbread or couscous.

• Spicy
• Garlic
• Savory
• Gamey

Internal temp

160°F (71°C)

Casing size

22-24 mm

Casing

Natural Sheep

What goes in it

• Kosher Salt
• Harissa Paste
• Fresh Garlic (minced)
• Sweet Paprika
• Cumin Seed (toasted, ground)
• Cayenne Pepper
• Coarse Black Pepper
• Coriander Seed (toasted, ground)
• Fennel Seed (toasted, cracked)
• Ground Cinnamon
• Olive Oil
• Ice Cold Water

Amounts are calculated for your batch weight in the app — including the cure, which is held at a fixed, food-safe rate.

The meat

Lamb Shoulder · Lean Wild Game · Lean Beef

Bear or wild hog: take it to 165°F and hold 3 minutes. Freezing, smoking and curing do not reliably kill trichinella — only heat does.

How it's made

1. Cube the lamb and meat and chill until the edges are firm. Keep everything below 34°F.
2. Toast the whole cumin, coriander and fennel in a dry pan until fragrant. Cool, then grind the cumin and coriander fine and crack the fennel.
3. Grind everything through the 1/4" plate.
4. Mix all the dry seasonings together, salt included.
5. Add the dry seasonings, garlic, harissa, olive oil and ice cold water to the meat. Mix 1 to 2 minutes until the meat is tacky and evenly brick red.
6. Fry a small test patty and taste it. If it tastes flat it is under-salted, not under-spiced.
7. Stuff into 22-24 mm sheep casings and twist into 5 to 6 inch links, or leave as a coil.
8. Refrigerate overnight before cooking.
9. Grill over medium-hot charcoal, turning often, until the internal temperature reaches 160°F.
10. Serve with flatbread, couscous or fries. Wrap and freeze what you will not cook within 2 days. Merguez is usually made with lamb, sometimes with some beef. Our recipe uses 60% lamb with 40% lean wild game, beef or more lamb.

Before you start

• Venison to pork fat ratio