Jaternice: Slovak pork and liver sausages

Tip: tap a step to mark it as done.

1. Prepare the casings

   Soak the salted casings in lukewarm water for 30 minutes, then run clean water through them to rinse the insides as well.

2. Cook the meat

   Place the pork belly and shoulder in a pot, cover with water, and add the bay leaves, allspice, and 1 tsp of the measured salt. Simmer over low heat for 1 hour 30 minutes, until tender. Remove the meat and reserve the broth.

3. Soak the bread rolls

   Cut the bread rolls into cubes and pour 300 ml of warm pork broth over them. Let them soak up the broth.

4. Grind the meat

   Grind the cooled meat and raw liver through the medium plate of a meat grinder. Finely chop the onion and sauté it in 1 tbsp of lard until golden.

5. Mix the filling

   Add the soaked bread rolls, onion, crushed garlic, marjoram, remaining salt, and black pepper to the ground meat and mix thoroughly. The filling should be moist and soft; if it is too thick, add a little broth.

6. Stuff the casings

   Using a funnel or sausage stuffer, loosely fill the casings so they do not split during poaching. Make sausages about 15 cm long and tie the ends with kitchen twine or secure them with wooden skewers.

7. Poach the sausages

   Place the sausages in water at about 80°C (176°F), without letting it boil, and poach for 20 minutes. Remove and let drain.

8. Bake the sausages

   Place the sausages on a baking sheet greased with lard and brush them with the remaining lard. Bake in an oven preheated to 200°C (400°F) for 25 minutes, until the crust is crisp and golden brown. Serve warm.

Tip: You can freeze the poached sausages. Thaw them in the refrigerator before baking so they cook evenly and do not split.

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Pečeňové jaternice z bravčového bôčika a rožkov