Butifarra soledeña

Ingredients

Sausage

• 700 glean pork, minced fine
• 300 gbeef, minced fine
• 150 gpork back fat, minced fine
• 6 clovesgarlic, crushed
• 1 tbspground black pepper
• 1 tspground cumin
• 2 tspsalt
• 1 tspsugar
• 100 mliced water
• 3m narrow natural hog casing, rinsed and soaked

To serve

• lime wedges
• bollo de yuca or bollo limpio

Directions

1. Mix the pork, beef and fat with the garlic, pepper, cumin, salt and sugar, then work in the iced water a little at a time, kneading hard for several minutes until the mixture turns sticky and pale and clings to your hand when you turn it over.
2. That kneading is the recipe. Butifarra soledeña is a bouncy, springy little ball rather than a crumbly sausage, and the texture comes from working the salted mince until the proteins bind. Underworked, it falls apart in the pot.
3. Keep everything cold as you work. If the mixture warms above about 12°C (54°F) the fat smears and the bind breaks.
4. Fill the narrow casing and twist off into small balls about 3 cm across, tying or twisting tightly between each. Prick each one once.
5. Bring a large pan of water to 80°C (176°F) — barely trembling — and poach the sausages for 30 to 40 minutes until firm and cooked through.
6. Lift them out and let them cool. They are eaten warm or at room temperature rather than hot.
7. Serve piled on a plate with lime wedges to squeeze over, and bollo de yuca alongside.

Technique

• Mince fine, then knead hard with iced water. Skipping either step gives an ordinary meatball in a skin rather than butifarra.
• Twist very tightly between the balls, or they merge into a single long sausage in the pot.
• Lime is not a garnish. The sausage is deliberately plain and peppery and the acid is half the dish.

Substitutions

• All pork, if beef is awkward, though the beef gives the characteristic bounce.
• A food processor for the mincing and kneading, which does the job faster — keep the bowl cold.

Variations

• Sold cold from a bucket by street vendors in Soledad, eaten with the fingers.
• The Catalan butifarra it descends from is much larger and usually grilled rather than poached.

History

Made in Soledad near Barranquilla; the name and technique descend from the Catalan butifarra brought by Spanish settlers.

Frequently asked questions

What is Butifarra soledeña?

Butifarra soledeña is a charcuterie & cured from Colombia: small spiced pork-and-beef balls in casing, boiled and eaten with lime. Made in Soledad near Barranquilla; the name and technique descend from the Catalan butifarra brought by Spanish settlers.

How long does Butifarra soledeña take to make?

Butifarra soledeña takes 45 min of preparation and 45 min of cooking. The recipe makes makes about 40 small sausages. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Butifarra soledeña?

Yes, within limits. All pork, if beef is awkward, though the beef gives the characteristic bounce. A food processor for the mincing and kneading, which does the job faster — keep the bowl cold.

What is the most important thing to get right in Butifarra soledeña?

That kneading is the recipe. Butifarra soledeña is a bouncy, springy little ball rather than a crumbly sausage, and the texture comes from working the salted mince until the proteins bind. Underworked, it falls apart in the pot.