Butifarra paraguaya

Ingredients

Sausage

• 700 gpork shoulder, coarsely minced
• 400 gbeef, coarsely minced
• 200 gpork back fat, chopped small
• 8 clovesgarlic, crushed
• 1 tbspground cumin
• 2 tspdried oregano
• 2 tspsalt
• 1 tspblack pepper
• 100 mliced water
• 2m natural hog casing, rinsed and soaked

To cook and serve

• 3 litreswater
• 1onion, halved
• 2bay leaves
• chipa or bread
• lime wedges

Directions

1. Mix the pork, beef, fat, garlic, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper, then work in the iced water and knead hard for several minutes until the mixture turns sticky and clings to your hand.
2. Keep everything cold while you work. Above about 12°C (54°F) the fat smears and the bind breaks, and the sausage crumbles when it is cut.
3. Fill the soaked casing and twist into sausages about 12 cm long, tying the ends. Prick each once.
4. Bring the water to 85°C (185°F) with the onion and bay — steaming, barely a bubble — and poach the sausages for 30 minutes until firm and cooked through.
5. Never let it boil. The casings split and the fat is lost to the pot.
6. Lift them out and cool. They can be kept in the fridge for two days at this stage, which is how they are sold at Mercado Cuatro.
7. To serve, grill them over medium coals for 10 to 15 minutes, turning, until browned and blistered.
8. Serve hot with chipa or bread and a squeeze of lime.

Technique

• Poach first, grill second. Grilling from raw chars the outside before the middle is done.
• Cold ingredients and hard kneading. Both are needed for the bind.
• A fresh sausage — refrigerate and eat within two days, or freeze.

Substitutions

• All pork, which is easier and perfectly good, though the beef gives the traditional texture.
• Collagen casings if natural ones are hard to find.
• A splash of white wine in place of some of the water.

Variations

• Served sliced into a stew with mandioca rather than grilled whole.
• The Catalan butifarra it descends from is larger and usually grilled from raw.

History

A Paraguayan sausage of Spanish descent, sold at Asuncion’s Mercado Cuatro and grilled at asados.

Frequently asked questions

What is Butifarra paraguaya?

Butifarra paraguaya is a charcuterie & cured from Paraguay: coarse pork and beef sausage, boiled then grilled, sold at markets. A Paraguayan sausage of Spanish descent, sold at Asuncion’s Mercado Cuatro and grilled at asados.

How long does Butifarra paraguaya take to make?

Butifarra paraguaya takes 45 min of preparation and 50 min of cooking. The recipe makes makes 12 sausages. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Butifarra paraguaya?

Yes, within limits. All pork, which is easier and perfectly good, though the beef gives the traditional texture. Collagen casings if natural ones are hard to find. A splash of white wine in place of some of the water.

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

Never let it boil. The casings split and the fat is lost to the pot.