Traditional English Black Pudding

After 2 hours soaking, pre-cook oat groats in fresh salted water over medium heat for approximately 15-20 minutes until al dente. Drain, rinse with cold water and allow to cool. The groats should still have a bite and not be mushy.

Cut back bacon into 1 cm cubes. Fry in a dry pan over medium heat until the cubes are golden brown and slightly crispy. Sauté onions in the bacon fat until translucent. Allow both to cool slightly.

Place pork blood in a large bowl. Stir in all spices and curing salt. Mince cooked pork fat through meat grinder with 8 mm plate and add to blood. Thoroughly mix oat groats, bacon cubes, onions, and pork fat into the blood mixture.

Thoroughly soak and rinse large intestine casings inside. Fill the blood sausage mass loosely — maximum 80% fill, as the mixture expands significantly during heating. Tie off into sections of approximately 25-30 cm. Important: Avoid all air pockets.

Poach filled sausages in a large pot of hot water maintained at a constant 80°C for approximately 45-55 minutes. Never allow to boil — this would cause casings to burst. Test doneness by piercing: clear, not bloody juice indicates full doneness.

After poaching, immediately cool sausages rapidly in an ice bath (water with ice cubes) to below 10°C. Then allow to dry completely on a rack at room temperature. Store chilled at 2-4°C. Black pudding keeps for about 5-7 days. To serve, slice into 1-2 cm rounds and reheat in a pan or oven.