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Butifarra soledeña
Butifarra soledeña: Soledad's small round boiled beef and pork sausages, sold with lime and bollo
Around Barranquilla, the street call of 'butifarra, butifarra' comes from vendors pushing carts out of Soledad, the town that made these little sausages famous; there's even a festival for them every July. They are small, round links of beef and pork seasoned with nothing more than salt and plenty of black pepper, boiled rather than grilled, so they stay tender, juicy and pale. Sellers squeeze lime over them and hand them out with a bollo de yuca, a firm steamed cassava roll. They are simple, peppery and a little sour from the lime. Using lean meat is the usual mistake: without the pork fat they turn dry and grainy. Chef's tip: tie the links into small, round balls about 4 cm across and boil them gently; a rolling boil splits the casings.
- Total time
- 105 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the butifarras
To serve
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (5)
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mince 1 ½ lb beef chuck, 10 ½ oz pork shoulder and 5 ½ oz pork back fat together through the fine plate of a mincer, or in short pulses in a cold food processor, until fine. Keep the mixture cold.
10 minStep 2: Add 3 tsp salt, 2 ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper, 2 garlic cloves and 3 ½ tbsp iced water and mix with your hands for 2 minutes, until sticky. Fry a little to taste: it should be distinctly peppery.
5 minStep 3: Stuff the mixture into 3 m natural pork casings with a sausage stuffer or piping bag, filling them firmly but not tight.
20 minStep 4: Every 4 cm, pinch and tie the casing tightly with 3 m kitchen string so each link becomes a small round ball. Prick any air bubbles with a pin.
20 minStep 5: Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, lower the butifarras in and turn the heat down so the water just simmers. Cook for 30–35 minutes, until firm and the centre of a cut link reaches 160°F with no pink.
35 minStep 6: Meanwhile, boil 1 ¾ lb cassava (yuca) in salted water for 20–25 minutes, until tender and starting to split. Drain.
25 minStep 7: Drain the butifarras, cut the links apart and serve warm with the cassava and 4 limes to squeeze over.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 32 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 30 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does butifarra soledeña take?
- About 105 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of freshly ground black pepper?
- Black peppercorns, freshly ground, same amount.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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