Boerewors (South African Farmer’s Sausage)

Name: Boerewors (South African Farmer’s Sausage)
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: South Africa
Ingredients: 2 lb ground beef; 1 lb ground pork with fat; 1 tbsp coriander seeds, toasted and crushed; 1 tsp ground nutmeg; 1 tsp ground cloves; 2 tsp black pepper; 2 tsp salt; 1/4 cup vinegar; Sausage casings, rinsed

Boerewors (South African Farmer’s Sausage) photo 1

8 servings40 min prep20 min cookMedium South Africa

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The Story Behind It

The Tale of Boerewors (South African Farmer’s Sausage)

Story updated September 17, 2026

Boerewors, a coarsely ground, spiced sausage, developed among the Boer (Afrikaner) farming communities descended from 17th-century Dutch and other European settlers, who adapted European sausage-making with local spices and preservation methods. Its name simply means "farmer's sausage" in Afrikaans, and it remains a braai (barbecue) essential across South Africa today.

Ingredients

Scale:· 8 servings

2 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork with fat
1 tbsp coriander seeds, toasted and crushed
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp salt
1/4 cup vinegar
Sausage casings, rinsed

Instructions

1Combine ground beef and pork in a large bowl.
2Mix in crushed coriander, nutmeg, cloves, pepper, and salt.
3Add vinegar and mix thoroughly with your hands until well combined and slightly tacky.
4Stuff the mixture into sausage casings, coiling into a spiral and tying off links.
5Refrigerate at least 1 hour to firm up.
6Grill or braai over medium-hot coals, turning occasionally, until browned and cooked through, about 15-20 minutes.
7Serve hot off the grill, often with pap and chakalaka.

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