Homemade Cumberland Sausage with Onion Gravy
A glorious homemade Cumberland Sausage is the star of this very British bangers and mash recipe that comes with an onion gravy recipe to boot.
Spicy with black pepper and heady with sage, mace and nutmeg, this curled sausage ring is a real crowd-pleaser.
Homemade Cumberland Ring
You will be surprised to hear that it is a sausage from the British county of Cumbria!
We Brits are rather fond of a good sausage. One of the first things I taught myself to make when we moved to Hungary was a good British Homemade sausage.
This sausage recipe is an extension and refinement of that.
Traditionally, this sausage is unlinked and sold by length or, as in this recipe, sold and cooked coiled.
Flavour-wise this sausage should be spicy! Despite a slanderous reputation for bland food, we Brits are fond of spice and have been for a very long time.
Cumberland sausages date back 500 years, and as far back as the 18th century, they have been synonymous with spice, in particular black pepper, nutmeg and mace!
Of course, another great positive of making your own sausages at home is the giggles!
Seriously, if you are not making childish and puerile jokes as you go, then you are a better person than me.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make these sausages in advance?
Yes, sausages will be fine in the fridge for the same period of time as the raw pork. Be aware that the act of making sausage does not "reset" this timer!
Sausages will freeze without much deterioration for up to 2 months. They will still be edible after this, but the fall off in terms of flavour and texture will likely increase.
Can I turn these sausages into links or make smaller Cumberland rings?
Yes, absolutely!
Can I use store-bought minced pork?
At a push, yes, but it will likely not be as coarse as it would be if you mince it yourself. This will lead to a much "smoother" sausage, which is not to my personal taste.
Can I make "low-fat" sausages?
In theory, yes, but they would not be great in my opinion, the fat, both in terms of quantity and quality, really is the defining factor of a good sausage!
Are natural or collagen skins best for homemade sausages?
It's natural all the way for me, I am not keen on the texture of collagen skins at all!
What type of sausage skins should I buy?
I use pig or hog skins in this Cumberland sausage recipe.
How do I prepare sausage skins?
The skins that you buy will come with instructions; most involve soaking for a period of time.
You can even buy sausage skins loaded on a spool, which makes threading them onto your sausage stuffer much easier. It does remove some of the childish fun, though!
Serving Suggestions
There is no discussion to be had on this! The most quintessentially British way to serve sausage is as part of bangers and mash with onion gravy.
That is sausages and mashed potatoes; this must be accompanied by onion gravy. Failure to do so will result in incarceration in the Tower of London.
I wrote at some length about mashed potato in my recent guide to mashed potatoes.
The last, but far from the least, thing to mention is the onion gravy.
Mine is very similar to the gravy I use in my faggots and mash recipe.
But if you are looking for something a bit different, you could portion these and links and serve them in a sausage and apple casserole, sausage, cabbage and green lentil stew, toad in the hole, make some pigs in blankets or a personal favourite, a sausage and egg sandwich!
Equipment Used
I only mention brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section of the recipe.
Equipment to Make the Sausages:
- Meat grinder with sausage stuffing attachments.
- Large mixing bowl.
- Weghing scales and or measuring cups and spoons.
- Chopping board.
- Kitchen knife.
Equipment to Cook Bangers and Mash with Onion Gravy:
- Oven.
- Stovetop.
- 25-28cm 10-11" heavy-based frying pan or skillet. I use a cast-iron skillet.
- 20cm or 8" saucepan to boil the potatoes.
- 18cm or 7" saucepan for the gravy.
- 15cm or 6" saucepan for the peas.
- Chopping board.
- Kitchen knife.
- Vegetable peeler.
- Colander.
- Potato ricer or masher.
- A combination of weighing scales, a measuring jug, measuring cups and spoons.
- Stirring and serving spoons.
Homemade Cumberland Sausage Recipe with Onion Gravy
Ingredients
For the Sausage:
- 1½ kg Pork Blade 3lb 6 oz
- 5 teaspoon Coarse Sea Salt
- 3 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1 teaspoon White Pepper
- 4 teaspoon Dried Sage
- 1 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon Ground Mace
- ½ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- 150 g Dried Breadcrumbs 1⅓ Cup
- 50 ml Water 3 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon
- 2½ m Natural Sausage Skins
For the Gravy:
- 1 Large Onion 250g
- 15 g Beef Dripping or Lard 1 tablespoon
- 30 g Butter 2 tablespoon
- 2 tablespoon Flour
- 400 ml Beef Stock 1⅔ Cup
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tablespoon English Mustard
- Salt To taste
Instructions
For the Sausage:
- Soak your sausage skins as per the packet instructions.
- Pour the water into the breadcrumbs and set aside.
- Cut the pork into large chunks, then mince it in a meat grinder with a coarse 5-8mm (¼ or larger) plate.
- Add the seasoning to the pork along with the breadcrumbs and combine them together. Followed by the spices, again mix to combine.
- Thread the sausage skins onto a sausage nozzle, ensuring you make appropriately childish jokes.
- Fill the sausage skins, tying them off at the start and finish.
- Place a sausage spiral in a cast-iron pan or heavy-based pan and roast in the oven at 200°C or 400°F for 25 minutes.
For the Gravy:
- Peel and cut the onions into 1cm (½") thick half-moon shapes.
- Heat the dripping or lard in a pan and add the sliced onion; this is best done without using a nonstick pan. Cook over a medium heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- When the onions are a nice rich colour, add the butter and the flour and stir.
- Pour in the beef stock and add the Worcestershire sauce and mustard, stir and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Serve
Don't forget should be a very coarse grind for the meat!
I do give a plate size for the grinding in the recipe 🙂
is Tsp a Tablespoon or tsp a teaspoon?
Tsp is Teaspoon, Tbsp is Tablespoon.
Brian
Answering my own questions below, generally, with "yes".
The results were wonderful BUT. They were excessively peppery - to the point my wife stopped eating.
Now, this is maybe because that's how you meant it. Or it could be the cook's error.
Thoughts, other than making another batch?
Hi Keith...
Glad you liked them, they are indeed peppery, although no one has commented on them being excessively peppery before there are 3 teaspoons of pepper to 5 teaspoons of salt, so pokey but not out of the way on a ratio.
The only thing that I can think of is that store-bought "powdered" pepper will add more pepper than coarse freshly ground pepper? I have updated my recipe to note that I use freshly ground black pepper.
If you like them make them again, but scale back the pepper by a third and use two teaspoons instead. Also white pepper can be a bit fierce and less fragrant to some tastes so maybe reduce that too?
Thanks for the feedback 🙂
Brian
Hi Brian... I"m about ready to start.
- I'm guessing 32-35m casings?
- I think I should trim the meat of large clumps of fat, but not go too far?
- Using US "Boston Butt" which I think must be the equivalent of Blade.
Thanks
Hi Keith...
1) I assume that you mean mm rather than m, if so yes 32-35mm is fine although a little larger than what I get my hands on, although not out of the way.
2) I tend to aim for around 15-20% fat in my sausages so I would be careful about trimming too far, but the great thing about making them yourself is that if you prefer something a little more lean then go ahead.
3) Yes Boston Butt is about the best match for Blade as far as I know.
Enjoy.
Brian
@Brian Jones, yes, I think that a 32m sausage would be more than a mouthful. Making another batch tomorrow. Thanks for your help.
Keith
No worries... but I'm now intrigued about 32m sausage 😀
v late to this, but - could i use a food processor to chop chunked meat in the absence of a grinder?
At a push, you can do it, but it is a long way from ideal! The heat generated by the blades constantly cutting and churning the meat will result in a paste rather than a ground meat which gives a fairly unpleasant texture to the sausage. I would rather buy minced meat from a store or supermarket than use a food processor.
@Brian Jones, Rather than minced meat from supermarket it is IMHO better to go to a decent butcher who will course gladly grind the meat for you.
But why not have a go at chopping it - its how the old Cumberland folk did it. Best with two sharp knives and a larger chopping board. Its definitely not to much of a chore in the quantities in this recipe.
Personally I usually make rather larger quantities when I make Cumberland sausages (my favourite sausage!) - and have recourse to a grinder with a coarse plate (the biggest holes in my set).
PS I think the same goes for a good pork pie! Much prefer making and eating them with chopped (or as a second choice rather than the all to common ground pork mush supermarket version are made with)
There is a reason that I mince my own pork for this recipe (and hand chop the pork for my pork pie recipe). However, I just want folk to make my food, and if that means that they buy meat from a supermarket, then so be it, and if I can encourage someone to take their first steps in doing something they haven't done before, not matter the shortcuts they take, then I am as happy as a very happy thing!
Best cumberland sausage recipe I have used. Thanks
You are welcome, glad you enjoyed it.
Brian
I have rusk that I've made and froze. Do you know if I should use same measurement of rusk for breadcrumbs?
Hi Cheryl...
Sorry it has taken a while to come back to you, I have been on a little break... It is really difficult to tell, rusk is usually formulated to "absorb" and hold a specific amount of moisture, rusk for cheap sausage is formulated to hold more moisture. I'm not sure where that leaves homemade rusk, I would try frying off a fairly large pattie of sausage meat and allow it to cool a little then have a taste for texture and moisture retention.
Tasting is the best part.
Enjoy
Brian.
The recipe calls for breadcrumbs but I'm not sure if they are dried or fresh. Can you let me know?
Sorry Sandra, yes they are dried, I will update the recipe later today.
I made this today, I love the balance of the spices, but I will cut the salt in half next time, my Mother taught me when making sausage, add the spices, mix, make a little patty and fry, then add more spice if needed before stuffing.
Glad you liked it, testing is a hint in my other two sausage recipes, no idea why it is not in here, it's the best part of sausage making, I'll add it back in 😀
I found this looking for a seasoning recipe. Looks great and one of these days I will make an attempt. Regarding mash, here in Northern Ireland we would often want scallion champ with our sausages. With lots of butter. We’ll save the Ulster Fry discussion for another day.
I love making my own sausages, and this is one of my favourite versions so I hope you try it sometime. I like both champ and colcannon but less so with me bangers lol. As for the Ulster fry, I could live off black pudding, potato bread and soda bread so I am all in!
Hi, I live in the USA and am not familiar with the meat cut in your list of ingredients. Is pork blade like pork shoulder or butt? My husband makes sausage from the venison he gets while hunting but I’d rather follow your recipe for sausages. Thank you!
Hey Barbara, the blade is part of the shoulder, it is the tope part near the neck and it has the most wonderful fat. You can use regular shoulder and if it is not fatty enough add a bit of belly.
Have fun 🙂
@Barbara Gilbert, when making sausage I use the best value that day, sometimes its picnic roast, sometimes a pork shoulder, sometimes pork chops are on sale at BJ's and I use them. Fresh Pork is still reasonably priced, so for $1.25 or $2 per pound you can make sausage you would have to pay $8+ / pound
Thanks looks delicious. Sadly we do not eat Pork. Any other suggestions .
Thank you.
Now that's a challenge... Pork works so well in sausage because of the fat content, having said that you can make sausages with anything that you want. The flavours in a traditional Cumberland sausage would work well with chicken, although not so much with beef or lamb, but you would need to add in some fat to stop them drying out. I have never tried it but I think my first choice would be a little beef tallow or dripping depending where you are from. It will add a meaty flavour and moisten the sausage, just mince it with the chicken, I'd suggest thighs and I'd probably start at around 10% of the weight of the chicken.
HAve an experiment, I'd love to hear how you get on!
Brian
Sorry, I forgot the rating?
I had to jump over here when I saw this on FB. I love the way that sausage looks int he pan. And the instructional video is great. A delicious way to start the year. 🙂
This dish is so quintessentially British and is the ultimate comfort food. I love Cumberland sausage and that onion gravy looks SO good.
I am now super motivated to make my own sausage. What fun it would be! I need to get me a meat grinder though. Love how easy you made this look Brian.
really really goood - with a bit of mash = the perfect winter meal! Great recipe! Easy to make and tastes delicious.
what a delicious sounding gravy I know everyone here would love it for sure!
What a delicious gravy! I am sure I can add it to more recipes 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Sorry, I forgot the rating?
Hi Brian, I like your post very much (as I always do), and decided to by a proper meat grinder with a sausage maker. Can you help me which brand I should go for? Did you buy yours here in Hungary?
Hey Eva, good to hear from you... Yes, I bought my meat grinder here in Hungary, I have burned through 3 in 10 years. The first two were name brand and really rather expensive and neither made it beyond 18 months, the third was a "no name" brand from Mediamarkt and is still going strong and is now in its 6th or 7th year. It cost less than 10,000 huf. Make of that what you will.
Thank you very much!
Sok hó van Tiszaszentimrén?
Nágyon szívesen ... Nem sok hó, de elég!
Hi Brian, Sawas dee pee mai from Thailand.
Counted 4 jokes 🙂
Serious Q. I looked in Broadstairs, Redditch, Reddish and other Greater Manchester areas but drew a blank on Mace. You have much greater experience than Moi so :-
Can I boost the Nutmeg in place of Mace do you think ? I expect at the worst it will be Cumberland ä la Paul but ? 🙂
Hey Paul... Boldog új évet back at ya from Hungary. Mace has a slightly more 'pungent' flavour than nutmeg so you could increase the amount of nutmeg and get a decent approximation although you could go left field and stick some freshly ground allspice in there which is something I often add into sausages instead of mace and it works wonderfully.
I had to jump over here when I saw this on FB. I love the way that sausage looks int he pan. And the instructional video is great. A delicious way to start the year. 🙂
Thanks Valentina, I had a real giggle making this over Christmas, I love making sausages and this really is the food of my yoof!
This dish is so quintessentially British and is the ultimate comfort food. I love Cumberland sausage and that onion gravy looks SO good.
It certainly is, I love Cumberland sausage too, pepper is definitely my mojo!
I am now super motivated to make my own sausage. What fun it would be! I need to get me a meat grinder though. Love how easy you made this look Brian.
It really is that easy, it takes a little longer on your first try but it is not that complicated at all. As far as I am concerned a meat grinder is one of the most important gadgets in my kitchen, grund meat from the store or butcher is always pretty ropey.
really really goood - with a bit of mash = the perfect winter meal! Great recipe! Easy to make and tastes delicious.
It really is my idea of a real winter treat!
what a delicious sounding gravy I know everyone here would love it for sure!
It is very good indeedy!
What a delicious gravy! I am sure I can add it to more recipes 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
The gravy is superb and really useful for all sorts of recipes.