Pork Faggots Homemade & Delicious!
Pork Faggots were the meatballs I grew up with, a staple of the Midlands in the UK, which have sadly fallen out of favour, but I love 'em!
This recipe is an old friend of a recipe from my childhood... And yes, it really is called that and has been called that for a very long time.
They are rich, bold and come with the most awesome onion gravy, you need these in your life!
Faggots and Peas with Mash
I have heard of people getting their faggots recipes deleted from Facebook. Why? Because a section of society decided to turn the name of a dearly held meatball recipe into a homophobic slur.
I’ll not be dissuaded!
As far as I am concerned, these are the undisputed heavyweight champions of the meatball world. None of your soft and gentle here, big, strong, iron-rich flavours.
But they are still a meatball at heart!
They share many of the same techniques and ideas behind my honey and mustard chicken meatballs or those in my spaghetti and meatballs recipe.
However, if you don’t like offal you should probably move on! Faggots get their magic from liver, heart, kidney and even lungs if you wish.
They are traditionally wrapped in caul fat or crepinette.
Crepinette is the web-like fat that holds the kidney and liver all in place. As a result, it makes it the perfect way of holding together these soft meatballs.
Sadly, I can not get caul fat here, no matter how hard I try, so I have adapted the offal levels to keep my faggots and mash on point without the need to be held together.
Mr Brians... Sorry, I Had To!
Growing up faggots always came from the freezer… And the brand name was Mr Brains' faggots, it would be churlish of me not to shift that to Mr Brians!
The dish is very much regionally influenced. I’m from the Midlands, pretty much the heartland of these wonderful meatballs.
However, if you head a little bit further north, not too far, maybe a hundred miles or so, they are called ducks.
There is also something fairly similar in Hungary. They are larger and called a cipő, which means shoe or slipper.
Don't Forget The Gravy.
The other thing that these meatballs need is a kick-ass gravy. And this gravy really does kick-ass and is heady with the flavour of Worcestershire sauce and sweet from the onions.
Of course, the potatoes should be mashed, not pureed, stick as much butter and cream in there as you can, but do not turn them into a puree!
They should remain fluffy; mashing all that rich gravy in just does not work.
For more on mash, you should check out my guide to mashed potatoes.
I’m sure purists will be along soon to say that the peas should be mushy peas.
But I disagree, mushy peas are for fish and chips, and I am always right, so there!
Homemade Pork Faggots Recipe
Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
- 400 g Pork Belly 14oz
- 150 g Pork Shoulder 5oz
- 400 g Pork Liver 14oz (swap out for 200g liver and 200g of heart if you like)
- 1 Large Onion 250g
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- 1 tablespoon Cooking Oil
- 1 teaspoon Dried Thyme
- 1 teaspoon Dried Sage
- 1 teaspoon Celery Salt
- ½ Whole Nutmeg (grated)
- 150 g Breadcrumbs 2 Cups (do not use dried breadcrumbs)
- 3 tablespoon Flour
For the Gravy:
- 1 tablespoon Cooking Oil
- 50 g Butter 3 Tbsp
- 1 Small Onion 100g
- 2 tablespoon Flour
- 500 ml Beef Stock 2 Cups
- 1 tablespoon Tomato Puree
- 2 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
Instructions
- Finely dice the onion and garlic for the meatballs
- Heat the oil in a pan and fry off the onion, garlic, sage and thyme and fry on a low-medium heat for 10 minutes to soften but not colour.
- Get your butcher to grind the meat and offal for you, or do it yourself and mix it together with all of the ingredients apart from the flour and form into 100g (3½oz) balls.
- Heat your oven to 200°C or 400°F with a heavy based skillet or frying pan.
- Roll the faggots in the flour.
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan and add the meatballs and cook for 25 minutes, turning 2 or 3 times.
- Now make the gravy, heat a pan over a medium-high heat and add the oil and butter.
- Slice the onion into 5mm half moons and cook for 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle over the flour, and stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Pour in the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce and the tomato puree, stirring all the while.
- Reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes.
- Taste your gravy and add salt and pepper as required, now pour over your faggots and cover the pan with tin foil.
- Reduce the heat to 160°C or 320°F and cook for an hour and a half.
I adore faggots and that's what I'm having tonight. We used to call them savoury ducks, just outside of Manchester. They were made by the butchers in the village and you had to make your own gravy to go with them. A Friday night treat.
I now live in Lancashire and am now the hunt for some Savoury Ducks...See lots of Brains faggots in the shops but I will persist 🙂
After the success with your Yorkshire Pudding recipe, I'm definitely trying this one.
Enjoy 🙂
Coming from Welsh parents and living just outside Brum, these were a staple in our home. I had forgotten all about them but are just making them from your recipe, doubling up to have some for the freezer. Thank you for this, happy days. Incidentally, these match perfectly with a bold bottle of red and a log fire!
Enjoy 🙂
Grew up in Faggot Wiltshire Calne the home of Harris bacon factory. and Swindon just up the road, Swine town as known of old. the old recipe used to include melts as well. all folks kept pigs in Wilts. we even had a van go around on a Friday night selling Faggots and peas. bring out your dishes etc. that was just after the war the late 40s. just a bit of history. off now to make my monthly batch.
OMG we live in Australia & to cook these was like being back home in the UK, fab recipe thank you
Haha, so glad you like them... They do that to me every time I cook them too, they were my New Years Day treat this year 😀
Made these faggots twice now in the last month ... really good recipe .. used Pork Fillet with about 20% Burgos black pudding (it's got rice in so it's a fairly light texture)and added oats rather than breadcrumbs.... everyone demolished the them ... made 2 x the gravy .. thought it would be enough.. no chance .. thought plates were going to get licked !
Absolutely lovely, thanks for posting this recipe!
You are welcome Dawn, one of the recipes that I am most proud of 🙂
Best F-word recipe I've tried so far. Really top notch..
lol, I'm cool with you using the word in this context, but thank you very much I love this recipe and it is on my "must make a video" list real soon 😀
I had these as a child. My Welsh family in Pennsylvania made them at least once a month and brought them to my grandparents just over the border in New York
Yes, they are very popular in Wales too, I love em and can't get enough, it is one of the few recipes that I always have frozen ready to go in my freezer!
I live in the US and pork liver is not something I can get. Would it work if I substituted chicken liver in its place?
I have to say this is something that I have never tried, the natural sub would be lambs or beef liver, all three have a much bolder flavour than chicken liver. Having said that from a textural point of view it would probably work, but the rich flavour that these meatballs are known for would be scaled back a little. If you try it, let me know how you get on, I am intrigued 🙂
Brian
the recipe was first class, the only thing I did differently from you I made the sauce and placed the uncooked faggots in the sauce which come up halfway and then baked for 90 mins. the flavor of the sauce was a meal with the mash potato, it was a sure winner
Stoked that you liked them, this is one of my personal favourite recipes and it appears to have gathered quite a following from Brits abroad... I've had messages from New Zealand to Peru and Russia to South Africa, honoured and delighted to add the Philippines to that list!
as a Glous. Lad now living now in the Philippines as a lad had them regularly for our tea's. attempting your recipe tonight, got it all mixed and now ready for the oven, I will give you a feedback tomorrow
LOVE faggots! my mum always picks me up a tray from the butchers when she visits family in Brum as i can't find any locally. i'm gong to attempt to make them myself and give her some as part of the christmas hamper i'm making her.
What a fab idea, I wished I could find or even order caul fat locally sadly I can't. If you can get some increase the offal content by upto 20% the caul will help hold it all together. This recipe freezes like a charm so you can go to town making huge batches, that's how I usually prepare them 🙂
No mention of South Wales, we love our faggots. Neath market has a number of Faggot and Mushy peas stalls and as a 67 year old I have very fond memories as a child on a Saturday in Neath market. They are still there today. I have bought some really lovely huge ones from Carmarthen market today and will follow your recipe to the letter for the rest of your delicious sounding meal. They are available in supermarkets in South Wales alongside Rissoles which are very popular here but not common in other parts of the UK it seems.
I have heard of the Welsh fondness for faggots but I had no real experience to lean on to mention it, despite being a Brummie lad with a very Welsh name (Jones), I didn't visit Wales much growing up.
I'm definitely now on the hunt for rissoles though and feel a bit of a winter research project coming on 😀
Enjoy your dinner!
i lived in South Wales for over 12 years working there as the only English man about. Loved Neath Market and first tasted faggots mash and peas there. Beyond delight they had me buy trays of foggots to freeze and enjoy at home. Alas retired and found better to live in Europe as pension you can live on well. Built house and made gardens bit by bit. Now here one can buy all sorts of best meat products but not a trace of caul for faggots can be found. i will try Brian Jones recipe happily now.
Just made 4 lots of your lovely recipe!!! Quite a few portions are now in our freezer. Absolutely lovely...!!! Hubby was well impressed!! Can’t beat homemade faggots. Thanks!!
Thanks Emma, I was only discussing these with my wife a couple of days ago. The weather is turning here and I need these on my table real soon 😀
Absolutely bostin recipe!
We haven't eaten these since leaving the Black Country in 1997. I made them for my Dad for Fathers Day (in NZ its Sept) and he said they were perfect.
My kids are born and bred Kiwis - tonight was their first ever taste of Faggots and they scoffed every last bit.
I doubled the recipe and had to substitute the pork liver for lambs liver as I couldn't get pork liver anywhere here and I added 250g lambs kidneys to make up the difference. I'll be making these again and again and again. Thank you!
Your recipe sounds delicious and I'm really looking forward to trying it. Just one query. The pork and liver total weight is 950g. This seems like a huge quantity for just two servings. Is the servings number right? I'll have a better idea when I make it I guess but I hate waste and don't want to make too much for just two of us. Can the dish be frozen
successfully in its finished state?
Bloody love faggots!!! I grew up in Brum and now live in Australia where faggots and peas don't really play a part in the menu. The last faggots I had were at the Black Country Museum a couple of years ago and I miss them very much. I am going to attempt to make yours as they look delish!! Thanks for the recipe x
Loved the faggots it reminds me of the faggots we used to buy from a mrs cooksley our local butcher as a child many many years ago.
Question, I'm a bit confused about the two lots of breadcrumbs in your recipe, or am I reading in incorrect?
My grandmother in London England would occasionally make, for the family, faggots and pease pudding. It was, accoding to my mother, a real treat. Does anyone have a recipe for pease pudding?
These always remind me of my grandad, as they were his favourite. I have never tried them - I really need to.
Looks like a very comforting dish! Especially for this time of the year!
This is definitely a new one on me but it’s looks beautifully delicious!! I’m venturing out and will give this a go! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for a wonderful trip down memory lane!..here in Canada we used to be able to get them (when there was M&S here),but sadly,unless you can find an authentic British supplier,it’s difficult,plus,I guess,these days being so PC the name probably would offend,but,absolutely loved these (I’m British/raised in Canada),but you have me yearning for them!..Going to make these a.s.a.p!..Thank You!..Cheers!
Thanks Carolyn, food memories form a significant part of what I do here, I'm from the Midlands so they were part of my food childhood. Sadly offal has fallen greatly out of favour and that has taken a bite out of the market. They are making something of a resurgence in fancy pants restaurants in the UK so maybe one day they will resurface!
Absolutely bostin recipe!
We haven't eaten these since leaving the Black Country in 1997. I made them for my Dad for Fathers Day (in NZ its Sept) and he said they were perfect.
My kids are born and bred Kiwis - tonight was their first ever taste of Faggots and they scoffed every last bit.
I doubled the recipe and had to substitute the pork liver for lambs liver as I couldn't get pork liver anywhere here and I added 250g lambs kidneys to make up the difference. I'll be making these again and again and again. Thank you!
Thank you for taking the time to write to me Jo. Your comment made my day!
So glad to hear that some wee Kiwis are embracing the joy of proper grub, your changes sound perfect, the joys of living away from your homeland always mean getting creative with substitutions.
Your recipe sounds delicious and I'm really looking forward to trying it. Just one query. The pork and liver total weight is 950g. This seems like a huge quantity for just two servings. Is the servings number right? I'll have a better idea when I make it I guess but I hate waste and don't want to make too much for just two of us. Can the dish be frozen
successfully in its finished state?
Hey Linda, you are correct sorry, I have updated the servings this is for 4 not 2... I usually freeze with the gravy and then defrost and heat in the oven covered with foil.
Thanks for bringing it to my attention, most of what I cook is for two and I must have been in auto pilot. I have updated the recipe accordingly 🙂
Bloody love faggots!!! I grew up in Brum and now live in Australia where they don't really play a part in the menu. The last ones I had were at the Black Country Museum a couple of years ago and I miss them very much. I am going to attempt to make yours as they look delish!! Thanks for the recipe x
Same here... We have something similar to faggots here in Hungary but they are not the same, as I mention I had to change the recipe up a lot as I can't get caul fat so the texture is very slightly different but they taste superb... Enjoy 😀
Loved the faggots it reminds me of the ones used to buy from a mrs cooksley our local butcher as a child many many years ago.
Question, I'm a bit confused about the two lots of breadcrumbs in your recipe, or am I reading in incorrect?
Thanks for flagging up my error Mike, the first lot of breadcrumbs were my estimation and the second lot my correction whilst I was taking the recipe from my memory to writing it down. I forgot to delete the first, glad you liked them, they are our winter favourite.
Sounds great Brian.One question tho. I have sliced pork belly in the freezer. which has skin on. Is it best to leave on or trim. Recently made ure pork belly red cabbage recipe. Lovely, perfect cooking times. Was not sliced pork belly, just pork belly. Crackling was great. Thanks, Peter
Hey Peter... Glad you liked the pork belly, you will be fine using your froozen pork belly for this but you will need to remove the skin, it will not break down in the faggot so it will get proper chewy. I'll amend my recipe tomorrow to make that clear.
Have fun, these are a real blast from my childhood and I love em!
My grandmother in London England would occasionally make, for the family, faggots and pease pudding. It was, accoding to my mother, a real treat. Does anyone have a recipe for pease pudding?
A real treat for me too although I doubt the yoof of today would agree... I'm afraid I don't have a Pease Pudding recipe, it is traditionally associated with the North East so I would probably start with this recipe, https://dragonsandfairydust.co.uk/regional-recipes-pease-pudding/ it is a pork tenderloin recipe but the pease pudding aspect sounds simple and pretty traditional.
Very Black Country .................ay it?
Arr it is ar kidda!
This is definitely a new one on me but it’s looks beautifully delicious!! I’m venturing out and will give this a go! Thanks for sharing!
Have fun one of my childhood food memories.
This is so new to me,never tried it but definitely looks so yumm! Loved how you wrote your post!
Thank you.
Being from the U.S. the term does catch me off guard, however I really enjoyed reading your post. I learned a lot. Including that in terms of these types of regional European foods I would be a total wimp! LOL Your gravy recipe sounds delightful and I'm always a fan of meat and potatoes (but the soft and gentle kind).
Haha, there are very few things I refuse to eat and all of those are after trying them, I'll give anything a go 😀
Looks like a very comforting dish! Especially for this time of the year!
Certainly is.
Wow i never heard of this before !!
But yes now i can try this recipe out!!
Thanks for such a lovely recipe?
You are welcome.
These always remind me of my grandad, as they were his favourite. I have never tried them - I really need to.
They are superb, proper big and bold, I love them!