Pfälzer Saumagen

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large stockpot or preserving kettle, 8 to 10 litres
• •Butcher's needle or large trussing needle
• •Kitchen twine
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Heavy frying pan

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the stomach

   Rinse the cleaned stomach inside and out under cold running water, then soak it 30 minutes in cold water with the vinegar. This takes away the butcher's brine and lets you find thin spots before the filling is inside, when repair is a nuisance. Drain it, pat it dry, and keep it cold while you make the filling.

   Order the stomach ahead from a butcher who understands what you are making. If it smells harsh after rinsing, take it back. A clean casing should smell mild, not like a problem you plan to cook through.
2. 2

   Cook the potatoes

   Boil the potatoes in their skins in salted water until just tender, 18 to 22 minutes, then drain them and let them cool completely before peeling and dicing. The skins keep the potato from drinking water, and the cooling firms the cubes so they stay visible in the slice instead of smearing into the meat.

3. 3

   Mix the filling

   Cook the diced onions in 1 tablespoon lard over medium-low heat until soft but not browned, about 8 minutes, then cool them. Mix the cold pork shoulder, pork belly, bratwurst meat, potato cubes, onions, eggs, salt, marjoram, white pepper, nutmeg, and parsley with your hands just until combined. Don't knead it to a paste; cold fat left in small pieces melts inside the Saumagen and keeps the slice juicy. Fry a small patty until cooked through and taste that before you adjust the salt. You don't taste raw pork. Würzen, Fett, Salz zum Schluss.

4. 4

   Fill it loose

   Stitch any small holes in the stomach with kitchen twine, then spoon in the filling until it is no more than two-thirds full. Press out large air pockets and sew the opening closed. This is the step that decides the dish: the potato swells, the meat tightens, and the fat loosens as it cooks, so a tightly packed stomach splits and sends your work into the pot. Prick only trapped air bubbles with a clean needle; holes everywhere wash out the flavour.

   A loose Saumagen should feel full but still soft in your hands. If it feels like a hard sausage before cooking, you have already overfilled it.
5. 5

   Poach gently

   Put the halved onion, carrot, bay leaves, and peppercorns in a large pot with enough water to cover the Saumagen. Bring the water to 80 to 85C, lower in the filled stomach, and keep it submerged with a small plate if needed. Poach gently for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, turning once, until the centre reaches 72C. Runter mit der Temperatur. A hard boil batters the casing and squeezes out the fat; a quiet poach sets the filling cleanly.

6. 6

   Rest and chill

   Lift the Saumagen onto a rimmed tray and rest it 30 minutes so the juices settle back into the filling. For the cleanest slices, chill it under a light board overnight; cold filling cuts neatly and fries without falling apart. Strain the poaching liquor and use a ladle of it to warm the sauerkraut, or keep it for soup. Weggeworfen wird nichts.

7. 7

   Slice and crisp

   Cut the Saumagen into 2cm slices. Fry them in the remaining lard in a heavy pan over medium heat until the cut faces are browned and crisp at the edges, 3 to 4 minutes per side, and the centre is hot. Serve with warm sauerkraut and sharp mustard. No jarred brown sauce here. Nicht aus dem Glas. Schön ist, was schmeckt.

Chef Tips

• •Buy the stomach from a real butcher and tell them it is for Saumagen, not for pet food or stock. It must be cleaned, intact, and large enough to fill loosely.
• •Use waxy or all-purpose potatoes here, not floury dumpling potatoes. The cubes need to hold their shape after poaching and frying; a floury potato turns the filling cloudy and soft.
• •Fry a test patty before you fill the stomach. Bratwurst meat and pork belly vary in salt, and the cooked patty tells the truth before the casing is sewn shut.
• •Do not boil it. Keep the water at 80 to 85C and use a thermometer. A quiet pot gives you slices; a wild pot gives you repairs.
• •The pork rind you cut from the belly belongs in a bean pot, a lentil soup, or the next stock. Weggeworfen wird nichts.

Advance Preparation

• •Saumagen is made for cooking ahead. Poach it one day before serving, chill it under a light board, then slice and pan-fry it when people are ready to eat.
• •The potatoes and onions can be cooked the day before and kept cold. Mix the meat filling on the day you stuff it, because seasoned raw pork should not sit around waiting.
• •Leftover slices keep 3 days in the refrigerator. Cool them promptly, cover well, and reheat by frying from cold so the cut faces crisp again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 390g)