Recipe: SOUJOOKH (Armenian Spiced Dried Sausage)
🕒 Cook Time: 720 hours
🕒 Prep Time: 24 hours
🕒 Total Time: 744 hours
Description:
The end of October is the best time to make this sausage. It is savory and spicy, a real Armenian delicacy. This recipe yields about 8 pieces of 5×6 inches each.
Ingredients:
| Quantity | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 10 | salt |
| 1/3 | curry powder |
| 1 | cloves |
| 1 | black pepper |
| 1 | cinnamon |
| 1/3 | allspice |
| 2 | paprika |
| 1/4 | garlic |
| 1/4 | ground ginger |
| 2 | pounds ground beef or lamb |
Nutrition Facts (per serving):
- Calories: 1445.2
- Fat Content: 106.3g
- Saturated Fat: 42.7g
- Cholesterol: 385.6mg
- Sodium: 5065.6mg
- Carbohydrates: 12g
- Fiber: 5.7g
- Sugar: 0.3g
- Protein: 106.7g
Recipe Instructions:
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Mix Spices: In a bowl, combine salt, curry powder, cloves, black pepper, cinnamon, allspice, paprika, and minced garlic.
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Blend with Meat: Add the spice mixture to the ground beef or lamb. Knead the mixture until well blended.
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Refrigerate Overnight: Cover the meat mixture and refrigerate it overnight to allow the flavors to meld.
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Adjust Seasoning: The next day, taste the meat mixture and adjust the seasoning according to your preference.
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Refrigerate Again: Cover and refrigerate the meat mixture again overnight.
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Prepare Cloth Bags: Cut two cloth bags, each measuring approximately 10×14 inches.
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Divide and Fill Bags: Divide the meat mixture in half and fill each cloth bag with the meat mixture.
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Insert Sticks: Take two sticks, about 12 inches long, and place one at the open end of each bag. Wrap the cloth around the sticks firmly and sew in place, leaving the ends exposed.
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Hang to Dry: With a rolling pin, spread the meat inside the bags to fill the air space. Make some string loops on the extended ends of the stick and hang them out to dry in cold, dry, sunny weather.
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Refrigerate Nightly: Bring the bags in at sundown and refrigerate them overnight. Repeat this process for 2 weeks.
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Cut and Continue Drying: After 2 weeks, cut the bags away from the partially dried meat. Cut up the meat into quarters, then thread a string through each piece and hang it out to dry, uncovered, for one more week, refrigerating at night.
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Final Step: When done drying, wrap each piece in aluminum foil and refrigerate or freeze. Use as needed.
Tips:
- Casings Option: Instead of cloth bags, casings may be used for a traditional touch.
- Patience is Key: Though it’s a long process, the delicious results are well worth the effort.
- Storage: Store the dried sausage in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to use.
Enjoy this savory and spicy Armenian delicacy with your favorite bread or cheese platter!
