Haggis, first attempt--pretty tasty

[brewerpaul]

Greetings all you haggis makers and haggis eaters. This is my first attempt at haggis using what is available to me. I know there are some very accomplished haggis cooks out there so please add comments and any secrets you can spare. All words of critique welcome. I modified my recipe from a traditional one located at the link below. I know I made a few mistakes and will modify things as I learn but the results were pretty decent.

http://www.scottishrecipes.co.uk/haggis2.htm

For the pluck or liver, etc I purchased lamb heart, tongue, liver and testes from an organic range free lamb farmer. She has her lamb butchered at a small meat processor and keeps the pluck she can. Unfortunately no stomach or lung. I had collected the pluck during the farmers market season and finally defrosted it and made my haggis.

Nicely packaged liver, hearts and tongue



All together I had about 7 lbs of goodies to work with.



This was a two day event so during the week I boiled the pluck. I knew I would not have the time during the week to boil the haggis so I at least got a head start. The pluck was boiled in a half gallon of IPA from my local brew pub.



I just left all the cooked pluck in the pot of beer and refrigerated it until Friday. Friday evening was my time to try to put this all together. Besides the pluck I used the steel cut oats, onions, garlic and spices.

4 huge yellow onions and 2 bulbs of garlic ready for the haggis



For the suet I could only get pork suet. If you are looking for suet just ask your grocery meat market, they usually have beef or pork. The pork did fine.

1LB pork suet



Next was the grinding of this all. I was not about to mince all this meat by hand so I employed my grandmothers old hand grinder. The pluck, suet and garlic were all processed through this wonderful old grinder. By the way I was wearing my Elkommando kilt as displayed on Alan H's February photo challenge.

Grinding the goodies



Take away a couple pounds for the mixing bowl I had about 11 lbs of pluck and onions.



Add to all that 1.5 lbs of toasted steel cut oats. Oats were toasted in my cast iron skillet. Wonderful bread like aroma comes from toasting the oats.



Continued below keep reading.

[glenlivet]

I think I'll use that 2nd pic down as my desktop wallpaper!

[brewerpaul]

Ok spices were pepper, salt from Peru, rosemary from my garden, garlic and onion.




The mix in my big pot, it got to much for the giant mixing bowl.




Now not having stomach to cook it in I had to use what I could find. I choose natural collagen sausage tubes 3 7/8 by 24 inches. This will change next time as I had two of my four haggis break apart. I think it is due to the fragility of the collagen tubes. I dont think they are made for 2+ hour boils. Perhaps next time balogna casings will work. Any suggestions appreciated.



One of two big pots with beer and water and haggis boiling.




As I said two of the haggis blew up but I salvaged the goodies from the boilings by running it through a colander. Im not about to waste all that good stuff down the drain. 2 of the haggis held together though one had the casing break apart after taking it from the boil.




The haggis I rescued is a little less intense flavor wise but still taste good. The stuff that held together has that nice liver heart tongue flavor you want. Both will be consumed indeed. Saturday morning found my breakfast looking like this.



Sorry no beans, bacon, tomato or black pudding. When I find the right butcher Ill attempt black pudding. Well the tubes of haggis set up nice and sliced well. A sealed package and off to the freezer for the winter.




This was my attempt at haggis. It wont be my last, just have to wait till the farmers market starts again.
Mistakes===The collagen tubes, perhaps too much oats.
Successes====Actually tasted very good and not too strong for my girlfriend to enjoy too.

My take on the recipe was this.

Pluck== lamb tongue, heart and liver. Testes if you wish to include them
Beef or pork suet. I used 1 lb to my 7 lb of pluck
Onion= at least 2-4. We used lots of garlic so I used 2 large bulbs
some salt, lots of black pepper and I included rosemary.
Boiled the pluck in beer and boiled the haggis in beer and water mix.

It was a fun time experimenting and Ill get it perfected as I try again. Mostly the casings will be my quest so I dont have my haggis blow up in the pot.

[brewerpaul]

I think I'll use that 2nd pic down as my desktop wallpaper!

Great idea. It will keep people from using your pc for sure.

[glenlivet]

Great idea. It will keep people from using your pc for sure.

Heh heh, you're the one eating that stuff!

[Joshua]

No nutmeg? Garlic? (I tried putting garlic in mine once, didn't care for it).

heh...

I use collagen middles for mine as well. The secret is to constantly poke the bag with a fork or toothpick when you see airbubbles develop.

[brewerpaul]

No nutmeg? Garlic? (I tried putting garlic in mine once, didn't care for it).

heh...

I use collagen middles for mine as well. The secret is to constantly poke the bag with a fork or toothpick when you see airbubbles develop.

Garlic is the staff of life for me and my girlfriend so we use lots of it. When it calls for a clove or two we use a bulb usually. Thanks for the tip about poking the bags, Ive a few more collagen middles to use up so I will give that a try.

[Old Hippie]

Greetings all you haggis makers and haggis eaters.

The best answer at this time of year is, "BURRP! Hiyez!"

Add to all that 1.5 lbs of toasted steel cut oats. Oats were toasted in my cast iron skillet. Wonderful bread like aroma comes from toasting the oats.

Looks like a Lodge #8, about ten years old?

That was a good read. I have used summer sausage casings, well pierced with a large needle. No particular reason other than that was all I could get from the butchers in that place. Amazingly enough for a ranch state (South Dakota), they wouldn't sell any natural casings or stomachs.

These days I make "bowl haggis" -- cutting back the fat by about half or a little more because it's not going to simmer out, I pack the goods into a greased bowl, cover with a tent of foil and steam in a large pot. I've even been known when having a haggis Jones and starting late to cook supper to cook it for 30 minutes under 15 pounds pressure...but that's a smaller amount, like a kilogramme or so (call it three pounds).

Making smaller batches is less work all at once, and it goes fast in our house so there's no leftovers in the freezer. I just make some fresh when I want it.