Kupati

Ingredients

• 3⅓ lbPork shoulder/neckmarbled, coarsely ground or hand-chopped
• 10½ ozPork fatfat share for juiciness
• 3Onionfinely chopped or ground with the meat
• 6 clovesgarlicpressed or finely minced
• saltseason generously
• 1 tspblack pepperfreshly ground
• 1 tspGround red chilifor heat
• 1 tspSweet paprikafor colour and flavour
• 2 tspDried herb blend (khmeli suneli)Caucasian spice blend
• 2 tspCorianderbase seasoning for the filling (optional)
• 1 tspblue fenugreekutskho suneli (optional)
• 1 tspsummer savorykondari (optional)
• 1 tspground marigoldmainly for colour (optional)
• 1 tbspDried barberriestart note in the filling (optional)
• ½ cupWatermakes the filling pliable
• 3Sausage casingabout 3 m natural or collagen casing, soaked and rinsed
• 2 tbspvegetable oilfor frying or brushing before grilling
• 1 bunchparsleyto serve
• pomegranate seedsto serve with raw onion rings and bread (optional)

Method

1. Cut the pork shoulder or neck and the pork belly or fat trim into chunks. Coarsely grind one portion and hand-chop the rest finely, or run it through a finer plate — this gives the filling some texture while keeping it juicy.
2. Chop the onions finely or grind them along with the meat, and press or finely mince the garlic.
3. Combine the meat, fat, onion and garlic with salt, black pepper, ground red chili, sweet paprika and the dried herb blend (khmeli suneli). If you want the fully Georgian spice profile, use ground coriander, blue fenugreek, summer savory, dried marigold petals and barberries instead. Knead everything thoroughly.
4. Work in the water or meat broth a little at a time until the mixture is soft and easy to shape. Cover and chill for 1 to 4 hours — overnight gives a rounder flavour.
5. Soak the sausage casing and rinse it thoroughly inside and out. Slide it onto the stuffing nozzle, knot the end and fill loosely — don't pack it tight or the casing will burst during cooking.
6. Twist off lengths of 15 to 25 cm and tie them with kitchen twine. Prick each sausage a few times so trapped air can escape. For the traditional shape, bend them into horseshoes.
7. Before browning, let the sausages sit in hot water for about 3 minutes, then drain — this protects the casing.
8. Brush the kupati with vegetable oil and grill them slowly over charcoal or wood embers for 20 to 25 minutes, fry them in a pan for 15 to 20 minutes, or bake them at 180 to 390 °F for 30 to 40 minutes, until browned all over and cooked through.
9. Serve hot with parsley or other fresh herbs, raw onion rings, pomegranate seeds, bread and lemon.

Tips and variations

Instead of paprika, chili and a ready-made herb blend, it's worth going the Georgian route with coriander, blue fenugreek, summer savory and barberries — tarter, more aromatic, less showy. Natural casing and collagen casing both work; fill the collagen one especially loosely. Besides the horseshoe, you can also coil the sausages into a spiral. Any raw sausages you don't need right away go straight into the freezer. And as a warm starter: cut cooked kupati into pieces and serve them in a reduced beer sauce with mustard, sugar and a little starch to thicken.