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Black Pudding Recipe: How to Make the Heart of a Traditional Irish Fry
Few things in Irish food culture carry quite the same weight as a thick, dark slice of black pudding sizzling gently in a pan on a Saturday morning. It is one of those ingredients that speaks of deep roots — of farmhouse kitchens, of nothing going to waste, of a people who understood long before the word was fashionable that nose-to-tail eating was simply common sense. Black pudding, or putóg dhubh in Irish, has been made on this island for well over a thousand years, and its presence on a full Irish breakfast plate is as non-negotiable as the rashers themselves.
The tradition of making blood sausage in Ireland stretches back to a time when the pig was the most prized animal a rural family could own. After a pig was slaughtered — usually in late autumn — every single part was used, and the blood was caught carefully and turned into pudding the very same day. Oats, onion, spices and fat were combined with the blood, packed into natural casings, and gently simmered until set. Each county, and indeed each family, had its own blend of spices, which is why you will find subtle differences between a pudding made in Cork and one from Cavan. The spiced variety from Cork, in particular, has long been celebrated for its warmth of flavour.
Making your own black pudding at home is a genuinely rewarding project, and the result bears little resemblance to anything mass-produced. You will need to source fresh pig’s blood from a good butcher — it is worth ringing ahead as many butchers will order it in for you. The recipe below is a traditional, honest version: deeply savoury, warmly spiced, and absolutely worth the effort.
Ingredients
- 1 litre (1¾ pints) fresh pig’s blood, strained
- 225g (8oz) pinhead oatmeal (steel-cut oats), toasted lightly in a dry pan
- 225g (8oz) shredded beef suet or rendered pork fat (lard)
- 2 medium onions, very finely diced
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- ½ tsp ground mace
- ½ tsp dried marjoram or thyme
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- Natural hog casings (approximately 60cm / 2 feet), soaked in cold water for 1 hour
Method
- Strain the fresh pig’s blood through a fine sieve into a large mixing bowl to remove any clots. Stir gently with a wooden spoon to keep it smooth and liquid.
- Sweat the finely diced onions in a little lard over a low heat for about 10 minutes until completely soft and translucent. Do not allow them to colour. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly.
- Add the toasted oatmeal, suet or lard, cooled onions, salt, pepper, allspice, mace, marjoram and cloves to the bowl of blood. Stir everything together thoroughly until well combined. The mixture will be quite loose — this is correct.
- Rinse the soaked casings well under cold running water, feeding water gently through the inside. Tie one end securely with kitchen twine.
- Using a wide-mouthed funnel or a sausage-filling attachment, carefully fill the casings with the blood mixture, leaving roughly 5cm (2 inches) of space at the top to allow for expansion. Do not pack too tightly. Tie off the open end firmly.
- Bring a large pot of water to a gentle simmer — around 85–90°C (185–195°F). Do not allow it to reach a rolling boil, as this can cause the casings to burst. Lower the puddings carefully into the water.
- Poach for 35–40 minutes, turning occasionally with a slotted spoon. To test for doneness, insert a skewer into the thickest point — if the juices run clear rather than bloody, the pudding is ready.
- Remove the puddings and place them on a wire rack to cool completely. Once cold, refrigerate. They will keep for up to five days, or can be frozen for up to three months.
- To serve, slice into rounds about 1cm (½ inch) thick and fry in a little butter or oil over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes per side until a slight crust forms and the pudding is heated through.
Tips
- Keep the water temperature steady. A vigorous boil is the enemy of black pudding — low and slow is the only approach that keeps the casings intact.
- Toast the oats first. A dry pan toasting of the pinhead oatmeal for three or four minutes adds a subtle nuttiness that lifts the finished pudding considerably.
- Spice to your taste. Some Irish families favour a heavier hand with allspice or add a pinch of cayenne for warmth — once you have made the recipe once, it is easy to adjust the blend to suit yourself.
- Source blood the day before. Fresh blood begins to coagulate relatively quickly, so aim to collect it from your butcher the day before you plan to make the pudding and keep it refrigerated until needed.
- No casings available? The mixture can be pressed firmly into a greased loaf tin, covered with foil, and baked in a bain-marie at 160°C / 140°C fan / 325°F (Gas Mark 3) for about 50 minutes until set. Slice and fry as normal.
There is something quietly profound about making black pudding from scratch — it connects you to generations of Irish cooks who worked with care and economy, turning simple ingredients into something truly delicious. Laid alongside a fried egg, a rasher of good bacon and a thick slice of soda bread, this pudding does not just complete a fry; it makes it. We hope it brings a little taste of Ireland to your kitchen table, wherever you happen to be in the world.
Black pudding has been a staple of the Irish breakfast for centuries — and Irish emigrants carried this tradition with them to America, Britain, and Australia. If your family has Irish roots, the county your ancestors came from will have its own version of this recipe. Our free Irish Ancestral Heritage Guide helps you trace which county your family left, right down to the townland. Find your Irish family’s county — free.
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