Homemade Irish-Style Bangers Recipe

These delicious homemade Irish-style Bangers are made from scratch and perfect to cook on the grill, in the oven, or on the cooktop. After taking the time to make these, you will love just how flavorful these are.  

Bangers are incredible, but they are even better when served in a classic Bangers and Mash recipe or alongside Colcannon.  

Bangers is a centuries-old traditional British and Irish recipe. They consist of lean and fat pork that is ground up tossed with spices and herbs that is then encased in hog casing to make sausage. There are many variations of Bangers when it comes to the ingredients depending on who makes them.  

The name Banger got its name during WWI in 1919 during a meat shortage when the sausage, or banger, that was so filled with moisture would pop like a bang with the meat breaking through the casing. Regardless, these are very tasty but do require some time to make them.  

Ingredients and Substitutions  

There are some variations around the spices and seasonings used when making homemade bangers. Here is my combination of ingredients that make up a very tasty Irish-style banger:  

• Casing – You will need some natural hog casings for this recipe.
• Pork – A combination of pork Boston butt and pork belly, or pork shoulder and pork belly will work.
• Herbs – I prefer to use dry rosemary, thyme, and sage in this recipe.
• Spices – Mace and nutmeg are very traditional to use in Irish bangers.
• Seasonings – Garlic granules, onion granules, and of course salt and pepper will make these very tasty.
• Ice – Crushed ice will help keep the sausage very juicy.
• Breadcrumbs – This is a classic ingredient and if you can find the bigger French-style breadcrumbs, even better. If not, regular breadcrumbs will do just fine.

How to Make Homemade Bangers from Scratch  

These step-by-step procedures are very versatile when making any sausage. Follow along with the images to ensure you are making these correctly:  

Cut some Boston butt and pork belly into 1-inch chunks and place them into the freezer to chill for 15-20 minutes.  

In the meantime, soak some hog casing in cold water for 15 minutes and then run some water through them to rinse everything out. Set aside.  

Run the cold cubed pork through the food grinder using the medium size dye into another pan and then place it again in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.  

While the meat is chilling, make the spice blend mixture using a pestle and mortar or spice grinder and set aside.  

Using the small dye on the meat grinder, run the ground meat through into another pan.  

Season the sausage with the spice blend and mix in with crushed ice and breadcrumbs until combined.  

Attach the hog casing around the sausage filler, tie a knot at the end, run the sausage through the attachment at low speed, and stuff the hog casing.  

Tie a knot around the end of the sausage and continue stuffing until all the ingredients have been used.  

Twist the long sausage into 5” to 6” long links. Store or cook.   

Make-Ahead and Storage  

Make-Ahead: You can make this up to 3 days ahead of time, just keep cool in the refrigerator and cover until ready to cook.  

How to Store: Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The bangers will freeze well for up to 6 months, either raw or cooked. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day before cooking or reheating.  

Chef notes + tips

• Chilling the meat is crucial to ensure the fat doesn’t warm up and liquify while going through the grinder. 
• If making your own sausage, be sure to fry some up and taste it once all the seasonings are combined in to ensure it is flavorful and doesn’t need more herbs and spices.
• When making the sausage be sure to not go over low to medium speed as it becomes very hard to manage as it is ground and stuffed.
• If you are seeing that the sausage is skinny, stop moving the casings and let it fill up with more sausage before guiding it along.
• Each hog casing is about 3” feet in length.
• Make sure to watch the video to see all the sausage making notes and tips.

  More Pork Recipes  

• Fried Pork Chops
• Glazed Ham
• Smoked St. Louis Style Ribs
• Grilled Pork Tenderloin
• Smoked Pork Shoulder

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Homemade Irish-Style Bangers Recipe

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5 from 4 votes

These delicious homemade Irish-style Bangers are made from scratch and perfect to cook on the grill, in the oven, or on the cooktop.

Servings: 20

Prep Time: 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

• 9 feet of hog casings
• 4 pounds boned Boston Butt or Pork shoulder, cut into 1” cubes
• 1 pound pork belly, cut into 1” cubes
• 2 teaspoons garlic granules
• 1 tablespoon onion granules
• 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground mace
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 3 tablespoons sea salt
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried sage
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 cups crushed ice
• 1 cup breadcrumbs

Instructions

• Prepare the hog casings according to their instructions and set aside in a bowl of cool water.
• Mix the Boston butt and pork belly in a container and place them into the freezer to chill for 15-20 minutes.
• Run the cold cubed pork through a food grinder using the medium size dye into another pan until all of it has been ground. Place it again in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.
• While the meat is chilling, make the spice blend mixture using a pestle and mortar or spice grinder and set aside.
• Using the small dye on the meat grinder, run the ground meat through again into another pan.
• Season the sausage with the spice blend and mix in with crushed ice and breadcrumbs until combined completely combined.
• Attach the hog casing around the sausage filler, with about 6 inches left, tie a knot at the end, and run the sausage through the attachment on low speed and stuff the hog casing guiding with one hand and pressing the sausage through the grinder with the other hand.
• With about 4” left, tie a knot around the end of the sausage and continue stuffing until all the ingredients have been used.
• Twist the long sausage into 5” to 6” long links. Store or cook.
• Repeat the process until all the sausage has been stuffed.

Notes

Make-Ahead: You can make this up to 3 days ahead of time, just keep cool in the refrigerator and cover until ready to cook.

How to Store: Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The bangers will freeze well for up to 6 months, either raw or cooked. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day before cooking or reheating.

Chilling the meat is crucial to ensure the fat doesn’t warm up and liquefy while going through the grinder. 

If making your own sausage, be sure to fry some up and taste it once all the seasonings are combined to ensure it is flavorful and doesn’t need more herbs and spices.

When making the sausage be sure to not go over low to medium speed as it becomes very hard to manage as it is ground and stuffed.

If you are seeing that the sausage is skinny, stop moving the casings and let it fill up with more sausage before guiding it along.

Each hog casing is about 3” feet in length.

Make sure to watch the video to see all the sausage-making notes and tips.

Nutrition

Calories: 387kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 24gFat: 30gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 94mgSodium: 1156mgPotassium: 364mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 13IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 41mgIron: 2mg

Course: Main

Cuisine: British, irish

Author: Chef Billy Parisi