Bonfire Night calls for sausages, and this Catherine wheel boerewors is the perfect recipe for firework celebrations. Smokey sausage meets melted cheese and a delicious spicy pebre sauce. It’s the perfect Bonfire Night sausage recipe. 

Bonfire Night always brings back happy memories. When I was a nipper, we’d go around to my Nan’s for a bonfire and some fireworks. There would always be a Catherine wheel nailed to my Nan's shed door and it was always one of the highlights. The food was simple: sausages and jacket potatoes. So here’s a combination of those happy memories — a Catherine wheel sausage!

What type of meat to use for a Catherine wheel sausage?

Now for this, I’ve used a type of sausage called a boerewors. Boerewors sausage originated in South Africa, with a distinct spiral shape and containing no less than 90% of coarsely ground meat. I've gone for a cheese boerewors for this recipe – beef sausage stuffed with cheese. I mean, what's not to like?! 

Where can you buy boerewors?

You can buy boerewors from a lot of places online and some butchers. I ordered mine from a place called Limpopo Biltong.

How to cook boerewors?

Boerewors is traditionally braaied (grilled over charcoal or wood). I like to use my Kamado Joe Kettle Joe to cook this directly over the coals.

How do I know when my sausage wheel is cooked?

Sausages are safe to eat once they reach 73 °C. I like to use my Thermapen ONE to check the temperature and ensure they are safe before serving.

What can you serve with Catherine wheel sausages?

Catherine wheel sausages go great in a toad in the hole or served with mash and gravy! I have also opted to add pebre to mine – a delicious Chilean sauce.

Ingredients

For the sausage wheel

• 1 boerewors sausage
• Grated cheese of your choice

For the pebre

• ½ onion, finely diced
• 1 jalapeno, finely diced
• 1 large garlic clove, finely diced
• 1 tomato, de-seeded and finely chopped
• 1 bunch of coriander, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

To make the Catherine wheel sausage

• Make the pebre by combining all of the ingredients in a bowl.
• I like to use my Kamado Joe Kettle Joe to cook this directly over the coals at around 180 °C. The great thing about the Kettle Joe is that the cooking grate is a good distance from the coals, meaning you can cook directly over them without the risk of burning. Just keep an eye on it! If you’re using a standard BBQ, you will want to cook it over the coals for just a few minutes. Then, finish it off on the indirect side of the BBQ until it hits an internal temperature of at least 73 °C.
• The Thermapen ONE is great for giving you the exact temperature as it cooks. Once the sausage wheel has reached temperature, top it with plenty of grated cheese!

• Once the cheese on the boerewors is melted, remove it and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. You can then top it with the pebre, slice and add to cocktail sticks or small skewers. This gives you little cheesy sausage lollipops! Perfect nibbles for standing around the fire and watching the fireworks.
• So go on, get your BBQ out on bonfire night and get a little adventurous. Just make sure you cook anything to a safe temperature with the aid of your trusty Thermapen!

The Smokin' Elk

Fire Cooking Fanatic, BBQ School owner

@thesmokinelk

"I'm Elky, also known as The Smokin' Elk. I absolutely love cooking to fire and the Thermapen helps me up my game by cooking to the perfect temperature, every time. It's the one BBQ tool I wouldn't be without!"