Droëwors Recipe: How to Make South African Dry Wors
By the Claasens team, makers of South African sausage fillers and biltong equipment since 1955.
Droëwors is what happens when boerewors is given time. Thin sticks of coriander led wors, dried in a biltong box until they snap cleanly, then pulled apart and shared at the rugby. Like biltong, droëwors is a South African original. Like boerewors, it depends entirely on the spice mix and the fat ratio.
This guide covers the full droëwors method. It builds on our boerewors guide and our biltong guide, so if you have read those, the principles will be familiar. If you have not, do that first. Droëwors is the marriage of the two.
What makes droëwors different to boerewors
Droëwors is boerewors that has been air dried for two to five days. The spice mix is broadly the same. The handling and the casings differ for one reason. Droëwors needs to dry quickly without spoiling, which means thinner casings, less moisture in the mix, and slightly more salt.
| Element | Boerewors | Droëwors |
|---|---|---|
| Casing | 26 to 28 mm sheep, hog, or collagen | 22 mm sheep (thin) |
| Salt | 18 g per kg | 22 g per kg |
| Water | 100 ml per kg | 50 ml per kg |
| Fat | 20 percent | 15 to 20 percent |
| Vinegar | 25 ml per kg | 40 ml per kg |
| Drying | 4 hours bloom in fridge | 2 to 5 days in biltong box |
The droëwors spice mix
| Ingredient | Per kg of meat and fat |
|---|---|
| Coriander seed (toasted, ground) | 15 g |
| Fine salt | 22 g |
| Black pepper (cracked) | 5 g |
| Brown sugar | 5 g |
| Ground cloves | 0.5 g |
| Ground nutmeg | 0.5 g |
| Brown grape vinegar | 40 ml |
| Ice cold water | 50 ml |
Choose the right meat
Droëwors uses the same meat blends as boerewors. Beef and pork speck is classic. Beef and lamb is fuller. Game droëwors (kudu, springbok, or impala plus pork speck) is the regional favourite in the Karoo and Limpopo bushveld and is, in our view, the best version. Lean game with a generous fat addition gives concentrated flavour that beef cannot match.
Whatever blend you use, keep the fat at 15 to 20 percent. Below 15 percent the droëwors will be dry and brittle. Above 20 percent the fat oxidises during drying and gives a stale flavour.
Mincing for droëwors
Droëwors wants a slightly finer mince than boerewors. A single grind through a 5 mm plate is right. Too coarse and the wors does not hold together when dried. Too fine and the texture becomes pasty.
Always chill the meat, the fat, and the mincer parts before grinding. Our No. 22 mincer handles 5 to 10 kg comfortably. The No. 32 mincer is the right tool for processing a whole game animal in one go.
Filling thin droëwors casings
Thin sheep casings tear more easily than the thicker variety used for boerewors. The trick is patience.
- Soak the casings for two hours minimum. Three is better. A well soaked casing is supple and slides on the funnel without resistance.
- Use a 12 mm or 13 mm funnel. Larger and the casing balloons loose. Smaller and the fill is too thin.
- Pack the cylinder slowly. Air bubbles burst droëwors casings even more easily than boerewors casings.
- Fill loose. The droëwors will shrink during drying. If you fill tightly, the casing will split as the meat contracts and pulls away.
- Long coils, no twists. Lay the wors in long coils on a tray. Twisting creates weak points that fail during drying.
If you want a refresher on the filling process, see our step by step sausage filler guide.
Drying the droëwors
This is where biltong knowledge takes over. Droëwors hangs in the same conditions as biltong. A biltong box with airflow at 22 to 25 °C is ideal. Highveld winter on a covered stoep with a fan works well. Coastal summer is hard without a box.
Hang the droëwors as a single long coil from a hook, or cut into 20 cm sections and hang from paper clips. The sections must not touch each other or the wall. Airflow on all sides is what dries the wors evenly.
How long to dry
| Style | Drying time in a box | Texture |
|---|---|---|
| Wet droëwors (still slightly soft) | 2 days | Yielding, almost cured. |
| Standard droëwors | 3 days | Firm, snaps when bent. |
| Dry droëwors | 4 to 5 days | Hard, brittle, very concentrated. |
How do you know it is ready? Bend a stick. If it snaps cleanly with a crisp sound, it is at standard droëwors. If it gives without snapping, it needs another day. If it shatters, it is past dry but still edible.
Storing droëwors
Properly dried droëwors keeps for two to three weeks at room temperature in greaseproof paper. In the fridge it keeps for two months. In the freezer, vacuum sealed, it keeps for a year. The enemies are moisture (causes mould) and air (causes staleness). Wrap tight, store cool, and you will have droëwors for months.
Troubleshooting
Why is my droëwors mouldy?
The casings touched, or the airflow was too still, or the wors had too much water in the mix. Discard mouldy pieces. Next batch, hang further apart, run a fan in the box, and reduce the water in the spice mix.
Why won't my droëwors dry?
Humidity is too high or the casings are too thick. Coastal summer without a box is the usual culprit. A small fan in the box solves most cases.
Why does my droëwors taste rancid?
The fat oxidised during drying. Either you used too much fat or it dried too slowly. Reduce fat to 15 to 17 percent and increase airflow.
Why are the casings splitting?
You filled too tightly. Thin droëwors casings need to be filled loose so they have room to shrink. Next batch, ease back on the fill pressure.
FAQ
What is the difference between droëwors and biltong?
Both are dried, spiced South African meats. Biltong is whole muscle. Droëwors is minced meat in a casing. The spice profile is also different. Biltong leads with coriander and pepper. Droëwors leads with coriander and a hint of cloves and nutmeg.
How long does it take to make droëwors from start to finish?
One hour of hands on work, then 3 to 5 days of drying. Quicker than biltong, much quicker than smoked sausages.
Can I make droëwors in the oven?
Not really. Oven temperatures are too high and the wors cooks rather than dries. A biltong box or naturally cool, dry air is what droëwors needs.
What is the best meat for droëwors?
Beef and pork speck is classic. Kudu or other game with added pork speck is the regional speciality and, in our view, the best version.
Can I dry boerewors that I have already made?
Yes, with caveats. Standard boerewors has too much water and the casings are too thick to dry well. The result is often sour. Make droëwors with the droëwors recipe from the start.
About Claasens
The Claasens family has been making sausage fillers, mincers, and biltong equipment in South Africa since 1955. Droëwors brings two of our specialities together in one snack. If you have a question that is not answered above, our workshop is a phone call away.