Homemade Irish-Style Bangers Recipe (2024)

Published March 9, 2022.This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

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.

Homemade Irish-Style Bangers Recipe (1)

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.

Homemade Irish-Style Bangers Recipe (2)

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.

Homemade Irish-Style Bangers Recipe (3)

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.

Homemade Irish-Style Bangers Recipe (4)

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

Homemade Irish-Style Bangers Recipe (5)

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

Homemade Irish-Style Bangers Recipe (6)

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

Homemade Irish-Style Bangers Recipe (7)

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.

Homemade Irish-Style Bangers Recipe (8)

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

Homemade Irish-Style Bangers Recipe (9)

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

Homemade Irish-Style Bangers Recipe (10)

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.

Homemade Irish-Style Bangers Recipe (11)

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.
Homemade Irish-Style Bangers Recipe (12)

More Pork Recipes

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

Homemade Irish-Style Bangers Recipe (13)

Video

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Homemade Irish-Style Bangers Recipe

Homemade Irish-Style Bangers Recipe (14)

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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

  • 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

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10 comments

    • Brenda
    • Homemade Irish-Style Bangers Recipe (15)

    Absolutely amazing recipe. Made it as is except the last 2 sizable links…. We added some chopped jalapeño and cheddar cheese for a variety for a meal. As standard with any sausage recipe, we tested it patty form in a CI for seasoning. Spot on. Can’t wait for Bangers and Mash. Thanks!!! Definitely a keeper.

    • Reply
    • Terilyn Christensen

    Good morning Chef! I am adding this to my growing file of homemade Sausage to make! I’ve made your Italian and it is delicious!
    Thanks Chef!!!

    • Reply
    • Jamie Parisi

    Chef,
    Im going to be making both this and the italian sausage, Curious if i dont use casing and just use a kebab maker to make shapes. what would they freeze like.

    • Reply
    • Homemade Irish-Style Bangers Recipe (16)

        Not sure, never tried it.

        • Reply
      • Mike
      • Homemade Irish-Style Bangers Recipe (17)

      Love your recipes, but I have been looking for a good banger recipe for years. You came through with this one, thanks!

      • Reply
      • Homemade Irish-Style Bangers Recipe (18)

          My pleasure!

          • Reply
        • Steve G
        • Homemade Irish-Style Bangers Recipe (19)

        i’ve had a KitchenAid for years, but it wasn’t until I saw your video on making sausage that I got up the nerve to try and do it myself. A lot of fun and a lot of possibilities to make some great sausages. Thanks for your recipes and the encouragement to keep growing as cooks. Much appreciated.

        • Reply
        • Homemade Irish-Style Bangers Recipe (20)

            Amazing. Thank you!

            • Reply
          • Heidi

          I made this recipe today as a project. I have made sausage meat before, but never put it in a casing before. Got out the old meat grinder and went to town on a whole pork shoulder! I ground all the whole spices… everything from scratch. This was definitely a labor of love, but oh my, the flavor is amazing! Thank you for posting it!

          • Reply
          • MB Van Ornum
          • Homemade Irish-Style Bangers Recipe (21)

          Recently moved from Chicago to North Carolona farm Country and about 17 miles from Outter Banks. Chef Billy brings me right back home with recipes that he just knocks it out of the park. Bangers & Mash was absoluey faboulous. My main squeeze was amazed! Until our next food adventure Chef Billy, hang tight & catcha on the flipflop!

          • Reply
        Homemade Irish-Style Bangers Recipe (2024)

        FAQs

        What makes Irish bangers different? ›

        Both are usually made with pork meat, and both include a filler of some sort as a requirement along with herbs and garlic. Irish sausages contain eggs and “rusk”, while English sausages have only breadcrumbs. These juicy little breakfast favourites also sometimes include beef added into the mixture.

        What makes a banger sausage? ›

        Although a variety of sausages can be used, bangers are usually a mild, fresh pork sausage made with a bread filler and seasoned with spices that may include pepper, thyme, sage, nutmeg and mace and stuffed into a natural casing.

        What is Irish sausage made of? ›

        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.

        What kind of sausage is best for bangers and mash? ›

        The Best Sausage for Bangers and Mash

        Thick, unaged pork sausages are traditionally used for bangers and mash. A mildly spiced sausage is more common, but feel free to use your favorite sausages when making the dish at home.

        What is the American equivalent of bangers? ›

        If, after much searching, you find yourself without bangers (and without the proper equipment to make a batch yourself), then in a pinch substitute any sort of plain, fatty pork sausage. Bratwurst always seems closer to a proper banger than a mild Italian sausage in my mind. But use your own judgment.

        What do the Irish call bacon? ›

        Irish bacon, also known as back bacon or rashers, is a popular type of bacon commonly enjoyed in Ireland. Unlike the traditional American bacon, which is typically made from pork belly, Irish bacon is made from pork loin.

        What is the closest American sausage to bangers? ›

        Just a regular lightly-seasoned fresh pork sausage. Plain breakfast sausage would probably be the closest.

        Are bangers just brats? ›

        Sausages, brats, bangers, and dogs are terms that are often used when referring to any of the fresh sausage links we adore for their ability to pair well with ball games and beer.

        What makes Irish sausage different? ›

        Irish sausages are similar in composition, though there is one distinctive difference: British sausages are made with bread crumbs, whereas Irish sausages are made with rusk (a twice-baked bread somewhat like a savory biscotti).

        Why is Irish sausage so soft? ›

        I am guessing you have a situation where the sausage makers in Britain and Ireland have access to very high quality casings that are softer. Some of this may be due to the diet of or the breed of animals that provide the casings.

        What is a good substitute for Irish sausage? ›

        Any good soft pork sausage will do. Bratwurst is a good substitute, or even a mild Italian. You want links of soft sausage in casing, not a harder product like kielbasa or smoked sausage.

        Does Trader Joe's have Irish bangers? ›

        Irish Bangers & Champ | Trader Joe's.

        What's the difference between a banger and a sausage? ›

        A banger is a nickname that the British and Irish give to sausages. The nickname “bangers” originated during World War II, when rationing was common and meat was scarce. Bangers have two distinct characteristics – they have a much softer texture and are much less salty than their American and continental counterparts.

        What's the difference between Irish bangers and sausage? ›

        A banger is a nickname that the British and Irish give to sausages. The nickname “bangers” originated during World War II, when rationing was common and meat was scarce. Bangers have two distinct characteristics – they have a much softer texture and are much less salty than their American and continental counterparts.

        What's the difference between a sausage and a banger? ›

        'Bangers' are basically sausages - usually finely ground pork but can be beef. Mixed with some dyed filler (often breadcrumbs) salt and herbs, occasionally with a little garlic, stuffed in links inside edible sausage casing (skin).

        How are bangers different? ›

        Bangers, on the other hand, are more savory, containing a greater quantity of herbs like thyme, sage and marjoram, which is one reason why they go so well with mashed potatoes and gravy. Then there's the shape, which seems to be more variable in the States.

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