What Type Of Minced Beef Do I Use For Black Pudding Meatballs?

Our answer

Nigella's Black Pudding Meatballs (from COOK, EAT, REPEAT) are made with a mixture of black pudding (blood sausage or boudin noir) and beef mince (ground beef). The black pudding adds a rich flavour to the meatballs.

Although black pudding contains some fat, it has a much higher proportion of cereal filler (such as oats) when compared with regular sausages, so is firmer and drier than a regular sausage. To make sure that the meatballs themselves are not dry, we prefer to use a regular beef mince and not a low fat or "lean" mince. Low fat mince usually has a fat content of around 5%. Regular mince usually has a fat content of 10-15% and this slightly higher fat level will add some extra moisture to the meatball mixture.