Frying Black Pudding
Cut the pudding into thick slices. If you've bought a packaged black pudding, start by removing the plastic wrapping from the outside of the sausage. Lay the sausage on a cutting board and cut it into slices roughly half an inch thick using a sharp knife. The thicker slices will need to cook longer, but there will be less chance that the sausage filling will crumble as it heats. If you're using the black pudding as an ingredient in something like an omelet or as a topping for flatbread, you can also cut it lengthwise and break it up. Then, cook it just as you would ground breakfast sausage. You can also begin slicing the sausage while it’s still in the plastic wrapper and remove the plastic and the skin together. Blood sausages like black pudding have a more delicate consistency because they contain very little actual meat. The oats and grains inside will not hold up as well to cooking as meatier sausages.
Remove the skin. Make a small incision at the edge of each slice with your knife and then peel away the skin. Be careful not to damage the sausage as you are cutting and peeling. Removing the skin the black pudding prior to cooking will allow it to get more evenly done, and will also make it easier to eat. Use a sharpened knife to keep from mashing the sausage as you slice it.
Place the pudding slices in a hot frying pan. Turn the stove on to a medium heat and begin heating a pan large enough to hold 2-3 pudding slices. If you prefer, you can use an ounce of butter or a tablespoon of oil to fry the black pudding, though this is not necessary due to the high fat content of the sausage. Place the slices flat in the pan and let them start cooking. Black pudding will cook just fine in its own fat, much like bacon or other varieties of sausage. Butter and oil can be used for flavor and to give the outer layer an extra crispy finish. For a traditional English breakfast, add other ingredients to the pan that can be fried at the same time—eggs, bacon, potatoes, and other sausages are all fair game.
Fry for 3-4 minutes on each side. Fry the black pudding slices for 3-4 minutes before turning them. Keep a close eye on them as they cook—because of their dark color, it can be hard to tell when they are done. A properly fried pudding should be black and crisp on the outside, with a soft center slightly lighter in color. Black pudding that has been overcooked will become shriveled and hard as it loses moisture.
Baking Black Pudding
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Set the oven to bake and begin preheating it to 375 degrees. It is recommended that you use a lower temperature when preparing black pudding in the oven to keep it from burning. Black pudding is prone to cooking at inconsistent rate because of the heating differences in its components.
Slice the black pudding and remove the skin. Cut the pudding into half-inch-thick slices. Nick the casing along the outer edge of each slice and peel back the skin. Slice the pudding thick if it is to serve as a main course. Thinner slices can be chopped or crumbled after they’re cooked and added to other dishes.
Arrange the pudding slices on a baking sheet. Spray a large pan or baking sheet with oil. Lay out the slices on the baking sheet an even distance apart. Place the baking sheet in the oven on the center rack.
Bake for 10-20 minutes. The pudding should remain in the oven for around 10-20 minutes, depending on thickness, or until the outside has begun to crisp. Take a peek at the pudding’s progress after it has been baking for several minutes to make sure is isn’t getting too done. The circulating heat of the oven will cook the pudding more evenly than frying. Turn the pudding slices at the halfway mark to get them crisp and caramelized on both sides. Preparing black pudding in the oven can be a time-saving tactic if you’re also making other dishes and don’t have time to watch a frying pan.
Boiling or Simmering Black Pudding
Remove the plastic wrapping from the black pudding. Peel away the plastic wrap covering the black pudding. Do not slice it or remove the skin. With the casing damaged or removed the sausage would absorb water and become soggy. Take care not to break the skin casing when removing the outer plastic.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Fill a stock pot with water and heat it until it comes to a boil. You can also use a deep pan to simmer the black pudding, though this will take longer and require regular turning. The pot or pan you use should be big enough to hold the entire pudding. Simmering will work best with thinner sausages. The bulky girth of thick sausages makes heating them in a pan impractical.
Put in the pudding whole. Carefully place the black pudding into the boiling water. It will submerge when placed in a stock pot. If you’ve chosen to simmer the pudding in a pan, you will need to turn it every few minutes to make sure it gets cooked through. Turn simmering sausages using long-handled tongs to keep from burning yourself. Boiling sausages will need to be checked periodically to ensure that the skin hasn’t ruptured. If it has, remove the black pudding from the water immediately, slice and finish cooking on a skillet or in the oven to salvage the flavor and texture of the sausage.
Heat for 6-8 minutes. Allow the pudding to boil or simmer for 6-8 minutes. You can test the consistency of the sausage as it cooks by squeezing it lightly with a pair of tongs. Once most of its firmness has given way and it has taken on a soft texture, it is ready to serve. Thicker sausages may need to be cooked longer in order to be a consistent temperature throughout.
Finished.
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