Blood (Black) Pudding

Difficulty: easy Prep Time: More than 15 Minutes Total Time: More than 1 hour
1 gallon (about 4 L) beef blood, strained
3 lbs beef suet
10-14 cups flour
6 tsp cinnamon
6 tsp nutmeg
2 tbsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp salt
4 lbs onions, finely diced
3 sleeves soup crackers, salted tops, crushed
1 loaf bread, grated into crumbs
2 cups fancy molasses
8 cups rolled oats

Fill a large boiler 3/4 full with water and bring to a boil. In a large bowl, sift together 8 cups of the flour with cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and pepper; set aside. In a separate, larger bowl, mix together blood, suet, onions, crackers and breadcrumbs. Add molasses and mix well. Add in the flour-spice mixture and rolled oats; mix thoroughly. Add more flour as necessary to achieve a reasonably thick batter (much like fruitcake batter). Fill 4-5 pudding bags about 3/4 of the way and tie off the top about 2 inches above the pudding mix. Boil puddings for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, ensuring the water level is above the puddings the whole time. The finished puddings should feel a little firm when squeezed. Remove puddings from the pot and place on a rack to cool for 30-45 minutes. Then place them in the fridge to cool overnight before slicing. This allows the fat to reabsorb into the pudding and firm up. (If you can hang them in the fridge, it would be best, but laid on a rack will do.) The next day, slice and fry until there is a crust on both sides. These puddings freeze very well - just be sure to thaw them in the fridge so they don't get soggy. Yield: 4-5 sticks (each about the size of a full bologna)