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Bratwurst
Total Project Time: 3 hours
The first written record of Bratwurst appeared in 1313 in Nuremburg, Germany. Neighboring regions adopted and altered the recipe, and in 1432 the Germans created the Fleischverordnung, a meat purity law that governed the production of Bratwurst. Even in the U.S., Sheboygan, Wisconsin claimed Bratwurst as its own in the 1920s.
While some secretly guard their Bratwurst recipes, others adhere to strict processes for cooking and serving the delicacy. Brats can be simmered in beer or vinegar-onion broth, but German purists argue they must be grilled over a Beechwood fire. Even the Sheboyganonianites argue you can only serve them in Bratwurst buns or Sheboygan rolls, and if you use ketchup or ballpark mustard you will be hunted to the ends of the earth.
Here’s a base recipe to get you started. Y’all can change the recipe up as needed in order to meet your own personal Bratwurst purity law!1. Intro
2. Procure Equipment
3. Buy Ingredients
4. Prepare the Casing
5. Dice the Meats
6. Measure the Spices
7. Grate Away
8. Mix and Grind
9. Incorporate Egg and Cream
10. Quenelle Test
11. Stuff the Casing
12. Achtung Baby!
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2. Procure Equipment
Before Event
Before the event, procure the following equipment:
• Chef's Knife
• Cutting board
• Mixing bowls
• Zester
• Meat Grinder
• Sausage Stuffer
• Baking sheet
• Food preparation gloves
• Plastic wrap
• Butcher Paper or sealable freezer storage bags
• Sharpie -
3. Buy Ingredients
Before Event
The day before the event, purchase the following ingredients:
6 pounds pork shoulder
2 pounds veal shoulder
2 pounds pork fat back or pork belly
4 tbsp. Kosher Salt
1 tbsp. Dextrose
2 tbsp. white peppercorns
2 tbsp. fresh marjoram
1 nutmeg
1 2-inch piece ginger
1 lemon
4 eggs
1 pint heavy cream or half-n-half
2 tbsp. white wine vinegar
20 ft. Hog Casing or 40 ft. Sheep Casing -
4. Prepare the Casing
Day 1
At least 30 minutes before using the casing:
Add 4 cups water and 2 tbsp. white wine vinegar to a bowl.
Place the Hog Casing or Sheep Casing in the water / vinegar mixture. -
5. Dice the Meats
Day 1
Place a baking sheet, 2 large mixing bowls and the Meat Grinder attachment in the freezer. While you're at it, place the pint of heavy cream or half-n-half in the freezer to chill it before use.
Dice the pork shoulder, veal shoulder and pork fatback / pork belly into ½ inch pieces and place in the chilled mixing bowls.
Place the diced meat in the freezer during any downtime to keep the meat cold.
Keeping the equipment cold will help the grinding move quickly. Keeping the meat cold will ensure that the it remains at a safe temperature. -
6. Measure the Spices
Day 1
Measure out the following ingredients:
4 tbsp. Kosher Salt
1 tbsp. Dextrose
2 tbsp. white peppercorns
2 tbsp. fresh marjoram
1 nutmeg
Place the Kosher Salt and Dextrose in a small mixing bowl. Pulverize the white peppercorns and nutmeg using a Spice Grinder. Finely chop the marjoram. Mix these ingredients together. -
7. Grate Away
Day 1
Finely grate a 2-inch piece of ginger.
Zest the outer skin of 1 lemon.
Add the ginger and lemon zest to the spice mixture and integrate well. -
8. Mix and Grind
Day 1
Assemble the Meat Grinder with the small die.
Combine the spices and the diced meats in a mixing bowl, either by hand or with a wooden paddle.
Grind the spiced meat through the Meat Grinder. -
9. Incorporate Egg and Cream
Day 1
After grinding the spiced meat, beat 4 eggs in a separate mixing bowl.
Mix in the chilled pint of heavy cream or half-n-half with the eggs, then pour the mixture over the spiced meat. Using either a wooden paddle or your hands, covered with food preparation gloves, mix the egg and heavy cream into the meat until well incorporated, about 2 minutes.
Remove enough meat to form a small patty and set aside for the next step. Place the rest of the meat in the freezer as soon as it's ground to keep the meat cold. -
10. Quenelle Test
Day 1
Now it’s time for the quenelle test.
Add water to a sauce pan; place on the stove on high heat. Bring the water on the stove top to just below a simmer, and keep at that temperature, about 180F.
Take the small piece of meat that was set aside and wrap the meat in plastic wrap. Place in the hot water and allow to poach for about 10 minutes, until it reaches an internal temperature of 150F.
Remove the meat from the plastic wrap and taste. If you need to add any other spice ingredients to the mixture, remove the meat mixture from the freezer, mix in the spices, and place the meat mixture back in the freezer. -
11. Stuff the Casing
Day 1
Assemble the Sausage Stuffer.
Press the meat through the stuffer until the ground meat just barely pokes through the end of the spout.
Push the open end of the casing over the end of the stuffer, and continue to push the casing onto the stuffer until you reach the end of the casing. Tie a knot at the end of the casing.
Stuff the sausage into the casing, twisting every 4 inches if using Sheep Casing, and every 6 inches if using Hog Casing, allowing the links to fall onto the chilled cookie sheet. -
12. Achtung Baby!
Day 1
Place the cased sausages in sealable freezer storage bags. Using a Sharpie, label each package Bratwurst: made May 23, 2013.
Refrigerate for at least 24 hours before consuming, to allow the flavors to mingle.
The bratwurst can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Either grill up the bratwursts, or place them in a simmering pot of either beer or water with vinegar and onions, until the bratwursts reach an internal temperature of 150F. Serve along side a bed of sauerkraut, or place on a bratwurst bun, with a dollop of mustard.
And remember, if you value your life, for God's sake don't use ballpark yellow mustard.
