Update: My first homemade Bratwurst making experience

Well all, I rode next a big German guy on the plane Friday and he explained to me how he makes his own Brats. I was fascinated and began drilling him on the process and details.

Couple bucks later I find myself with a new copy of Charcuterie, a meat grinder/stuffer, and a bunch of raw meat.

Followed the fresh Bratwurst recipe and thought I would share and solicit some advice.

First, the pictures:

Cutting the pork off the bone.


Beginning of grinding.


Grinding up close..


Puttin the casing on the tube (if you know what I'm sayin)....


The end result:





The results:
Overall, the texture was so different than any Johnsonville brat I have ever had. Very smooth! No real chunks in the casing. Which I am curious if this comes from the long, med-low heat cooking method, high fat content, or just being fresh.

Flavor - Flavor was good, but nothing amazing or bad. Used the suggested spicings from Charcuterie (kosher salt, white pepper, fresh nutmeg, ground ginger), after grinding mixed with eggs and heavy cream. I am guessing now that I have done the process and understand it I can begin to have some fun experimenting.



Finally, I had an issue that I cannot seem to find an answer on in Charcuterie or on any site I have been following. After stuffing the casing and twisting into links, do you cut them at this point? I cut a couple and then cooked them up and they expanded so much that they blew out the ends of the casings.

Look forward to any and all feedback!

Finally, I had an issue that I cannot seem to find an answer on in Charcuterie or on any site I have been following. After stuffing the casing and twisting into links, do you cut them at this point? I cut a couple and then cooked them up and they expanded so much that they blew out the ends of the casings.

Looks like you did a great job and if you liked them, you have a new hobby which is a lot of fun.

It takes a little practice but you twist them as you stuff. Alternate link twist directions. I pinch a thumb size depression where I want to twist, twist and leave it loose, then repeat.

One tip I do is to cut the pork into 1 inch rectangular strips. This lets the grinding action pull the meat through the grinder and I don't have to use the plunger quite as much. I also stick the cutter and grinding parts in the freezer and put the meat in the the freezer for 10-20 minutes so it stays as cold as possible. This reduces smearing.

What do you do for seasoning?

And that texture, is that how fresh homemade brats are? I couldn't believe how smooth they were!

HI,

I like how you are so influenced by the airline passenger. Sometimes all you need to get launched is getting infused with someone else's enthusiasm. I love it!

Your brat looks terrific. If you thought it was too finely ground this time, then you can experiment to a coarser grind next time. Just out of curiosity, how much time did it take you to make the sausage?

Bruce - thanks for the tips.

Regards,

The whole process took maybe 2 hours. I was obsessive about cooling the meat which accounted for some downtime here and there. And the Bears were on so I had a bit of a distraction.

The longest part was stuffing the casing. For some reason this went very very slow. Maybe this is because the longer it took, the warmer the meat got, which may have in turn slowed down the stuffing? Or does this part always take a little while?

I would so I am a dedicated foodie/amature chef so anytime I meet someone like that and they sell me on an idea, I tend to start one-tracking on the idea. Which is why this forum has been very dangerous to my free time.

I mix all of the seasonings and spices together and mix into the strips of meat. I usually let sit in the refrigerator for a couple of hours and then the freezer a little. Then grind.

You can add a few ice chips while grinding to keep the grinder and meat cool. Stuffing takes practice, it also helps to have 4 hands.

jpeac2 wrote:I would so I am a dedicated foodie/amature chef so anytime I meet someone like that and they sell me on an idea, I tend to start one-tracking on the idea. Which is why this forum has been very dangerous to my free time.

You have found your tribe! (Not my original statement, though it fits this situation perfectly)

Regards,

The smoother/less chunky texture is definitely due to the size of the grind. We use a larger grinding plate (my mom calls ith the 'chili grind').

Not sure where other sausage-makers stand on this point, but we also mix all of the seasonings together and 'dissolve' in tepid water before blending it into the meat. It seems to get the seasoning spread more evenly, and the extra bit of moisture makes it slide thru the stuffing canister and tube more smoothly.

We also let the sausage 'dry' in the refrigerator overnight before packaging it to freeze.

jpeac2 wrote:What do you do for seasoning?

And that texture, is that how fresh homemade brats are? I couldn't believe how smooth they were!

Here's the recipe I use, it's for a type of bratwurst known as Thuringer Rostbratwurst (not to be confused with what they call a Thuringer around the Midwest, which is a different type of sausage).

For every pound of ground meat: (either pork or a pork-veal mix. Pork-and-veal is a very typical combo in Germany for bratwurst).

1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1/2 tsp ground mace
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp or so of salt
1/2 tsp caraway seeds (whole or ground)
1/4 cup milk

It's a fantastic sausage when done right. Stuff into the thinner-type (lamb) sausage casings.

These are all ballparked numbers. I mix all my ingredients together, and then fry up a small patty to see if my spicing needs any correction. I've seen others (and have ocassionaly done myself) just taste the ground pork raw, so if you're comfortable with doing that, feel free.