Homemade Bratwurst Food

BRATWURST RECIPE

Steps:

• Prep. Before making sausage, please familiarize yourself with best practices as described in our article on The Science Of Sausage Making.
• Slice the meat and fat into cubes removing gristle and sinew. Place it on a plate or pan in the freezer, along with the grinder parts that will contact the meat. Leave it there for about 20 minutes until it is firm but do not let it freeze. This makes grinding easier.
• Grind it with a 1/4" die. Mix in the other ingredients. To get the right classic brat texture, transfer the mix to a food processor and pulse till smoothly emulsified.
• Pinch off a small piece of the sausage and cook it in a frying pan let it cool and taste to see if the seasoning is to your taste. Brats are almost always served as links, but if you wish, nobody will arrest you if you form it into patties, meatballs, or skinless tubes. At least not outside of Wisconsin.
• Cook. You can then grill or smoke it, or store it in the fridge for about 5 days or in the freezer for about a month.

BEER BRATWURSTS

Steps:

• Combine 6 cups water, the beer, onion, garlic, ginger, caraway seeds, bay leaves and cloves in a large pot over medium-high heat; bring to a gentle simmer and cook 10 minutes. Add the bratwursts, return to a simmer and cook until almost done (the meat should still be slightly pink in the center), about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the bratwursts cool completely in the cooking liquid, about 1 hour.
• Preheat a grill to medium high. Transfer 2 cups of the cooking liquid to a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter and bring to a boil; cook until the butter melts, about 1 minute.
• Grill the bratwursts, occasionally turning and basting with the butter mixture, until marked and cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve on rolls with mustard and other toppings.
• Sweet-and-Sour Onions
• Cook 2 chopped red onions in a skillet with 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat, stirring, until golden, about 8 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds; cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; cook, stirring until the onions are glazed, 1 minute. Let cool completely.
• Bell Pepper Relish
• Pulse 1 each chopped yellow bell pepper and orange bell pepper, 4 each chopped radishes and scallions, 1 chopped celery stalk and 1 garlic clove in a food processor until finely chopped. Whisk 2 tablespoons each cider vinegar and chopped parsley, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 teaspoons brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon each celery salt and kosher salt, and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Add the vegetable mixture; toss to coat.
• Smoky Beer Cheese
• Combine 1/4 pound each shredded sharp cheddar and smoked gouda, 1 minced garlic clove, 1/2 cup lager beer, 2 teaspoons hot sauce, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and pepper to taste in a food processor; pulse until smooth.
• These toppings also taste great on burgers or hot dogs.

BRATWURST

Steps:

• Place pork shoulder, hanger steak, and pork fat on a large plate in the freezer for 30 minutes. Place the meat grinder attachment in the freezer to make grinding easier.
• Cut pork shoulder, hanger steak, and pork fat into cubes. Pass through the cold meat grinder fitted with a medium plate.
• Combine ground meat mixture with beer, salt, garlic, red pepper flakes, pepper, caraway seeds, marjoram, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger in a large bowl. Mix with your hands until the mixture starts to congeal, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Cover mixture with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour, or up to overnight.
• Soak hog casing in cold water for 30 minutes. Place the wide end of a sausage-stuffing funnel up against the kitchen faucet and run cold water through the inside of the casing.
• Thread the casing onto the funnel using the medium sausage-stuffing funnel attachment. Pass the pork mixture through the funnel, stopping as it starts to come out the other end. Tie the casing into a knot at the end. Pass remaining meat mixture through the funnel, supporting the sausage with your other hand. Tie the other end of the casing into a knot.
• Twist the casing at regular intervals to create individual links, alternating between clockwise and counterclockwise twists.
• Poke 2 or 3 small holes in each sausage with a metal skewer to allow air to escape during cooking.
• Heat a skillet over medium heat; cook bratwurst, turning occasionally, until cooked all the way through, 10 to 15 minutes.

BEER BRATWURST

Steps:

• Pour 2 (12 ounce) bottle of beer in a 3 qt pot.
• Add butter to melt.
• Let it get hot first and add the bratwurst and sliced onions inches Cook, simmering the beer and turning the brats every 10 minutes for about 30 to 45 minutes (use your own judgment).
• Let the beer evaporate and reduce it until it is syrupy and to where it looks like it is coating the bratwurst well.
• Prepare the hot dog buns on a warm plate.
• When beer syrup is thick and reduced then make sure to coat bratwurst with the syrup well by turning and stirring and then with tongs, take them out and place them in the bun.
• Add some sauerkraut and eat!

GERMAN BRATWURST

Steps:

• Place pork, veal, and fatback in a large bowl. Chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Set parts of meat grinder, including large cutting die, in freezer. Set bowl and paddle of stand mixer in freezer.
• Grind meat and fat mixture through chilled meat grinder fitted with a small cutting die, into a large bowl set in another bowl filled with ice. Add salt, white pepper, ginger, mustard, and nutmeg in with the meat. Using chilled paddle attachment and chilled bowl of a standing mixer, mix at low speed for 1 minute. Add eggs and heavy cream and mix at medium speed until liquid is incorporated and sausage is uniform and sticky, about 1 minute longer.
• Form a small sausage patty; place rest of sausage mixture in refrigerator. Cook patty in a small frying pan over medium-high heat until cooked through. Taste and adjust seasonings of sausage if necessary.
• Stuff sausage into hog casings and twist into 6-inch links.
• Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange the coals on one side of the charcoal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill, and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil grilling grate. Place onion slices in foil tray and pour in beer. Place tray on hot side of grill. Nestle sausage in tray and cook until beer begins to simmer, about 4 minutes. Slide tray over to cool side of grill, cover grill, and continue to cook until sausages register 140 to 145°F on an instant-read thermometer, 10-15 minutes, flipping occasionally during cooking.
• Uncover grill and remove sausages from liquid and place on hot side of grill. Cook, turning occasionally, until sausages are browned and crisp all over, about 3 minutes total. Place each sausage in a roll and top with onions and desired condiments; serve immediately.

HOMEMADE BRATWURST

Steps:

• Cut the pork and beef into 2 inch cubes.
• Grind through a 1/4 inch grinding plate.
• If you do not have a meat grinder you can pulse it in your food processor in SMALL batches.
• In a small mixing bowl beat eggs and beer together until well blended.
• Add dry ingredients.
• In a large mixing bow combine the ground meat and wet mixture until well incorporated.
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours, up to 24.
• The longer the better.
• At this point you can either stuff into casings or wrap in 1 pound packages which is what I do, then freeze.

HOMEMADE GERMAN BRATWURST

Steps:

• Combine the pork, fat and crushed ice in a bowl and then, working quickly, use a meat grinder to grind the mixture through a 1/4 inch (6mm) die. Preferably grind the meat mixture into a bowl set atop an ice bath to keep the meat cold. Grind half of the ground mixture a second time. Note: It is imperative that the meat be at a constant cold temperature so that the fat doesn't get too soft. You should be able to see clear definition between the lean meat the specks of fat in the ground mixture.Chill the meat in the refrigerator while you assemble the spice mixture.
• In a small bowl combine all the spices.Remove the ground meat from the fridge and place it on the stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the spice mix and dry milk powder.Mix the meat mixture with the paddle for 3-4 minutes until threads begin to appear in the meat: If you take a clump of meat and pull it apart with your fingers you will see tiny threads pulling apart. When you see this your meat is ready. *If the meat mixture is too dry and stiff, add a little ice water. You want a soft/smooth mixture that will easily go into the casings.*This is also the time to taste your sausage mixture so you can adjust the seasonings if needed. To do this, take a bit of the meat mixture, fry it up in a pan, taste it and adjust the seasonings if needed.Place the meat mixture back in the refrigerator while you prepare the casings.
• Thread your sausage stuffer with the prepared hog casings, fill the sausage stuffer with the meat mixture, and stuff the casings being careful to avoid air gaps while also being careful to not over-stuff the casings.Twist the sausages into links. Use a sausage pricker to prick any air bubbles out of the links.For best results chill the sausages overnight.
• To prepare the bratwursts, gently poach them in lightly salted water (place sausages in pot of water, gradually bring liquid to a light simmer/do NOT boil, and poach sausages until partially cooked, 3-4 minutes) and then fry or grill them. Once poached they will keep in the fridge, tightly wrapped, for up to a week.You can either freeze the Bratwursts raw prior to poaching (then thaw, poach, fry/grill) or freeze them once they're poached.
• This yields roughly 10 bratwursts depending on the size and diameter.

HOMEMADE BRATWURST (GERMAN PORK & VEAL SAUSAGES)

Steps:

• You will need to have a meat grinder and butcher's twine to prepare this recipe.
• Make sure all visible fat and gristle has been trimmed from the meats.
• Cut meat into very small pieces, then place in a bowl with salt, nutmeg, and mace and mix to combine.
• Put the meat mixture through a very clean meat grinder three times.
• Mix the ground meat mixture with 1/2 cup water.
• Stuff casings, being careful not to tear, tying ends with butcher twine.
• The number and size of sausages you can make will depend on how small or large the casings you purchased are.
• To cook the bratwurst, set sausages into a pot and fill with enough cold water to cover.
• Bring to a boil, then immediately remove from the heat.
• Let stand 3-5 minutes, or until firm.
• Drain water.
• Pour some milk into a bowl and dip each bratwurst into the milk.
• Set dipped bratwurst onto a greased broiler pan and broil or grill until golden brown under low-medium (300-350°F if broiling) heat for about 15-20 minutes or until cooked through.
• Makes enough filling for 4-6 servings.
• They should be stuffed and cooked the same day.

GERMAN HOMEMADE BRATWURST

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients; put through grinder 3 times.
• Mix with about 1/2 cup water; fill pork casings.
• BROILED BRATWURST: Cover bratwurst with hot water.
• Bring to a boil and remove from heat immediately.
• Let stand in the hot water a few minutes until firm.
• Drain; dip bratwurst in milk.
• Place in broiler and cook until golden brown under low to moderate heat.
• Serves 4.
• Luchow's German Cookbook.

BRATWURST - HOMEMADE

Steps:

• First cube all the meat, toss tegether and grind meat through 3/16 inch plate.
• Mix all the seasoning together, sifting the powders to make sure there are no clumps. Mix well.
• Add the liquid to the dry season mix and use a wisk to mix well.
• Add the liquid mixture to the ground meat and using your hands mix very thoroughly (you may want to use latex gloves, although I don't).
• Chill in the freezer for about an hour, stirring loosely about every 20 minutes.
• Mix again with hands and grind through a 1/4 inch plate.
• At this point I like to make a small patty and pan fry it to taste for changes.
• Stuff into casings.