Michi
I dislike attempts to rewrite history
Thüringer Bratwurst originates from the state of Thuringia in Germany. There are many different variations of this sausage. Even in Thuringia, there are dozens of recipes, depending on the area and the particular butcher. For example, some recipes use pork cheek instead of pork belly, or include a proportion of veal. The spices vary considerably, as well. What is below is a starting point for a “typical” Thüringer Bratwurst, so feel free to experiment and adjust quantities to your liking. However, one ingredient that should always be in the sausage is marjoram. Without that, it no longer deserves the name “Thüringer Bratwurst”.
A note on salt content: most recipes call for 20 g of salt per kilogram of meat. Personally, I find that way too salty. Below, I listed 12.5 g of salt per kilogram of meat instead, which is plenty salty enough, in my opinion. I suggest that you use 12.5 g of salt to start with and, once you have ground the spiced meat, fry a test patty. You can always add more salt to the ground meat if you decide that you prefer a saltier sausage.
Fry the sausages on a charcoal barbecue or a skillet at medium temperature for about ten to fifteen minutes. The idea is to fry the sausages slowly, so the fat can render out and create a nice juicy texture.
A good way to serve this sausage is with Brezen and a Bavarian potato salad or cabbage salad. Fried potato and a green salad with some radishes works really well, too. You need to serve the sausage with a bit of medium German mustard, such as Hengstenberg. (Please, no American mustard; it’s too bland and sweet for this.)
The best drink to go with this, without question, is a—preferably German—beer
Raw bratwurst freezes well if you vacuum-pack it.
Ingredients:
A note on salt content: most recipes call for 20 g of salt per kilogram of meat. Personally, I find that way too salty. Below, I listed 12.5 g of salt per kilogram of meat instead, which is plenty salty enough, in my opinion. I suggest that you use 12.5 g of salt to start with and, once you have ground the spiced meat, fry a test patty. You can always add more salt to the ground meat if you decide that you prefer a saltier sausage.
Fry the sausages on a charcoal barbecue or a skillet at medium temperature for about ten to fifteen minutes. The idea is to fry the sausages slowly, so the fat can render out and create a nice juicy texture.
A good way to serve this sausage is with Brezen and a Bavarian potato salad or cabbage salad. Fried potato and a green salad with some radishes works really well, too. You need to serve the sausage with a bit of medium German mustard, such as Hengstenberg. (Please, no American mustard; it’s too bland and sweet for this.)
The best drink to go with this, without question, is a—preferably German—beer
Raw bratwurst freezes well if you vacuum-pack it.
Ingredients:
- 1.2 kg pork shoulder
- 0.8 kg pork belly
- 25 g salt
- 4 g (1/2 tsp) ascorbic acid
- 3.5 g (4 tsp) ground marjoram
- 3.5 g (2 tsp) ground cardamom
- 3 g (1 tsp) ground mace
- 2.5 g (1 tsp) ground white pepper
- 2.5 g (1 tsp) ground black pepper
- 2.5 g (1 tsp) ground caraway
- 2 garlic cloves, very finely grated
- 4.5 m 30-32 hog casing
- Soak the hog casing in water for at least an hour. Two hours or more is better to make sure that all the salt is removed and the casing becomes supple. Once properly soaked, flush the casing with water to get rid of any remnants of salt and any contaminants on the inside.
- Put the meat grinder mechanism into the freezer for at least half an hour, so the meat stays as cold as possible while grinding it.
- Cut the meat into chunks suitable for grinding. Thoroughly combine all the meat with the spices. Spread the spiced meat in a single layer (or close to a single layer) on a tray and freeze until the meat is semi-frozen. This makes it much easier to get a clean grind without the fat smearing too much.
- Grind the meat through a 4.5 mm (3/16”) disk.
- Fill the casing, taking care to not stuff it too tightly.
- Twist into 15 cm (6”) sausages.
- Use a skewer to pierce the skin where there are air bubbles.
- Hang the sausages (or place them on a rack) and let dry overnight. You can dry them in the fridge or in a cool room. (Just don’t let them sit around at room temperature on a warm day.)
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