# Brats



## brainsausage (Sep 30, 2014)

Getting ready to make my first batch of 'Brats at the BBQ for Oktoberfest. Looking for some tried and true recipes from you sausage geeks, preferably scaled up, gonna be doing 30 pound batches at a time.

Cheers,

- Josh


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## Mrmnms (Sep 30, 2014)

Where are cheflarge and Mucho?


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## Mucho Bocho (Sep 30, 2014)

Josh,

You just can't go wrong with any of Len Poli's formulations. He has several listed, I've made these. 


http://lpoli.50webs.com/index_files/Bratwurst-Sonoma.pdf

http://lpoli.50webs.com/index_files/Bratwurst-Wurtenberg.pdf

http://lpoli.50webs.com/index_files/Bratwurst-Wisconsin.pdf


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## Dardeau (Sep 30, 2014)

I've also made the johnsonville clone. It worked well small, I don't know about scaled.


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## brianh (Sep 30, 2014)

Ok, time to get that meat grinder attachment for the kitchenaid.


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## Mrmnms (Sep 30, 2014)

I have an old recipe from the 1940's I tweaked a bit years ago. It's been a while. It was tough to get the meat emulsified, but the texture was still good with a fine grind. It was pretty close to what I hoped for. I've used nutmeg and or mace. The difference was marginal for me but I prefered mace. I'll type out the mix and e mail it if you want to compare Josh.


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## Chuckles (Oct 1, 2014)

Here's a fun one for you. I've not made this recipe but it's a large scale recipe from a good source and an interesting approach.


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## knyfeknerd (Oct 1, 2014)

I thought this thread was about my kids when I read the title.


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## brainsausage (Oct 1, 2014)

Chuckles said:


> Here's a fun one for you. I've not made this recipe but it's a large scale recipe from a good source and an interesting approach.



Woah- old school... Prague powder(not sure it's even sold anymore, pretty sure it's strictly instacure 1/2 and morton's quick cure nowadays). And egg whites...? Always emulsified my mortadella by keeping track of temp! I don't recall brats being all that mousse-esque...? 

On another note- I'm very well versed in sausage making overall(fresh, smoked, emulsified, dried, etc.), really just looking for a good cross reference regarding dominant flavors, so as to develop my own take.


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## brainsausage (Oct 1, 2014)

Mucho Bocho said:


> Josh,
> 
> You just can't go wrong with any of Len Poli's formulations. He has several listed, I've made these.
> 
> ...


 
Len's an excellent resource. Used to reference his stuff a bunch a few years back, thanks for reminding me. My only gripe is that not all of the recipes are ratio based, which I faaaaaaaar prefer. If none were, I wouldn't care... But since SOME ARE...


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## cheflarge (Oct 1, 2014)

Old school brat's ARE an emulsified sausage (usually with high heat milk powder added for flavor and binding). Prague powder, now a day's, can be sustituted for with TCM (inst cure, pink cure, DQcure, etc.), 6.25% sodium nitrite on a salt carrier at a rate of one ounce to twenty five pounds of meat. I generally DO NOT add cure to my brat's and prefer to handle them as a fresh grilled sausage. I have had great success with a new dried beer product (beer brat's), that can be added to the seasoning block and then mixed with the meat, that really gives an authentic "Cheboygan Brat" old world taste.

Hope this helps. Any more questions, recipes, insights needed, please feel free to PM me and I will be happy to help in any way I can.


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## Mrmnms (Oct 1, 2014)

I was waiting for you Al. Looking forward to some of your brats! You pm box is full my friend.


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## Clarence (Oct 3, 2014)

I completely forgot about Oktoberfest (which is actually in September). I think I'll try making some vegetarian wurst.


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## Salty dog (Oct 3, 2014)

"Sheboygan"

Just mail order Usinger's. http://www.usinger.com


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## cheflarge (Oct 3, 2014)

Why? Do they have a good recipe? &#128539;&#128512;&#128526;


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## Clarence (Oct 15, 2014)

I used this recipe
http://selber-wurst-machen.de/WP/rostbratwurst-gerauchert/

Stuffing the casings with a pastry bag was surprisingly easy. I didn't use a tip. Instead I slid the casing over the inner half of the plastic coupler.

but I made the mistake of substituting 250g of belly with shoulder because I was a cheapskate who refused to buy a whole slab of belly. Never again. The bratwurst was completely dry and I even almost choked on them.


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## Mucho Bocho (Oct 15, 2014)

Clarence, Fat back is preferred over belly as it has less water and is a cleaner fat than belly.


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## brainsausage (Oct 15, 2014)

Clarence said:


> I used this recipe
> http://selber-wurst-machen.de/WP/rostbratwurst-gerauchert/
> 
> Stuffing the casings with a pastry bag was surprisingly easy. I didn't use a tip. Instead I slid the casing over the inner half of the plastic coupler.
> ...



Unless you were using a particularly poor cut of shoulder, there should be more than enough fat in an average pork shoulder. I never need to add fatback to my mash. I can't read German, but looking at the recipe there doesn't seem to be any mention of liquid measurements. Did you add any liquid, or grind with ice? Are you sure that the meat/grinder was at a low enough temp? Did you monitor the temp of the meat if/when emulsifying?


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## Mucho Bocho (Oct 15, 2014)

Brain sausage, I've never been satisfied with the low quality of the fat in a Boston butt except for maybe some off the fat cap. BB fat is watery, full of glands and sinus. Try making some sausage made with fatback someday, I'm sure your product will immediately improve.


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## brainsausage (Oct 15, 2014)

Mucho Bocho said:


> Brain sausage, I've never been satisfied with the low quality of the fat in a Boston butt except for maybe some off the fat cap. BB fat is watery, full of glands and sinus. Try making some sausage made with fatback someday, I'm sure your product will immediately improve.



I clean my butts quite a bit, removing as much of the flab, sinew, vessels, and glands as possible. Quality of product also makes a big difference IME. I'll have to do a side by side with the fatback. Thanks for the recommendation.


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## Chifunda (Oct 16, 2014)

brainsausage said:


> I clean my butts quite a bit, removing as much of the flab, sinew, vessels, and glands as possible.



lus1: Learned the hard way that taking the time to remove all the icky bits from a BB makes a big difference in the quality of the sausage. 

Seems obvious now but prior to catching the sausage making bug I was used to just removing any glands, hitting the butts with a good dry rub, and firing up the smoker. Anything obviously offensive could be removed when pulling the pork.


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## mr drinky (Oct 16, 2014)

Interesting thread guys. 

Also brings back memories of Brainsausage manning the smoker outside Local 188 a couple years ago. Man, that smelled so effen good. 

k.


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## Mucho Bocho (Oct 16, 2014)

On my next trip home (Plymouth, MA), I might try to get up to Josh's place in Maine. I've heard nothing but accolades from others Chef's, I think he even has won some awards. Could learn a lot from a guy like that.


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## brainsausage (Oct 24, 2014)

Mucho Bocho said:


> On my next trip home (Plymouth, MA), I might try to get up to Josh's place in Maine. I've heard nothing but accolades from others Chef's, I think he even has won some awards. Could learn a lot from a guy like that.



Thanks for the kind words. No awards yet, but we are thinking about hitting a competition or two next summer. Give me a shout if you are planning on coming up, besides us, there's a multitude of really great restaurants in town. And all KKF forum members get special treatment at the BBQ, which basically means you have to be carried out, or take a nap in the office after your meal:hungry:


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## Mrmnms (Oct 24, 2014)

Sounds like a road trip


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## cheflarge (Oct 24, 2014)

Yup!!! :goodpost:


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## Mucho Bocho (Oct 24, 2014)

brainsausage said:


> Thanks for the kind words. No awards yet, but we are thinking about hitting a competition or two next summer. Give me a shout if you are planning on coming up, besides us, there's a multitude of really great restaurants in town. And all KKF forum members get special treatment at the BBQ, which basically means you have to be carried out, or take a nap in the office after your meal:hungry:



No doubt Josh, there'll be a whole lot of sea cockroaches getting slaughters too. 

We will make this happen, Mrmnms and I have history. We should drag Son ass out there too. That man needs a break.


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## Mrmnms (Oct 24, 2014)

Just give me a little notice Dennis


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## CutFingers (Oct 25, 2014)

And you are gonnna drink some German beer with it too! Thats important. No domestic garb...

I recommend Schneider Weiss and Pinkus Pilsner


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