Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Bratwurst

This is one I made some time ago and turned out spectacularly, but isn't much of a recipe in that there aren't any amounts. To make it you'll really have to do what I did and mix a little spice in, pan fry a small amount, taste, adjust, and continue until you like the flavor. Try not to eat the whole batch in this process :p
So, ingredients:
Pork shoulder
Salt pork
Salt
Pepper
Caraway seed
Nutmeg
Garlic
Allspice

The dominant flavors in this (roughly in order) should be caraway, allspice, and garlic, but it takes some work to find the balance; either add the spices slowly or reserve some of the meat in case you over season. The salt pork is there to add extra fat if needed (it's easy to tell if the sausage is too lean as it'll be dry when cooked). Traditionally bratwurst is a force meat, meaning that it's pureed rather than ground; I don't puree mine, but instead double grind it to achieve a finer texture. Once you have the seasoning correct stuff it in casings (hint: using the tip of a small knife to prick the end of the casing just above the starting knot will help eliminate the initial bubble of air). Tradition would call for a hot German mustard, but a little ketchup wouldn't be considered high blasphemy.

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