Bratwurst
Ingredients:
- 3 lbs. boneless pork shoulder/butt, diced
- 1 lbs. boneless veal shoulder, diced
- 1 lb. pork fat back (unsalted), diced
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons fresh black pepper
- 2 teaspoons ground caraway seed
- 2 teaspoons mustard powder
- 4 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
- 2 cold beaten eggs
- 3/4 cup cold heavy cream
- 10 feet of clean, soaked hog casings
Preparation:
Combine diced pork, veal, and fat. Using a meat grinder, grind all of it up together.
Blend all remaining ingredients with the ground meat/fat mixture. You may use your hands or a stand mixer to do so. The mixture will be a bit sticky. Test a bit of the meat by cooking it in a pan to check for seasonings, and adjust accordingly. When perfect, chill in a bowl in the fridge overnight to intensify the flavors and prepare the bratwurst for stuffing.
Add the sausage attachment to your grinder and put some lube (butter) on the nozzle. Slide the hog casing on to the sausage nozzle until there is only a 2-inch piece hanging on the end. Tie a knot in the end piece of the hog casing.
Stuff your very cold bratwurst mixture into the casings. Use your hands to “work” the casings so they don’t get over-filled and burst. Every six to twelve inches (depending on how big you want your brats), twist the hog casing into links. Continue stuffing until meat mixture is gone.
Part Two: How to Cook Bratwurst
There are number of ways to cook bratwurst, from deep frying, to pan-searing, to braising. What follows is a description of the various ways to cook bratwurst from the most popular to the least.
