Homemade Bratwurst

Submitted by Diana Adcock

"The following recipe will make about 5 pounds of great bratwurst at a fraction of the cost of buying it at the grocery store-give it a try! Try serving bratwurst burgers the next time you grill. Condiments range from the traditional-Kraut and a good German Mustard, to my favorite way which is mayo, German mustard, ketchup, thick slices of tomato and leaf lettuce on a crusty, grilled bun. Delish! Cooking time is the amount of time mixture sits in the fridge."

 

• Ready In: 24hrs 30mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Yields: 5 pounds

ingredients

• 3 lbs pork (I use butt as the fat ratio is perfect)
• 2 lbs lean beef
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup beer
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons black pepper, ground
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika (I use smoked)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard (I use Colemans)
• 1 tablespoon coriander
• 1 teaspoon sage, ground
• 5 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar, white
• 2 teaspoons onion powder

directions

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

Reviews

[Steve H.]

Made my first batch of Bratwurst. I ground the meats yesterday and added the spices. I didn't think I had enough Pork fat, the butcher went a little too far with trimming. And since I couldn't find any fat back. I used a 1/4 pound of salt pork. And reduced the amount of salt to 2.5 teaspoons. The test patty was great with the spices outlined here. So this morning I stuffed the brats. And I'm allowing them to bloom for 24 hours before I vacuum pack the ones we are not eating tomorrow for dinner. Can't wait! My next batch will have cheddar cheese and onions mixed in. Great recipe!

 

[alanehmke]

This was a great recipe for me to start making brats with my new grinder/stuffer. I thought the salt and pepper were to heavy for my taste. I would recommend that you add less of each, fry a patty before stuffing and judge for yourself. I also added caraway seed to taste. I will make my adjustments and keep my version of this recipe.

 

[RhinoEats .]

My brain has dabbled in thoughts of making fresh sausage, like this, for years, but has never convinced me to make the effort...until now. This recipe was enough to tip the canoe and get elbow deep in fresh ground meat and seasonings. My youngest son and I had a good time (bonding) in the kitchen. While we have yet to try the sausage (it's still in the fridge getting happy), I wanted to say thanks for posting this starter recipe for us! We did make a couple of tweaks, to utilize what we had on hand, and will post pictures and method on my Facebook page at www.FB.com/JimRhino. Thanks again for the inspiration!

 

[ten2thepit]

I used this recipe and subbed out cider for the beer, turkey for the beef and 1/2 ounce carrot fiber for the eggs as a binder. This came out perfect, just the right consistency and everyone loved them. I used the spices exactly as written.

 

[Renee W.]

What can I use besides beer? I’m allergic to wheat and hops. Thanks so much!