Natural Homemade German Bratwurst Sausage Recipe

German sausages are famous for their excellent production and diversity of recipes. Bratwurst sausage is a type of German sausage made from veal, beef and/or pork. The name comes in German from Brätwurst, brät (finely cut) and Wurst (sausage), although currently the understanding also refers to the verb braten, which means fried or roasted.

It is important to read this introductory text before starting the recipe because the secret of the sausage lies in the details of the process and not in the recipe! Without reading and re-reading the process, preferably from different sources, trying, making mistakes and persevering, it is unlikely anyone will make a good sausage.

Making sausage at home is an often frustrating challenge, especially at the beginning, firstly due to the need for some control over temperatures during production, secondly because it requires power from the food processor used and thirdly due to the difficulty of incorporating the emulsified dough. which is much softer than a sausage. A meat grinder is not necessary, as you can leave all the work to the processor, but grinding can make processing easier. In this case I didn't use a grinder, I just chopped the meat and put it in the processor, which, despite the heat generated, proved heroic in carrying out the task. Important detail: the processor's cutting blades must be very sharp!

All sausage is what is commonly called a meat emulsion or, in more detail, a uniform, stabilized mixture of water, fat and protein. The stability of this mixture depends on a good source of protein and low temperature. Powdered milk also helps stabilize the dough. If the temperature rises during preparation, the fat will melt and the emulsion will come apart. The fat used must be firm, rigid, preferably from the porcine subcutaneous region, such as the belly, shank or jowls. Leather/skin can also be used, as it is a great “binder”, but I did not use it as the meat was of high quality, requiring no skin or additional additives. Industrial sausages use a lot of skin, stabilizing and emulsifying additives as they overuse water and CMS (“Mechanically Separated “Meat”), which is a poor source of protein. To learn more about Brazilian legislation on sausages, see the post What is sausage made of?

Using domestic equipment it is very difficult to achieve a completely smooth dough, without grains, but with reasonable equipment and a dose of patience it is possible to get close to it. Don't be afraid to stop the process, cool the dough again and continue processing later. The biggest difficulty is the temperature, as domestic processors heat the sausage dough a lot, which is dense and requires a lot of equipment. If you don't have good equipment, I suggest you do the homemade chicken sausage, which requires less equipment. In industry, the cutter or colloidal mill is used. Both are very efficient in transforming everything into a smooth dough.

Below is an image of an open cutter with the blades exposed and a video showing the texture and final density of the carnea emulsion. Ideally, the dough should look like the one in this video.

More traditional recipes usually use between 20% and 30% of fat in the product, that is, for 800g of meat they add approximately 200g of additional fat. I used a lot less than that, but the more fat you use, the more delicate and tender the sausage will be. Too little fat tends to create a denser, drier product. The recipe I made is quite simple and is a natural sausage, no additives, No preservatives It is no dyes.

The ham I purchased weighed 2150 grams and after removing the bone, skin and external fat, it weighed 1140 grams. I discarded the skin and used the fat.

Ingredients for natural homemade Bratwurst sausage

Clean shank – 1140 g
Fat – 238 g
Salt – 18g
Powdered milk – 15g
Sugar – 15g
White pepper – 2g
Hot paprika – 1g
Homemade vegetable broth – 200g
Pork tripe* - 2 m

*The casing can have the desired caliber and be natural or collagen. As I wanted to fry and eat with the tripe, I opted for medium-sized natural pork. Bratwurst is made to be fried, so the best option for me is, by far, natural pork or sheep intestine.

Below is a percentage reference table to facilitate the production of different quantities

If your ham does not have enough fat, you can purchase a piece of pork belly (bacon) and add it.

Preparation of homemade natural Bratwurst sausage

Always keep everything cold, dishes, equipment, meat, fat and liquids added to the recipe must all be very cold. The chopped fat may be frozen. Leave everything in the freezer before using. Constantly measure the temperature of the dough and always try to keep it below 15 degrees.

Grind and make carnea emulsion

1. Chop the meat with a knife, take the opportunity to remove the nerves;
2. Chop the fat, reserve and freeze;
3. Leave the vegetable broth very cold or freeze it and chop it very finely, like crushed ice;
4. Optional: Pass the meat through the grinder with the wide disc and place in the freezer for a few minutes to cool again;
5. Place the meat in the food processor fitted with the cutting knife and start processing on high power;
6. Add all dry ingredients;
7. Add the frozen fat and continue processing;
8. Gradually add the well-chilled or frozen and chopped broth. It is important to add it little by little to cool the dough during processing;
9. Measure the temperature constantly and if it exceeds 15 degrees, take it immediately to the freezer and wait a few minutes for the temperature of the dough to reduce;
10. Continue processing until the mixture is smooth, homogeneous, with the appearance and consistency of a paste, like toothpaste, the smoother the better;
11. If the consistency of the dough is too dense, add more liquid, which can be very cold water or crushed ice. Watch the description video to see the correct texture.

Insert and cook the sausage

1. Fill the casing with the dough, roll it up or tie it with string every 10 or 15 centimeters.
2. Cook in water heated to 75 degrees for about 20 minutes.
3. Fry on a griddle or frying pan with a little oil.

I made a short video that shows the cleaning of the meat, separation of the leather and fat and the beginning of processing. I didn't film the rest because I had to stop to cool down and forgot to continue filming... our fault! Next time I'll do it completely.