Basic Homemade German Bratwurst

Basic Homemade German Bratwurst

A coarsely ground sausage flavored with white pepper, herbs, and spices that's perfect for beginners.

Course Main Course

Cuisine German

Prep Time 2

Cook Time 10

Total Time 1 10

Servings Sausages

Calories 421kcal

Author Jeff Rice

Ingredients

casings 32-35mm
½ tsp baking soda
5.5 lbs pork
45 g salt NOTE 1
9 g white pepper
2.5 g marjoram dried
2.5 g caraway
2.5 g ginger ground
2 eggs white only
250 g water

Instructions

Prep the casings the day before making the sausage by rinsing and soaking them in warm water for an hour, repeat this process for another hour.
Place half a teaspoon of baking soda in the tub and let the casings sit in the fridge overnight.
Use a boning knife to trim and cut up the meat into cubes that will fit down your grinder. Place the meat in the freezer until you are ready to grind. You want it to be sitting below 35°F before grinding.
Grind the meat through a 3mm plate.
Whisk the egg whites lightly.
Hand-mix the seasoning and ground meat with the egg whites for 10 minutes, or use a mixer and blend for 5 minutes. It's mixed when the meat sticks to your hand when turned upside down.
Pack the ground meat tightly into the stuffer’s canister. Try to push out any air pockets. Thread the casings onto the horn and keep them both moist.
Slowly feed the mixture through the stuffer and into the casings, pinch, and twist to make 4" links, removing any air pockets with the sausage pricker.
Place the sausage in the refrigerator to rest and dry out for a few hours (preferably overnight).
Cook sausages on the grill or in a frying pan over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until brown. For extra flavor, you can add a braising liquid like beer
Store in an airtight container, fresh sausages will last in the fridge for up to a week and in the freezer for 3 months.

Notes

1. Why grams? Grams are the most common measurement for sausage making because they are more accurate than teaspoons and tablespoons, which are difficult to scale. I recommend investing digital scales.

Nutrition