Bratwurst is a type of German sausage that everyone knows. Meat-loving Germans adore brats. I was fortunate enough to spend a year in Germany where I got a chance to try a variety of bratwurst sausages. There are so many of them that every region, every city, even every butcher has own bratwurst recipe. It's a bratwurst lover's paradise.
The taste of bratwurst is largely determined by the use of different spices and spice proportions. In Nuremberg, for example, marjoram dominates the flavor of the sausage. Similarly, other regions may favor garlic or caraway. In general, the following spices are typically used for making bratwurst: salt, pepper, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, garlic, caraway, marjoram and sometimes lemon zest.
Unlike bockwurst, bratwurst favors more pork and less veal in its recipes, and the meat is not emulsified.
This particular bratwurst recipe comes from Stanley Marianski's Home Production of Quality Meats and Sausages book. It's customary for bratwurst recipes in Germany to take on the names of specific regions of where a recipe comes from. For example, there is Thuringer Bratwurst, Nurnberger Bratwurst, Rheinishe Bratwurst, etc. This recipe is fairly generic so it doesn't have a specific region name attached to it. Nevertheless, I've made bratwurst using this recipe a number of times with great results.
Taste-wise, this is one of the best bratwurst recipes I’ve tried. It's well rounded and should appeal to a wide range of tastes.
Ingredients
- 700 g pork
- 300 g veal
- 13 g kosher salt
- 3 g white pepper
- 1 tsp marjoram
- 1 g caraway
- 0.5 g ginger (ground)
- 1 g nutmeg
- 2 egg whites
- 100 g cold water
Instructions
- Grind meat through 3/16” (3 mm) plate.
- Whisk the egg whites.
- Mix the ground meat and all ingredients together.
- Stuff into 32-36 mm hog casings forming 4” (10 cm) links.
- Keep in a refrigerator or freeze for later use.
Tom Shields says
Do you have this recipe converted into lbs of meat and tablespoons and teaspoons of spices ? I’m very confused on conversions !
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Tom, I added the conversions, just click 'US Customary' under the recipe. I find it a lot easier to use grams though. The recipe is written for 1 kg (2.2 lbs) of meat and fat. If you have 3.5 kg of meat/fat, just multiply the rest of the ingredients by 3.5. The measurements are very precise in grams. If you measure in cups and spoons, there will be a lot of deviation. Good luck.
Marty Alterson says
I want to take this recipe a bit farther by adding apples to the recipe. What would you add to get the apple flavor to "pop". I am thinking of using granny Smith apples
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
To be honest, I've never tried adding apples to sausage so I can't say. However, I've heard of people adding them with varying degrees of success. Softer turn to mush, harder varieties hold their shape. Granny Smith seems to be a popular one for this. Obviously, for a stronger flavor you'd need more of the apple, but you also want to balance apple with the rest of the ingredients. I'd start with 10-15%, that seems reasonable to me. I'd do one, cook it and see how it tastes before making a larger batch. Good luck!
Tom Smith says
Nice to find a review of this sausage before I make it. I found it at meatsandsausages.com which is basically the online version of all of Marianski's recipes. I just made some of Duncan Henry's Bavarian smokies and will make these brats tomorrow.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Cool. Enjoy! This one is very good.
Molly says
Victor, thanks so much for sharing these recipes! We raise our own hogs on pasture and we are always looking for homemade sausage recipes. Is it best to allow the meat with the spices to rest for some period of time before cooking them or are they ready to cook right away? We are looking forward to trying this one today or tomorrow. If you have other bratwurst and sausage recipes would you please share?
Thank you!
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi Molly, my apologies for the late response. Letting the meat rest with salt and seasonings would be beneficial as it will allow the salt to penetrate the meat better and the seasonings to meld together. In Italy, they let fresh sausage ferment for 4-5 days to get a nice tangy flavor going; I do that too every now and again. I treat pasture raised heritage pork a little differently. I buy mine from a local farm, it's a cross between Berkshire and British Spotted, which they call Berkspot. It doesn't need a lot of seasonings, and most often all I use is salt, pepper, and a little bit of garlic-infused wine. That said, I have several good bratwurst recipes, I will email them to you.
Gladys says
Yes, please…post all the recipes you have!
I will make them all! Growing up my mom considered commercial sausages full of dubious ingredients,,,, if she could see me now! She would love these and approve!
Thank you,
Gladys, Toronto🇨🇦
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Lol... ok, I will. I have a few really good regional ones. Not sure if a whole post would be warranted but I can email them to you.
Gladys says
Hi Victor,
Where can I find more sausage recipes?
Such as salami, very spicy pepperoni?
Please and thank you.
Regards,
Always wanting to learn more and try new delicious recipes,
Gladys
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Gladys, I have many of those recipes on my blog. You can also check out book such as Home Production of Quality Meats and Sausages, Dry-Curing Pork: Make Your Own Salami, Pancetta, Coppa, Prosciutto, and More, Charcutería: The Soul of Spain, and you can always look up some good recipes online, like Meats and Sausages.
julian says
excellent,my 11 year old is asausagespecialist and loves these
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Well, the specialist has spoken 😉 Glad you guys liked them... I have a few more regional German bratwurst recipes, very good... if enough folks are interested, I can write them up and post them on the blog here.
John says
Who in there right mind would only make2.20 lbs of sausage at one time?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
This is a base recipe that can be scaled as needed. Most sausage recipes are written like that.
Gladys says
I did…on the first try to get a feel for it! Delicious, delicious!
Next time minimum of 4 pounds of meat!
I am spreading the word to anyone who will listen as to how great home made sausages are and how clean the ingredients are too. No MSG, no gluten, no soy, no seed oils, no milk powder, no HFCS, no binders, fillers or junk. I love the fresh taste and the ease of prep. Some of my friends are starting to listen! Saves lots of money, too! Really saves money! I love it.
Next stop…pepperoni!🍕
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Glad you enjoyed it... and thank you for your feedback. Enjoy!
John Gelens says
I know two guys that only use 1 KG of meat per batch. They both prefer a steak. cooked souse villa Myself I do prefer a Banger any time
Shaun Gray says
Greetings from Michigan city, IN.
Would you have a recipe for a "Polish Brat?"
If so would you please it to me.
Thank you
I hope you and your family have a Blessed Thanksgiving.
Stay Safe
Shaun Gray
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi Shaun, I've never made one and I don't recall ever coming across a Polish brat but I will look through my books, perhaps I can find it... will let you know if I do.
Cindy Kocol says
I made these brats this morning. I used my stand mixer to grind the meat. Formed patties because I don't have a machine for stuffing sausage. Cooked up two patties. Reheated Brötchen I baked two days ago. Added German mustard to the cooked patty on the bun. Delicious! I didn't follow the recipe to a tee as I was leery about the amount of caraway seeds (only used 1 tbsp), etc. That was fine. I will make this again.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Thanks for the feedback, Cindy. You must try my other fresh sausage recipes, I have a feeling you will like them as well.
Gladys says
Thank you for sharing that you prepared these without casings!
Very good to know!
Gladys, Toronto🇨🇦
Cindy K. says
I want to make this but don't have the ability to stuff the meat into casings. Could I just make a patty, fry it and put it into a bun?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Absolutely. I always fry any leftover meat that I scrape off the bottom of the stuffer and from inside the stuffing tube. Delicious.
Lisa says
Can't wait to try this recipe thanks
Golden Goose says
Wonderful, great recipe, I've made it three times already.