Passing Wind Estates Bratwurst

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disco

Epic Pitmaster
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SMF Premier Member
Oct 31, 2012
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Canadian Rockies
I have made a cure bratwurst before but I wanted to try my hand at regular bratwurst.

My only experience with homemade bratwurst was visiting some German friends when I was a kid. The mother made homemade bratwurst. She made hers out of pork and chicken cuttings. I didn't pay enough attention to learn anything else except they tasted very good.

So, I decided to make about a 60% to 40% ratio of pork to chicken.

I added spices that I thought would give flavour profile I would like in a bratwurst. Here is the recipe I came up with.

Passing Wind Estates Bratwurst

900 grams (2 pounds) fatty pork shoulder

650 grams (1 1/2 pounds) chicken thighs (boned before weighing, skin and fat left on)

20 ml (1 1/2  tablespoons) kosher salt

5 ml (1 teaspoon) sugar

7 ml (1 1/2 teaspoon) nutmeg

7 ml (1 1/2 teaspoon) coarse ground black pepper

3 ml (1/2 teaspoon) dried marjoram

3 ml (1/2 teaspoon) ground ginger

7 ml (1 1/2 teaspoon) mace

There was a sale on pork shoulder steaks and chicken thighs to the time was right.


I took the bones out of enough thighs to get 650 grams (1 1/2 pounds) of chicken thighs deboned with the skin and fat still on. I don't worry about getting all the meat off as I use the bones for soup stock when I get enough.


I diced up the pork and added it to the chicken. It all went in the fridge overnight to get very cold. It is dropping below freezing at night so I also put the stuffer and grinding attachment outside to get cold.


Here are the chicken bones to go into the freezer to await making stock.


The next morning, I ran the meat through the medium plate of my Kitchen Aid grinder.


Here is the ground meat.


I mixed together the spices and mixed them very well with the meat.


Here, I was at a quandary. I have read preferences of very fine grinding or emulsions against coarser ground. I ran half the meat through the Kitchen Aid with the small plate for a second grind so I could compare.

Here is a test fry with the double grind on the left. The test fry tasted great. I think I preferred the fine grind but just barely and I still wanted to compare them in the casings.


As the test fry tasted so good, I did not adjust any seasonings. I put the meat outside (it was just above freezing) for several hours.

I brought the meat and stuffer inside and stuffed the meat into hog casings.


Here is the stuffed single grind.



Here is the stuffed double grind.



A side by side comparison. The double grind is on the right.


The verdict. This is the bratwurst I was looking for. I love the lighter texture of the chicken/pork mix over the store bought. The seasoning mix gives a good flavour without being overpowering. As for single or double grind, I think I preferred the double grind but only marginally. I will give it a single grind through the small plate next time just because I am lazy.

I will be making this again. The only adjustment I am considering is adding a bit more ginger.

Disco
 
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The recipe sounds right on to me, and the finish sausage looks great too Disco.
Although I don't see a big difference in the single and double grind... maybe its me
 
The recipe sounds right on to me, and the finish sausage looks great too Disco.
Although I don't see a big difference in the single and double grind... maybe its me
Thanks, Dan.

I didn't notice much difference looking at them but the double grind was definitely denser and more sausage like on cooking. However, not enough for me to do the extra work. I really enjoyed both.

Disco
 
Those look great Disco!  The recipe sounds delicious...definitely putting this on my 'to do' list.  Thanks for sharing!!  
bravo.png


Red
 
 
Those look great Disco!  The recipe sounds delicious...definitely putting this on my 'to do' list.  Thanks for sharing!!  
bravo.png


Red
Thanks, Red. I am suffering from a problem since I started smoking. Do you make something new or one of the things you've tried and liked. This was good enough that it will be made again
 
Awesome looking Brats Disco. How did you serve them? 

B
Thanks, B. I went a little untraditional. I poached them in some red wine with some thinly sliced onion until they got to 145 F IT. Then I put them on a hot grill. While they were browning, my missus put mustard and zucchini mustard relish on buns. I put the bratwurst on the buns and then topped with the poached onions. They were great!

I should have done Qview but I didn't even think about it, I just tucked in.

Disco
 
Sounds fantastic Disco.  I'd be interested in your opinion of the K/A food grinder attachment.  I'm a complete novice and looking at grinders right now. Like everything else in this world Grinders come in all price ranges. The attachment grinder is appealing for a starter. …. For a guy doing sausages every once in a while  ….Don't really expect that I'll be doing any high volume. Opinion?

Thanks

 
 
Sounds fantastic Disco.  I'd be interested in your opinion of the K/A food grinder attachment.  I'm a complete novice and looking at grinders right now. Like everything else in this world Grinders come in all price ranges. The attachment grinder is appealing for a starter. …. For a guy doing sausages every once in a while  ….Don't really expect that I'll be doing any high volume. Opinion?

Thanks

Watch the Northern Tool adds.  Usually they run their Kitchener #12 grinder on sale this time of year for around $90 to $100 and you can use a $20 off $100 coupon on top of the sale price.  You might have to buy a pack of screws or something to get over $100.    Hard to beat for an entry level grinder that will last most people for years.
 
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Sounds fantastic Disco.  I'd be interested in your opinion of the K/A food grinder attachment.  I'm a complete novice and looking at grinders right now. Like everything else in this world Grinders come in all price ranges. The attachment grinder is appealing for a starter. …. For a guy doing sausages every once in a while  ….Don't really expect that I'll be doing any high volume. Opinion?

Thanks

If I didn't already have it when I started making sausage, I would have spent the money and got a stand alone grinder. The KA does a decent job but doesn't have a lot of power. It is fine for a few pounds of sausage. However there is an old guy in town here who makes great sausage and pastrami. He has a stand alone electric grinder and it is so much faster and easier to use.

So, if you are going to only do a few batches, the KA is fine. The problem is, once you get into sausage making and find out how good it is, I suspect you will make more.

However, IMHO a good stuffer is more important than a good grinder. I tried using the stuffing attachment on the KA for my first few batches. It was worse than getting a root canal from a proctologist.

I broke down and bought an LEM stuffer and life has been way easier.

Disco
 
If I didn't already have it when I started making sausage, I would have spent the money and got a stand alone grinder. The KA does a decent job but doesn't have a lot of power. It is fine for a few pounds of sausage. However there is an old guy in town here who makes great sausage and pastrami. He has a stand alone electric grinder and it is so much faster and easier to use.

So, if you are going to only do a few batches, the KA is fine. The problem is, once you get into sausage making and find out how good it is, I suspect you will make more.

However, IMHO a good stuffer is more important than a good grinder. I tried using the stuffing attachment on the KA for my first few batches. It was worse than getting a root canal from a proctologist.

I broke down and bought an LEM stuffer and life has been way easier.

Disco


Hey Disco,

Gorgeous looking bratwurst. As always, your pictures and process description are of top notch quality.....thanks for a great post!

I got a laugh out of your description of using the KA for stuffing. I couldn't agree more.....my personal image of hell involves stuffing sausages for all eternity using a KA. :devil:

Have a great evening and Sunday!
Clarissa
 
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Hey Disco,

Gorgeous looking bratwurst. As always, your pictures and process description are of top notch quality.....thanks for a great post!

I got a laugh out of your description of using the KA for stuffing. I couldn't agree more.....my personal image of hell involves stuffing sausages for all eternity using a KA.
devil.gif


Have a great evening and Sunday!
Clarissa
Thanks, Clarissa. I am getting ready for tomorrow. It doesn't mean anything to you Americans but my hometown BC Lions are playing tomorrow in the Canadian Football League Semifinals so I needed some bratwurst to enjoy during the game.

I don't know about hell being using a KA to stuff but my missus refused to help me use it before I got the LEM stuffer. As I am useless without She Who Must Be Obeyed and love sausage, there was no option but to retire the KA for stuffing.

May your American Thanksgiving be the best ever!

Disco
 
Nice looking sausage there, way over my head making those, I'm in the store bought crowd as far as sausage goes!
How does the passing wind come into play?:biggrin:
 
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Nice looking sausage there, way over my head making those, I'm in the store bought crowd as far as sausage goes!
How does the passing wind come into play?
biggrin.gif
Thanks, Rick. But if I can make a good bratwurst anyone can.

My acreage in the Rocky Mountains is called Passing Wind Estates.

Disco
 
Looks great. I do a single gring with the small plate and see no difference with a double grind
 
 
Thanks, Clarissa. I am getting ready for tomorrow. It doesn't mean anything to you Americans but my hometown BC Lions are playing tomorrow in the Canadian Football League Semifinals so I needed some bratwurst to enjoy during the game.

I don't know about hell being using a KA to stuff but my missus refused to help me use it before I got the LEM stuffer. As I am useless without She Who Must Be Obeyed and love sausage, there was no option but to retire the KA for stuffing.

May your American Thanksgiving be the best ever!

Disco
we used to be able to watch all the CFL games here in washington as there are lots of canuks here going to college and what not. I used to be a lions fan back then in the 80's. I just got a weston five pounder and couldnt be happier. Great looking snausages there disco.
 
Oh Wow Disco; this is fantastic!

I love that you waste not, and use the bones for soup! 

I love the "Passing Wind" logo and label for your great creations and libations!

I love the whole thing!

Cheers! - Leah
 
 
we used to be able to watch all the CFL games here in washington as there are lots of canuks here going to college and what not. I used to be a lions fan back then in the 80's. I just got a weston five pounder and couldnt be happier. Great looking snausages there disco.
Thanks, timberjet!

I cut my teeth watching the Lions in the sixties and have been a fan since then.

A brat, a beer, a game. Life is good!

Disco
 
 
Oh Wow Disco; this is fantastic!

I love that you waste not, and use the bones for soup! 

I love the "Passing Wind" logo and label for your great creations and libations!

I love the whole thing!

Cheers! - Leah
Thanks, Leah.

Although I believe in not wasting anything, I have to admit I save chicken trimmings, carcasses, etc more because of the great stock they make than out of thrift. She Who Must Be Obeyed describes me as a flavour junky.

As for the Passing Wind Estates logo, when we first moved to the Rockies we were sitting on the deck with a glass of grape juice that had gone bad and fermented. There was a lovely cooling breeze coming off the mountains behind my house and the missus said how much she appreciated the cool breeze. I agreed that I loved passing wind and the name of the estate was born. Fortunately, the missus is tolerant of my bent personality and has allowed me to use it on our wine, preserves, etc. She even made me a sign for over the gate into our property.

Guess I'm just lucky!

Disco
 
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