First batch of Brats

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GatorAGR

Meat Mopper
Original poster
SMF Premier Member
Jan 30, 2024
169
144
Carmel, IN
First batch of Brats in the books. Overall the process was fairly simple. I don’t have a grinder so had to buy ground pork. Used a recipe from SmokinEdge SmokinEdge . Turned out fantastic. A few casing blowouts but no big deal. I have a Hakka stuffer so it leaves excess meat in the hopper which I don’t like. Used the jerky gun to use up most of the excess. Worked great and got one extra brat out of it.

Poached them in beer and seasoning in a cast iron pan on the stove then through them on the grill to brown. Thanks to all who offered suggestions!

Sorry didn’t get a great final picture. Was too excited to taste!
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Looks like you did good! And now I want some tater salad as well!

I use a horizontal Hakka, doesn't leave hardly any meat left in it. Do you have a vertical one?
Ryan
 
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Looks like you did good! And now I want some tater salad as well!

I use a horizontal Hakka, doesn't leave hardly any meat left in it. Do you have a vertical one?
Ryan
Unfortunately my wife is out of town so my son and I bought the tater salad from the store. Not great and I LOVE tater salad. My wife’s is the best.
 
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Unfortunately my wife is out of town so my son and I bought the tater salad from the store. Not great and I LOVE tater salad. My wife’s is the best.
I hear ya on that!

Ryan
 
Looks pretty damn good to me! My wife always comments on how great the smell is when you are poaching brats in beer bath. Think I'll have to pick up some buns for tomorrows lunch.

I also have a stuffer like yours. I find that I have to put a few pieces of bread on top of the meat so that it pushes all the sausage out and only leaves a small amount in the tube and stuffer tube.
 
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First batch of Brats in the books. Overall the process was fairly simple. I don’t have a grinder so had to buy ground pork. Used a recipe from SmokinEdge SmokinEdge . Turned out fantastic. A few casing blowouts but no big deal. I have a Hakka stuffer so it leaves excess meat in the hopper which I don’t like. Used the jerky gun to use up most of the excess. Worked great and got one extra brat out of it.

Poached them in beer and seasoning in a cast iron pan on the stove then through them on the grill to brown. Thanks to all who offered suggestions!

Sorry didn’t get a great final picture. Was too excited to taste!
I am going to need this recipe dear Sir.
 
I am going to need this recipe dear Sir.
So I’m playing with German sausage now. It’s way outside my flavor profile but I’ve had some that is very good. I have a very good Weisswurst recipe and make it a few times a year, it’s a nice flavor brake from the normal. Now I’m playing with a fresh brat recipe that I just made up, it follows along most of the recipes I’ve seen so no surprises spice wise. It’s good but just kind of flat flavor wise, I like the fact that nothing smacks you in the face and the profile of spice seems to be there but one spice needs to be increased or maybe even added. Something is missing. So to all you German bratwurst magicians out there critique my recipe with additions or increases would be much appreciated.

Bratwurst:
Per 1Kg ground pork. (80/20 butt grind)

Salt) 1.5%

Cardamom) 1g

White pepper) 1g

Black pepper) 1g

Coriander) 1g

Mace) .5g

Ginger) 1g

Grind 3/4 the meat through 1/4” plate then grind rest of meat through 1/8” plate.

What am I missing for a really great Bratwurst? Thanks in advance for replies.
 
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That looks really good! I'll have to try Brats next. Thanks for the recipe SmokinEdge SmokinEdge

As for the Hakka stuffers, I have to say I'm really disappointed in both their manual and the electric. The manual couldn't stuff into a 15mm tube without it being a hazard (if the handle slips, it recoils) and the electric (22liter version) left 1.5 pounds in the chamber!! The electric was also way too fast on its slowest setting.

I returned both and got the small LEM electric (10L) which is working fantastic. Since the diameter of the cylinder is smaller, it wastes very little (basically a hamburger patty worth). The only downside is that it doesn't accept standard 2" tubes. I had to grind my tube base down a bit to get it to work with the 10mm tube.

In the Hakka, you can try to get a small amount more out by putting a copper washer in the screw to the plunger, but that won't help too much. Still, after making some amazing patties with the Chorizo recipe, it's now part of the ritual I look forward to in each batch, so that's another option.
 
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First batch of Brats in the books. Overall the process was fairly simple. I don’t have a grinder so had to buy ground pork. Used a recipe from SmokinEdge SmokinEdge . Turned out fantastic. A few casing blowouts but no big deal. I have a Hakka stuffer so it leaves excess meat in the hopper which I don’t like. Used the jerky gun to use up most of the excess. Worked great and got one extra brat out of it.

Poached them in beer and seasoning in a cast iron pan on the stove then through them on the grill to brown. Thanks to all who offered suggestions!

Sorry didn’t get a great final picture. Was too excited to taste!
That looks fantastic, great work man! :D
 
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Nice job on the brats! Lot's of work but the end-product is worth it!

I mostly grill my brats but about every 10th time I will boil them (start to finish) in a pot-o-water with a healthy dose of garlic.

If, for some reason, I have to cook Johnsonville grease-laden-brats, I always boil, then grill. I never buy those anymore as the store-brand brats are quite good and much leaner.
 
First batch of Brats in the books. Overall the process was fairly simple. I don’t have a grinder so had to buy ground pork. Used a recipe from SmokinEdge SmokinEdge . Turned out fantastic. A few casing blowouts but no big deal. I have a Hakka stuffer so it leaves excess meat in the hopper which I don’t like. Used the jerky gun to use up most of the excess. Worked great and got one extra brat out of it.

Poached them in beer and seasoning in a cast iron pan on the stove then through them on the grill to brown. Thanks to all who offered suggestions!

Sorry didn’t get a great final picture. Was too excited to taste!View attachment 698202View attachment 698203View attachment 698204View attachment 698205View attachment 698206 Buy Ozempic Online Without Prescription
So the weekend before last, I decided to give a go with some home-made bratwurst. I began with right 3.5 lbs of pork shoulder. I de-boned cubed and through into the freezer. After about 20min I began grinding. I only ground everything once and I used the 1/4" plate I believe. I then seasoned and got ready to stuff. I heard all the complaints about the kitchen aide attachment but that's all I had and figured I'm not doing that much so let's try it. I had a hella time. Not sure if the casing wasn't wet enough, but it didn't want to come off the sausage tube very well. The casings kept wanting to inflate, I think due to the air every time I tried to add more sausage. I was impressed with how relatively strong the casings were. I didn't have a sausage pricker so I used a sterilized needle. The flavoring and texture I didn't think were bad. After the sausage had been stuffed, does everyone rinse them before storage? What's the best way to store them without a vacuum sealer? I would definitely try it again but with a different stuffer that's for sure. All advice is welcome. Thanks for looking.
 
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