Substitute for Veal?

[SmokyMose]

Hello!
I used to get Weisswurst (White Sausage) at a German meat shop here and we loved it. Ever since I started making my own sausage I've been wanting to make it.
I've seen a few recipes and found one that doesn't call for emulsifying. The problem is that they all use Veal, which is almost impossible to find around here. The meat shop I mentioned carries it but they want $13+ per lb.
I don't like making less than 4lb batches but I don't want to spend $50+ for a batch of sausage.....
Would there be a substitute for Veal that would work? I don't really care about the color.
Am I S.O.L.? I'm almost to the point of spending the money because I want to make it so bad LOL!

The shop said I was always welcome to buy some of theirs :-)

 

[JC in GB]

I love the German weisswurst as well. I also don't make it because I don't want to source veal.

I wonder how rabbit or lamb would work?

JC

 

[DanMcG]

Pork or chicken thighs. Are your recipes calling for all veal?

 

[SmokyMose]

I love the German weisswurst as well. I also don't make it because I don't want to source veal.

I wonder how rabbit or lamb would work?

JC

I don't know. Lamb has a pretty distinct taste and is also expensive. Not sure where I'd get 4lbs of Rabbit.....

 

[SmokyMose]

Pork or chicken thighs. Are your recipes calling for all veal?

No. Also a good amount of Pork Jowls or Belly, which tells me fat is needed to make up for the leanness of the Veal.
I'm wondering about something like eye of round...

 

[PolishDeli]

To make imitation veal, I'd try a combination of equal parts chiken (or turkey) breast, pork tender loin, and eye of round.

Weißwurst is made from emulsifued meat and milk - so as long as your "veal" is rather lean, the results should be pretty good.

May be worth making a batch of the real deal and a batch of forgeries at the same time to do a comparison.

Let us know what you decide and how it turns out.
Good luck

 

[Gonna Smoke]

No. Also a good amount of Pork Jowls or Belly, which tells me fat is needed to make up for the leanness of the Veal.
I'm wondering about something like eye of round...

Since veal is beef, I'd use anything off of the round (top, bottom, eye, rump, tip, etc.) and add whatever fat is needed. My personal preference would be sirloin tip trimmed close. May not taste as mild as veal, but it is beef.

 

[JC in GB]

I don't know. Lamb has a pretty distinct taste and is also expensive. Not sure where I'd get 4lbs of Rabbit.....

Just brainstorming here...

JC

 

[zwiller]

I gotta run but I make WW and do 50/50 pork butt/chicken thighs + skin and LOVE them. Thought for sure I'd need the veal but NOPE!

 

[SmokyMose]

To make imitation veal, I'd try a combination of equal parts chiken (or turkey) breast, pork tender loin, and eye of round.

Weißwurst is made from emulsifued meat and milk - so as long as your "veal" is rather lean, the results should be pretty good.

May be worth making a batch of the real deal and a batch of forgeries at the same time to do a comparison.

Let us know what you decide and how it turns out.
Good luck

Thanks for the combination idea, Deli.
I kind of like the idea of a comparison. Gives me a project :-) Heck I might even try the emulsifying thing.
Making a "meat run" tomorrow and working on the sausage in the next few days.
If I don't crash and burn I'll make a post of it....

 

[DougE]

Not sure where I'd get 4lbs of Rabbit.....

If these dang rabbits don't quit pulling my onions up, I know where you can get more than 4 lbs. They don't eat the bulbs or the green part, they just pull 'em up and leave 'em lay there for me to plug back in the ground so they can do it again lol.

 

[zwiller]

A long time ago I once tried this "white sausage" and immediately fell in love with it. I was convinced one day that I would learn how to make it as it was so expensive. I started last year and now on batch #4. The source of my inspiration to make veal-less WW was here: https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes...wurst-turkey-thanksgiving-sausage-recipe.html
My recipe is mostly based on Marianski. I figured that if turkey could work why not dark meat chicken, and it does. Other stuff: Got lazy on my second batch I did not emulsify and simply tried a double grind with fine plate and that also worked out great. I stuff into strip-able hot dog casings, vac seal, and finish them in the SV for 3 hours @140F. Once I dial in the lemon addition I plan to do a write up since I learned so much here at SMF.

 

[SmokyMose]

If these dang rabbits don't quit pulling my onions up, I know where you can get more than 4 lbs. They don't eat the bulbs or the green part, they just pull 'em up and leave 'em lay there for me to plug back in the ground so they can do it again lol.

Sure it isn't chipmunks? They dig things up and ravage my tomatoes. I killed 10 of them last year.

 

[SmokyMose]

A long time ago I once tried this "white sausage" and immediately fell in love with it. I was convinced one day that I would learn how to make it as it was so expensive. I started last year and now on batch #4. The source of my inspiration to make veal-less WW was here: https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes...wurst-turkey-thanksgiving-sausage-recipe.html
My recipe is mostly based on Marianski. I figured that if turkey could work why not dark meat chicken, and it does. Other stuff: Got lazy on my second batch I did not emulsify and simply tried a double grind with fine plate and that also worked out great. I stuff into strip-able hot dog casings, vac seal, and finish them in the SV for 3 hours @140F. Once I dial in the lemon addition I plan to do a write up since I learned so much here at SMF.

Thanks for the link! The recipe I'm looking at uses chopped chives instead of onions and doesn't have the nutmeg and ginger. It uses milk instead of water.
I'm thinking of getting a couple of pounds of veal and making up the difference with turkey or chicken....
I agree with the double grind, in fact that's exactly what this recipe calls for.

 

[chef jimmyj]

Watching what you guys come up with...JJ

 

[DougE]

Sure it isn't chipmunks? They dig things up and ravage my tomatoes. I killed 10 of them last year.

Nah it's definitely rabbits. They grab the tip end of the onion slip, pull the whole thing up, and spit it out after they decide they don't like the taste of it. On the plus side, I think all the rabbits that visit my garden have all sampled the onions now since I haven't found any more pulled up the last couple days.

With all the coyotes and foxes around my farm, you wouldn't think rabbits would be a problem. They are bad enough where I can't even free range my chickens, but they don't seem to make much of a dent it the rabbit population.

 

[zwiller]

Thanks for the link! The recipe I'm looking at uses chopped chives instead of onions and doesn't have the nutmeg and ginger. It uses milk instead of water.
I'm thinking of getting a couple of pounds of veal and making up the difference with turkey or chicken....
I agree with the double grind, in fact that's exactly what this recipe calls for.

I make small 1kg batches and if that were me I would do a shoot out with the veal vs pork/chicken.

Like all things, there are many variations so who's to say what version is right or not. Have not been to Germany yet, so I cannot offer advice but my recipe is as good or better than what I buy here. Recipe is onion powder, white pepper, mace, ginger, milk. I am playing with lemon now and most recipes I see call for it. I think the smell can be off putting without it. Still tasty tho. All this being said, I do plan on making some eventually with green onion. We LOVE green onion.

 

[SmokyMose]

Nah it's definitely rabbits. They grab the tip end of the onion slip, pull the whole thing up, and spit it out after they decide they don't like the taste of it. On the plus side, I think all the rabbits that visit my garden have all sampled the onions now since I haven't found any more pulled up the last couple days.

With all the coyotes and foxes around my farm, you wouldn't think rabbits would be a problem. They are bad enough where I can't even free range my chickens, but they don't seem to make much of a dent it the rabbit population.

Too fast for 'em...

 

[SmokyMose]

I make small 1kg batches and if that were me I would do a shoot out with the veal vs pork/chicken.

Like all things, there are many variations so who's to say what version is right or not. Have not been to Germany yet, so I cannot offer advice but my recipe is as good or better than what I buy here. Recipe is onion powder, white pepper, mace, ginger, milk. I am playing with lemon now and most recipes I see call for it. I think the smell can be off putting without it. Still tasty tho. All this being said, I do plan on making some eventually with green onion. We LOVE green onion.

I hate to make the mess and clean the grinder and stuffer for less than 4 or 5 lbs. and the pre-tubed casings are usually good for 5#.
Picked up a variety of meats this morning. Working on recipes now. I hate math LOL!

 

[pumpkinseed]

Instead of doing math to scale each measurement I use Excel, I like to use spreadsheet to set up the formula. You have to decide on proportions/percents, but you enter how much meat you ended up with after grinding and it tells you the needed weight of herbs & spices. And metric is so much easier to calculate than teaspoons.

For lemon flavor, are you using the juice or zest?
I'm a fan of the lemon zest powder from Penzey's (if you're in the US). It is a lot easier to measure and more consistent than zesting a lemon. And keeps in the fridge for way longer than a dried up lemon.