About this Dish
Germany's most famous sausage — pork, veal or beef seasoned with spices, grilled over charcoal and served in a bread roll with mustard. Every German region has its own bratwurst. Nuremberg's are small and spiced with marjoram; Thuringian are long and made with pork belly. Mustard is mandatory.
IngredientsServes 2
🥩Pork shoulder, 600g roughly cubed
🥓Pork belly (skin off), 400g roughly cubed
🧂Fine sea salt, 2 teaspoons
🌿Dried marjoram, 1 teaspoon
🌶️White pepper, 1 teaspoon freshly ground
🧄Nutmeg, a good pinch freshly grated
🌾Caraway seeds, half a teaspoon lightly crushed
❄️Ice cold water, 4 tablespoons
🌀Natural pork sausage casings, about 2 metres, soaked in cold water for 30 minutes
🟡Coarse German mustard, to serve
Method
1
Chill your meat and all equipment — bowl, grinder plates and attachments — in the freezer for 20 minutes before you start. Cold meat grinds cleanly and keeps the fat from smearing, which gives your bratwurst that proper snappy texture.2
Pass the pork shoulder and pork belly through a medium grinder plate once. Mix in the salt, marjoram, white pepper, nutmeg and caraway seeds, then add the ice cold water and work the mixture firmly with your hands for 2 minutes until it becomes slightly sticky and holds together.3
Fry a small patty of the mixture in a dry pan and taste it — adjust salt or spices now before you fill the casings. This step is what separates a good homemade bratwurst from a great one.4
Thread the soaked casing onto your sausage stuffer or grinder attachment, tie a knot at the end, and fill steadily at medium pressure — avoid air pockets but don't pack too tightly or they will burst during cooking. Twist into links roughly 15cm long, alternating the twist direction.5
Refrigerate the formed sausages uncovered for at least an hour, or overnight, to let the flavours develop and the casings dry slightly. This also helps them hold their shape on the grill.6
Cook over a medium charcoal grill, turning regularly, for about 15–18 minutes until deeply golden with a few charred patches and cooked through with no pink remaining. Resist the urge to prick them — you want the juices sealed inside.7
Serve immediately in a crusty bread roll with a generous smear of coarse German mustard on both sides. Nothing else is needed.User Reviews
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