Bockwurst Recipes

BOCKWURST

Steps:

• Place pork, veal, and fatback in a large bowl. Chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Set parts of meat grinder, including large cutting die, in freezer. Set bowl and paddle of stand mixer in freezer.
• Grind meat and fat mixture through chilled meat grinder fitted with a small cutting die, into a large bowl set in another bowl filled with ice. Add chives, parsley, salt, paprika, white pepper, and ground ginger in with the meat. Using chilled paddle attachment and chilled bowl of a standing mixer, mix at low speed for 1 minute. Add eggs and heavy cream and mix at medium speed until liquid is incorporated and sausage is uniform and sticky, about 1 minute longer.
• Form a small sausage patty; place rest of sausage mixture in refrigerator. Cook patty in a small frying pan over medium-high heat until cooked through. Taste and adjust seasonings of sausage if necessary.
• Stuff sausage into hog casings and twist into 6-inch links. Place sausages on a large wire rack set on a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate, uncovered, overnight to 3 days; rotate sausages daily to allow air to circulate around all of them.
• In a grill, light 10 to 15 charcoal briquettes, or small amount of lump charcoal. When charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pile coals on one side of the charcoal grate. Place wood chunk on top of charcoal. Set cooking grate in place, place sausages away from fire, and cover, positioning air vent over sausages. Smoke until wood and charcoal are burnt out, 1-2 hours. Remove sausages from grill.
• Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange the coals on one side of the charcoal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill, and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil grilling grate. Place onion slices in foil tray and pour in beer. Place tray on hot side of grill. Nestle sausage in tray and cook until beer begins to simmer, about 4 minutes. Slide tray over to cool side of grill, cover grill, and continue to cook until sausages register 140 to 145°F on an instant-read thermometer, 10-15 minutes, flipping occasionally during cooking.
• Uncover grill and remove sausages from liquid and place on hot side of grill. Cook, turning occasionally, until sausages are browned and crisp all over, about 3 minutes total. Place each sausage in a roll and top with onions and desired condiments; serve immediately.

BRAISED BOCKWURST AND WARM VEGETABLE-HARD CIDER 'KRAUT WITH GERMAN STYLE POTATOES

Steps:

• Halve larger potatoes and leave small potatoes as is, cover with water, bring to a boil, season with salt and cook until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Place sausages in a cast iron skillet, add 1/2-inch of water and a drizzle of oil. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and let the sausages heat through as the water evaporates. Shake pan and let the casings crisp up until they burst, 3 to 4 minutes, and are golden brown. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• While sausages and potatoes cook, cut cabbage half into half again and trim away the core with an angled cut. Shred the cabbage very thinly with your knife and reserve. Place the shredder blade in your food processor. Peel the carrots and trim the root end. Trim the celery, and peel and quarter the red onion lengthwise. Peel the apple and quarter lengthwise then cut away the core as you did the cabbage. Using the processor, shred the carrots, celery, onion and apple, through the feed tube, removing from bowl as necessary.
• In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add cabbage and vegetable mixture and toss to combine. Season the mixture with bay leaf, grill seasoning or coarse salt and pepper, and caraway seeds. Saute 7 to 8 minutes, tossing frequently.
• While cabbage cooks, put a medium skillet on the stove with a drizzle of olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add chopped bacon and render 2 to 3 minutes then stir in the yellow onion and cook for 5 minutes with the bacon to soften.
• Add hard cider to cabbage mixture and reduce for 30 seconds. Stir in the mustard and turn off the heat. Discard the bay leaf.
• When potatoes are cooked, drain and add to bacon and onion. Douse the pan with vinegar and sprinkle with sugar. Pour stock evenly over pan, add the parsley and some pepper and turn off the heat. Stir the potatoes 1 minute to form a starchy sauce and combine flavors.
• Halve crispy sausages and serve on generous bed of cabbage, with the potatoes alongside.
• Serve with hard cider or white Belgian ale with orange wedge.

GERMAN HOMEMADE BOCKWURST

Steps:

• Grind veal and pork 3 times.
• Chop suet fine.
• Combine the meat with suet, cream, chives, onion, and seasonings.
• Mix smoothly.
• Stuff into sheep casings.
• Tie in 4 or 5-inch lengths.
• Cover with hot water.
• Bring to a boil, then lower and heat and simmer 15 minutes.
• Serves 10 or more.
• Luchow's German Cookbook.