Homemade BRATWURST

[chicagokp]

Originally Posted by gtr

The grinder is cool (stuffer comes as part of that), but after a couple stuffing sessions you'll most likely get a dedicated stuffer. It happened to me, and I've seen it over and over - but don't get me wrong - the grinder is fine, esp. if your mainly doing 5 or 10# batches - it's just stuffing with that thing can be a biatch.

But by all means - MAKE SAUSAGE! You won't go back!

Originally Posted by Grabnabber

Regarding KitchenAid:

Grinder good.
Stuffer bad. Really bad.

+1 on these. I ended up with the Kitchner stuffer from Northern Tool. It works really well. And I just looked, it's on sale, 70 bucks.

Nice work!!

On a side note, save off a pound of the meat next time and some remaining seasoning, but add in curry powder. About 1.5 Tbsp of it. Curry Brats absolutely rock!

[boatnut]

awesome Bro! nuttin' better then homemade. I made up 10 lbs of my own a few weeks ago as well.

[slow-smoker]

Nice job Wampus! I made Brats recently and they turned out nice, but I may try your recipe because I see a few extra spices in yours that I didn't use, and I'm curious how they would change the flavor.

[Teamfour]

Wow, that's nice!

[Mdboatbum]

Those look awesome!!
I've tried making Brats a couple times, and I always end up with all the fat leeching out during cooking and dry sausages. I've tried poaching, smoking and baking, all with the same result. Any ideas? I was thinking adding dried milk powder might help, as I see it as an ingredient in a lot of recipes. Yours looks plenty moist though, and I don't see anything about milk or any other binders.

[neuyawk]

Thanks for posting this!! Especially with the recipe. Just cooked up some brats from Trader Joes last night and they tasted like @$$. Brats really are the world's greatest sausage.

I like them real salty like Johnsonville makes them.

[aawa]

great looking sausages!

[TIMMAY]

Those sausages look great! Thanks for the recipe too!!!

[Fat Woody]

Originally Posted by Mdboatbum

Those look awesome!!
I've tried making Brats a couple times, and I always end up with all the fat leeching out during cooking and dry sausages. I've tried poaching, smoking and baking, all with the same result. Any ideas? I was thinking adding dried milk powder might help, as I see it as an ingredient in a lot of recipes. Yours looks plenty moist though, and I don't see anything about milk or any other binders.

This may be off page one of the obvious manual, but it sounds like you're just over cooking them? IT of 150-155 is ideal for pork sausages.

PS - nice brats brother Wampus!

[Wampus]

Originally Posted by Mdboatbum

Those look awesome!!
I've tried making Brats a couple times, and I always end up with all the fat leeching out during cooking and dry sausages. I've tried poaching, smoking and baking, all with the same result. Any ideas? I was thinking adding dried milk powder might help, as I see it as an ingredient in a lot of recipes. Yours looks plenty moist though, and I don't see anything about milk or any other binders.

I think I agree with Fat Woody. Are you cooking them to too high of an internal temp perhaps? I know when my brats and up being dry our tough it's when I wasn't watching closely enough and overcooked them.

A friend of mine (who is a Wisconsinite and claims to cook the PERFECT brat) likes to parboil his brats in beer. Then he puts them on the grill over direct heat just long enough to put some color to them and THEN (and this, he says is the secret) he puts them into a pot with some water, beer and a whole stick of butter (melted in). He says that the fat that comes out while grilling is replaced by the butter and that when you pull the brats OUT of that holding pot, the butter coats the brats and gives the fat back.

I've had his brats and while they are certainly fantastic, they're still boiled. I prefer indirect grilled the whole time or hot smoked from raw to cooked. I like the snap that the skin/casing has that way. Parboiled, they end up really soft. To each his own.

[Mdboatbum]

I'll give it another go and make sure the IT doesn't get above 155˚. Thanks for the tips!!

[dealm9]

Looks great wampus! I will have to try your recipe. Thanks

[teej]

Originally Posted by Wampus

I think I agree with Fat Woody. Are you cooking them to too high of an internal temp perhaps? I know when my brats and up being dry our tough it's when I wasn't watching closely enough and overcooked them.

A friend of mine (who is a Wisconsinite and claims to cook the PERFECT brat) likes to parboil his brats in beer. Then he puts them on the grill over direct heat just long enough to put some color to them and THEN (and this, he says is the secret) he puts them into a pot with some water, beer and a whole stick of butter (melted in). He says that the fat that comes out while grilling is replaced by the butter and that when you pull the brats OUT of that holding pot, the butter coats the brats and gives the fat back.

I've had his brats and while they are certainly fantastic, they're still boiled. I prefer indirect grilled the whole time or hot smoked from raw to cooked. I like the snap that the skin/casing has that way. Parboiled, they end up really soft. To each his own.

I've got tell you, some of the best Brats I've ever had were steamed in beer then put on the grill. They were fantastic.