Seasoning Bratwurst - How to make your own Bratwurst
Seasoning Bratwurst - How to Make Your Own Bratwurst
Key Takeaways
The most important spices for classic bratwurst are: salt, pepper, marjoram, ginger, lemon, and mace. There are different types of bratwurst, suitable for each season. Whether lamb, beef, poultry, or pork – anything is possible with bratwurst.
Seasoning Bratwurst - An Overview of the Most Important Spices
The most important spices for homemade bratwurst are marjoram and a spice mix to personal taste. This much can be stated. So, if you want to make proper sausages, you should first consider how the finished sausage should taste. Especially with Franconian bratwurst, the spices vary greatly depending on the region. The variety in Franconia is very wide. It doesn't always have to be the most famous of all bratwursts: the Nuremberg. There is also diversity in sausages, which means there are no limits to how you can season them. But which spices are suitable?
As mentioned at the beginning, marjoram is the first stop when it comes to the spice mix, alongside salt and pepper. However, what most people don't expect are: ginger, lemon, and mace. These spices give the bratwurst that certain kick. But wine, beer, or even roasted onions and cheese are also possible. We'll explain this in more detail in this video.
However, there are many more spice combinations that turn a classic bratwurst into something very special. This must be coordinated with the sausage mixture, and for that, you need the right meat at the right time of year.
Seasoning bratwurst - the right meat
Depending on which Bratwurst you want to prepare, you will need different meat. In principle, you can mince any meat in a meat grinder, season it, and stuff it into a casing. But there are differences. For example, the season can have a significant influence on which recipe is right for you today. Incidentally, the Franconian Bratwurst King is crowned every year in the first half of the year - we won the title in 2023 and captured it on video.
Lamb (the spring sausage)
Lamb is perfect for spring and the festive mood that comes with it. Especially at Easter, it's lamb season. Some people are always a little critical of lamb. But this bratwurst tastes really good. Feel free to try new recipes based on lamb bratwurst. You'll see that you'll quickly find your own customized creation that suits you. Especially if you like garlic. Garlic is the most important factor in lamb bratwurst. Lamb harmonizes with garlic like no other meat, making it a particularly tasty bratwurst. The raw mixture of the lamb bratwursts is filled into sheep casings. This makes the sausage suitable for people who completely abstain from pork.
Poultry (the summer sausage)
Especially in summer, you need something fresh to escape the scorching heat. Poultry bratwursts are perfect for this. They are made with sheep casings and, of course, poultry meat. This makes them suitable for people who completely avoid pork. The seasoning is lemon-based. The aim with these sausages is to bring a fresh note to the grill or pan. And flavors that complement the freshness of lemon help with that. So, thyme, rosemary, pepper, garlic, sage, and other Mediterranean herbs, as well as mint. Our recommendation: The poultry should have the Label Rouge seal. You can find out more about it in this video.
Game (the autumn grilled sausage)
Autumn is wild, literally. The first bratwurst you should eat in autumn must be a wild game bratwurst. This is made from wild game meat and is not stuffed into pork casings, but into a sheep casing. Thus, they are suitable for people who completely abstain from pork. A berry note is ideal for seasoning here. So cranberries, blueberries, blackberries, rose hips and, of course, elderberries. You'll find almost all the ingredients for your wild game bratwurst in the forest. You can learn how to properly prepare wild game for sausage making in this video.
Beef (the winter bratwurst)
A beef bratwurst, like Merguez, is perfect for winter. Especially when grilling in winter, when it's cold outside, you need something to warm you from the inside. That's why the beef bratwursts are also heavily seasoned, with a good paprika note. So if you want a bratwurst that leaves a lasting impression on your taste buds, go for beef bratwursts. These are also filled in sheep casings and are therefore suitable for people who completely abstain from pork. By the way, our beef bratwurst also holds the world championship title - in this video you can find out everything about the World Butcher's Challenge.
Seasoning Bratwurst - The Right Casing
Artificial casing
Artificial casing is more hygienic than natural casing. It is used to portion sausages evenly and at the same time ensure a longer shelf life. This is particularly important for products that should always have the same caliber. However, this is not the case for bratwurst. Artificial casing is also essential for sausage varieties that need to be cooked. This way, the raw mass can be easily filled and then cooked with the artificial casing. In this video you can learn more about it.
Natural casing
A natural casing is always used when the sausage made with it is intended to be entirely edible. Because natural casings are edible. They also contribute to natural ripening processes. This is especially important if you want smoked bratwurst. Natural casings also help sausages develop their flavors better because they are permeable to air. This also makes them easier to dry, by the way.
When it comes to natural casings, there are distinctions to be made: there is the band, the hog casing, and the sheep casing. The sheep casing is primarily used for bratwurst that does not contain pork. In Germany, the hog casing is used for the classic bratwurst, based on pork. The only exception: Franconia. There, only the band is used for bratwurst (with pork). The band is the serosa of the hog casing, i.e., the outer layer of the intestinal wall. You can learn more about it in this video.
Seasoning Bratwurst - The Step-by-Step Guide
If you've always wanted to make your own bratwurst, then in addition to meat and casing, you'll need a meat grinder and a sausage stuffer (stuffing machine). Now, we'll briefly summarize the best way to proceed so you can properly season your bratwurst and make your own sausage. For this step-by-step guide, we'll assume you're making classic bratwurst. More exotic variations, like Salsiccia, work differently. Here's a video about a very exotic interpretation of rostbratwurst - with an energy drink (Gönrgy).
Get about 1 kg of pork from the butcher (depending on how many sausages you want to make)
Use meat from the neck or shoulder
Have the butcher cut the pork into pieces or do it yourself
Also buy hog casings for stuffing the sausages
Place your meat pieces in a bowl and season them
Take salt, pepper, marjoram, ginger, lemon, and mace and
mix the spices well
Now mix the meat with the spice blend
Choose a grinding plate based on the type of bratwurst you want to make (2 - 16 mm)
Coarse bratwurst requires a thicker grinding plate
Fine bratwurst requires a thinner grinding plate (max. 4 mm)
Before using the casings, wash them.
Then put the meat pieces into the meat grinder
Thread the hog casing over the stainless steel nozzle
Now grind the meat and fill the casing with the mixture (not too tightly)
Then portion and twist off the casing and cut to size
Now the bratwurst is ready for the charcoal or gas grill, or the pan. But when frying, note the following: Fresh bratwurst splatters in the pan due to its water content. As a side dish, we recommend potato salad or a delicious bun. You can also freeze the sausage later. In this video, you can learn more about it.
FAQ
It's best to use salt, pepper, marjoram, ginger, lemon, and mace.
It's best to use pork from the butcher and the following spices: salt, pepper, marjoram, ginger, lemon, and mace.
You will need the following spices: salt, pepper, marjoram, ginger, lemon, and mace.
For bratwurst, curing salt is used.
Per kilogram, use 40 grams of curing salt.
Conclusion
When making bratwurst yourself, the choice of meat is crucial for the result. The season also plays a role. But the most important thing is: meat from the butcher is best. Depending on which bratwurst you want, you have to choose the casing accordingly. If you want to avoid pork completely, you have to use a sheep casing. The most important spices for the classic version are: salt, pepper, marjoram, ginger, lemon, and mace. The size of the perforated disc of your meat grinder is decisive for the consistency of the bratwurst. So whether it is coarse, medium-coarse, or fine. In Franconia, bratwurst is the most versatile. There are all kinds of variations of different recipes. Best of all - just try it out and season your sausage the way you like it best. If you don't feel like it, feel free to contact us (we offer custom-made products) - or: Here you can also buy one kg of bratwurst directly. If you want to delve deeper into the matter now, we recommend this video.
