German Farmhouse Style Bratwurst

The name is German, derived from Old High German Bratwurst, from brat, which is finely chopped meat and Wurst, or sausage. Though the brat in bratwurst described the way the sausages are made, nowadays Germans associate it with German verb "braten", which means to pan fry or roast.

Bratwurst is usually grilled or pan fried, and sometimes cooked in broth or beer. This classic recipe is a grill favorite.

1 cup fresh white bread crumbs
1/2 cup milk
2 1/2 lbs lean veal, preferably shoulder, chilled
2 1/2 lbs pork belly or fatty pork butt, chilled
1 Tbsp salt, plus 2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground white pepper
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp melted salted butter

Preparation

1 In a small bowl, soak the bread crumbs in the milk. Grind the veal and pork belly together, first coarsely and then finely. Place the meat in a large bowl. Add the salt, nutmeg, white pepper and softened bread crumbs.

2 Mix well with your hands until thoroughly blended. Working with about one-quarter of sausage filling at a time (cover the rest and refrigerate the remainder).

3 Stuff the casings loosely with the sausage filling. Pinch and twist into 4 inch links. Refrigerate the first ones while doing the rest.

From Bad Cooking's Big Book of Sausage Recipes available at amazon.com for only $9.99