Make your own Thuringian liverwurst – Delicious cooked sausage on bread
- Type
- Pre-cooked sausage
- Level
- Medium
- Rating
- Rate this recipe
In this post, I’ll show you how to make your own Thuringian liverwurst. With a moderate amount of effort, you can achieve a super tasty result.
Thuringian liverwurst impresses with its spicy note and creamy consistency. It tastes particularly good on fresh farmhouse bread with mustard or gherkins, but also as a side dish with roast potatoes or sauerkraut.
If you love liverwurst, I also have other liverwurst recipes for you: classic liverwurst, my veal liverwurst, my Palatinate liverwurst and my apple and onion liverwurst.
Enough talk, let’s get started…
Here you can find the complete Thuringian liverwurst recipe as a video or to read through.
Have fun and good luck making it!
Thuringian liverwurst – What do you need to make it?
With the right ingredients, you can make Thuringian liverwurst in no time at all.
Ingredients per 1 kg
| Ingredient | Grams | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| marbled pork | 300 g | 30 % |
| pork cheek or dewlap | 300 g | 30 % |
| pork liver | 250 g | 25 % |
| onions | 150 g | 15 % |
Spices per 1 kg
| Ingredient | Grams |
|---|---|
| salt | 15.9 g |
| black pepper | 3.5 g |
| Cure #1 | 2.1 g |
| allspice | 1 g |
| marjoram | 1 g |
| mace | 0.5 g |
The equipment to make Thuringian liverwurst
A meat grinder cuts the meat into small pieces so it can be mixed with the seasoning. Cut the meat into pieces that fit the feed tube before grinding.
Cutter or food processor
A cutter makes the sausage mixture fine and uniform. A food processor also works for small batches.
Artificial casings, jars or tins
You can fill the sausage into jars, tins or artificial casings. For jars, I usually use Weck jars. I recommend artificial casings, caliber 45/25 for a smaller diameter or 60/25 for a wider one.
For readers in the EU: you can buy these casings in my German shop. Artificial casings, caliber 45/25, 5 pieces, Artificial casings, caliber 60/25, 5 pieces.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Prepare and portion the meat
Cut the meat and fat into pieces suitable for mincing and put the pieces of meat into a sealable plastic bag or vacuum seal them.
Note: If you vacuum seal the pieces of meat / put them in a plastic bag, you won’t lose any liquid into the water and you won’t need any cooking stock for the sausage afterwards, as all the liquid will remain in the vacuum bag with the fat and liquid that escapes. (If you want to cook your meat without plastic, I will explain how it works and what to look out for in the next step)
Cook the meat in a bag
Now place the bag in the tempered water or in the sous vide cooker and cook the meat at 78 degrees (172.4°F) for 90 minutes.
How do I cook the meat without a sous vide stick and bag?
No problem. You need to weigh the meat once before cooking. Then weigh the meat again after cooking and note how much liquid the meat has lost. You can add this missing liquid back later. You can use the stock water in which you cooked your meat.
Prepare the liver
Cut the liver into pieces.
Sauté the onions
Chop the onions and gently sauté in clarified butter or lard over low to medium heat for about 10 minutes. They should caramelize lightly and become sweet, without becoming dark or crisp.
Choose the grinder plate
Depending on how coarse you want the liverwurst, you can use the small or medium perforated disk.
Collect the meat juices
Once the pieces of meat are cooked and cooled, you can separate the juices from the meat.
Grind everything
Put the liver and onions through the grinder first. Once this has passed through, you can put the meat through. I personally use the finest perforated disk.
Optional: If you want to soften the flavor of the liver, you can poach it for approx. 5 minutes before mincing. This will soften the strong flavor of the liver.
Incorporate the spices and process
Add the spices and reserved meat juices to the ground mixture and mix thoroughly. For a fine, creamy Thuringian liverwurst, process until smooth in a cutter or food processor. Leave out this final processing if you prefer it coarser.
Fill jars or casings
You can now fill the mixture into jars or casings. Make sure that the mixture is tight and that there are no air holes in the jars. When filling the jars, it is best to leave at least a fingertip of space so that the liverwurst can expand during cooking and does not overflow.
Can or poach
Process the jars at 100 °C for 2 hours. In casings, poach the liverwurst at 80 °C for 1 minute per millimeter of diameter: about 45 minutes for caliber 45.
Enjoy your Thüringer liverwurst
Your Thuringian liverwurst is ready 😄. Enjoy it.
Frequently asked questions
How long does Thuringian liverwurst keep?
How long does Thuringian liverwurst keep?
Keep the jars in the fridge and use the liverwurst within 2–3 weeks. When opening: look, smell and taste. In casings, keep it in the fridge and use it within 10 days.
Can I make it without casings?
Can I make it without casings?
Yes. Fill into preserving jars and process at 100 °C for 2 hours. Keep the jars in the fridge and use the liverwurst within 2–3 weeks.
Why is it too firm or too soft?
Why is it too firm or too soft?
Too little fat or cooking too long can make it firm. Too much liquid or insufficient cooking can make it soft. Processing it after grinding is key to a creamy Thuringian liverwurst.
Which spices give it the typical Thuringian flavor?
Which spices give it the typical Thuringian flavor?
Marjoram is the main flavor, supported by black pepper, allspice and mace. Regional variations exist, but this is the common base.
Can I freeze it?
Can I freeze it?
Yes. Freeze it in useful portions for about 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Daniel, instead of scalding the sausages, why not sous vide them?