In this post I’ll show you how to make Smoked Bratwurst yourself.
There are many variations of Smoked Bratwurst. This is because depending on the region different spices are used.
My recipe has a Franconian flavor mixture. You can generally smoke any Bratwurst with the spices of your choice.
But now enough chatter. Here you can find the complete Smoked Bratwurst recipe either as video or in written format.
Have fun and good luck making it!
Table of Contents
Making your own Smoked Bratwurst– What do you need?
Ingredients for your Smoked Bratwurst
Meat for 1 kg Smoked Bratwurst:
- 60 % pork belly (600 g)
- 40 % pork shoulder (400 g)
Spices per 1 kg meat:
Equipment for making Smoked Bratwurst
You need a meat grinder to “grind” the meat. The meat is chopped into small chunks and can then be mixed.
Spice grinder / mortar
To grind your spices, it is best to use a spice mill. Alternatively, a mortar is also suitable.
You need a sausage stuffer to get your meat mass into the casing. In the beginning you can also add a filler to your grinder or use a modified plastic bottle or funnel.
Smoker / Smoking Chamber
The Bratwurst will be cold smoked. For this reason you need a smoker and a cold smoke generator.
Sausage casings
Smoked Bratwurst is traditionally filled into natural hog casings caliber 28/30.
Making Smoked Bratwurst- Step-By-Step Instructions
1. Cut the meat into strips. You can vary the size depending on how big your meat grinder is.
2. Grind the spices into a very fine powder.
3. Add the spices to the meat and mix it well. The meat should be covered with spices everywhere.
4. Put it into the freezer for 1-2 hours. This will help your grinding process later and make sure that the mixture does not get too warm.
5. Now you can grind the meat. I used the medium perforated disc (4,5 mm).
6. Now add the salt and cure to the mixture and mix well for 3 – 5 minutes.
You can either knead the meat with a food processor with a kneading attachment or mix it vigorously by hand. This ensures that the sausage meat will bind well and the sausage will not be crumbly later on.
7. Now put the casing onto your sausage stuffer and fill the mass into the casings. Make sure that there is trapped as little air as possible.
8. Now it’s time to link the sausages. You can decide for yourself how big your Bratwurst should be. Put the sausage between your thumb and forefinger. Rotate the sausage away from you then move to the next link and rotate it toward you.
9. If you have any air trapped within you can take a needle and pierce the sausage to open the air holes. This will prevent them from bursting later on the grill.
10. Hang the sausages at room temperature for 12 – 24 hours. If it is between 15 °C – 20 °C (59 – 68 °F) outside you can hang them directly into your smoker.
11 Fill the cold smoke generator with smoke dust. Make sure that there are no air pockets when filling.
12. Place the generator in the smoker and light it. You can either use a small candle or quick heat from a blowtorch.
13. Now let the sausages smoke and rest alternately. So: 12 hours cold smoke and then 12 hours no smoke. Repeat the process 2 times (or more if you like strongly smoked Bratwurst).
14. Your smoked sausage is ready. Enjoy it. You can also let it dry further. This will make the consistency firmer.
What is the shelf life of Smoked Bratwurst?
Your cold-smoked bratwurst can be kept in the refrigerator for about 2-3 months. Make sure that it does not dry out completely. Easiest way to do this is to pack it airtight / vacuum it.