In this article, I’ll show you how to make your own Swiss cervelat. With a moderate amount of effort, you can achieve a super tasty result.
Cervelat is Switzerland’s best-known sausage and an integral part of the local food culture. Whether on the barbecue, in a pan or cold in a sausage salad – its spicy taste and versatile use make it a real classic.
As the Cervelat is hot-smoked, you will need a smoker.
Do you like smoking? Then I have my pork belly, smoked bratwurst or Pfefferbeisser recipe for you. Enough talk, let’s get started…
Here you can find the complete Swiss cervelat recipe as a video or to read through.
Have fun and good luck making it!
Table of Contents
Swiss cervelat – What do you need to make it?
With the right choice of ingredients, this recipe is quick and easy to make.
Ingredients per 1 kg
- 45 % lean beef e.g. shoulder (450 g)
- 25 % pork loin fat (250 g)
- 15 % pork rind (150 g)
- 15 % bulk / ice snow (150 g)
Spices per KG mass
- 15.5 g salt
- 2.5 g cure #1
- 3 g cutter aid
- 2 g black pepper
- 1 g mace
- 0.75 g coriander
- 0.5 g cloves
- 50 g fresh onion
- 2.5 g fresh garlic
The equipment to make Swiss cervelat
You need a meat grinder to “grind” the meat. The meat is chopped into small chunks and can then be mixed.
Sausage stuffer / Grinder attachment / Funnel
You need this to get your sausage mass into the casing. If you do not have one, you can also use a filling attachment for your meat grinder or a hand filling funnel.
Natural casings / jars
The Swiss cervelat is stuffed into natural casings. I recommend you to use pork casing caliber 28/30.
Smoker oven
You need the smoker to smoke your Swiss Cervelat.
Swiss cervelat – Step-By-Step Instructions
Follow these simple steps to prepare the Swiss cervelat to perfection.
1. Cut your beef, pork loin fat and pork rind into mince-sized pieces. You can vary the size depending on how big your grinder is. Make sure your knife is sharp, otherwise cutting the rind will be difficult. My tip: Place the skin side towards the board. This makes cutting easier.
2. Put the ingredients in the freezer for 1-2 hours. This will help you later when mincing and ensures that the mixture doesn’t get too warm.
3. Now you can grind the meat, fat and pork rind. I personally use the fine perforated disk. Grind the fat and meat separately. I put the pork rind through the grinder with the beef.
4 Now put the minced meat and rind mixture into the cutter or your food processor.
5. Add the spices, onion and garlic to the food processor/cutter and turn it on. Blend the mixture on the highest setting and gradually add the stock.
6. Now you can gradually add the fat. Make sure that the mixture does not get warmer than 12 degrees Celsius.
7. Now fill the sausage meat into the casing. To do this, hold the casing tightly on the filling spout and let it slowly fill up more and more. This part takes some practice. Don’t worry if it doesn’t go 100% right away. I use pork casing caliber 28/30.
8. Now it’s time to turn it off. You can decide for yourself how big you want your Swiss Cervelat to be. To do this, press the sausage to the desired length with two fingers on each hand and rotate it forwards a few times. Then leave out one sausage length and repeat the process.
9. Hang your Swiss cervelat in the smoker and dry it for approx. 30 minutes at 50 °C (122.0°F) without smoke.
10. After 30 minutes, increase the temperature to 80 °C (176.0°F) and smoke the Swiss Cervelat for 45 minutes.
11. You can then scald them in salted water at 70 °C (158.0°F) for approx. 25 – 30 minutes (18 g salt per liter of water). Place the Swiss Cervelat in ice water to cool.
12. Your Swiss Cervelat is ready. Traditionally, it is cut into slices and grilled. Enjoy the taste! 😄
Frequently asked questions
What is the shelf life of your Swiss Cervelat?
Your Swiss Cervelat will keep for about a week in the fridge. The alternative is to vacuum-seal the Swiss Cervelat. It should keep for 2-3 weeks in a vacuum in the fridge. You can also freeze it. This increases the shelf life many times over.
Why is the Swiss Cervelat cut when grilling?
The typical cross-shaped cut at the ends causes the sausage to open up like a flower when grilled, so that it cooks more evenly and develops a more intense roasted aroma.
What side dishes go well with Swiss Cervelat?
Typical side dishes include mustard, bread, potato salad or a classic sausage salad with vinegar and onions.