Fresh Sausage 106 - Basic Bratwurst Processing

[Jonathon]

kroening07 Sorry I missed this yesterday, I logged in for a while and answered a few things including the one marked urgent. Don’t look at Urgent only as “Hey I might ruin a batch if I don’t get an answer soon” This would have been perfectly fine under the Urgent category in my opinion. If it’s something you are doing soon then it is urgent that you get a response.

To answer your question I would go ahead and mix it all together since this is a fresh sausage and you don’t care about protein extraction so why not make it easiest on yourself? Also, what craigrice says is spot on, seasoning goes in before you start mixing, especially on a fresh brat where too much mixing can mess up the texture you are wanting.

[kroening07]

Jonathon craigrice awesome, thanks guys!

[Bear]

you mention on fresh sausage to stop before you get the fat extraction of it will create problems down the road. what problems?

[Jonathon]

Bear With a fresh sausage like brat or Italian you are looking for a certain type if texture, it should have thicker particle size and bite. Getting protein extraction will effect that and it will have more of a snack stick like texture.

[mdseaside]

Do you suggest using cold phosphates in fresh sausage like brats? I am getting ready to make some antelope pork brats and want them to be juicey. So if the cold phosphates will help, about how much for 25 lbs. of meat.

[Jonathon]

mdseaside You can, I’d say just use carrot fiber instead though. The reason being that when you add cold phosphate you are increasing the pH of the meat and therefore shortening its shelf life. Now, in a fresh brat thats not the biggest deal since it will be handled differently than cured meat but still, why risk it?

[calldoctoday]

I would like to pre-smoke my homemade bratwurst before freezing or final smoking or grilling. Any thoughts on that?

[PapaSop]

calldoctoday
Interesting. Not sure why you would but looking forward to some thoughts on this.

[calldoctoday]

PapaSop Well, I just thought I might want to see if that could add some extra, how can I say it, more in depth flavor or texture perhaps. I suppose more like process sausage, but yet still a brat. Not sure about that description. I don’t know if it would do anything for storage longevity too or not. I am looking forward to some real professional help, thought about it, tried it, done it, does or doesn’t work type stuff. Or, maybe I will have to be the mad scientist. I am going to try some “Blue Ribbon”, although I was really curious about the “Rubin”, but my wife liked the tried & tested Blue Ribbon Idea better.

[PapaSop]

calldoctoday
Be the mad scientist. How else do we learn and grow!
Cold smoke a bit? Never tried it. A few years back I indirect smoked some brats on the Weber charcoal. Changed the whole flavor and texture profile to more of a smoked sausage. Awesome.
The Reuben is good but needs something more. The Blue Ribbon is very good as well. The Philly seasoning is now the fav! Very good. Just got some cheese for next batch.

[calldoctoday]

PapaSop That is sorta what I had in mind, but wanted to hear more about it. Yes, Indeedy, we all have this little issue as mad scientists! Well, it sounds like Margaret made the right decision then on the Blue Ribbon, but we will have to try the Philly too sometime. Thanks a billion & have a wonderful holiday season & a much better new year.

[Jonathon]

calldoctoday No problem doing this as long as you are mindful of keeping the meat out of the danger zone 40-140°

[calldoctoday]

Jonathon Thank you. OK, so as I understand it then, you need to either keep em hot or keep em cold, no in the middle. If you keep em in the middle, they are coming back out of you! Thanks a billion.

[Jonathon]

calldoctoday lol thats a good way to look at it!