Wurst in the Best Way: Bratwurst

There's nothing in the world that will wake you up quite the way a Gaulloises will. The nicotine punch is pretty fierce and the inevitable coughing fit will finish the job. Frankly, it's not my favorite breakfast. But it was sunup, I was in a tent somewhere between Salzburg and Munich, there was no coffee, I'd run out of English cigarettes, and the two guys I was with were French.

They were driving a funky little Renault and had picked me up just outside of Salzburg after the worst night of my life. As usual, I'd arrived in Salzburg to find the youth hostel was full: They were always full. I ended up in a building under construction to get out of the rain, hiding from the night watchman when he made his rounds, huddled on a cold and damp concrete floor, while the temperature dipped to near freezing. The next morning, frozen and exhausted, I just wanted to get out of town. It still took a few hours to get a ride, but the sun had come out and that and a cup of coffee made me feel a tad more connected to the universe.

Bratwurst
adapted from Bruce Aidells' Complete Sausage Book

1 1/2 lb pork butt -- cut into 1" chunks
1 lb veal shoulder -- cut into 1" chunks
1/2 lb pork fat -- cut into 1" chunks
1 tbsp coarse salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground mace
1 tsp ground caraway seed
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 c milk
medium hog casings

Freeze pork, veal, and fat until slightly frozen -- about 1 hour.

Grind meats using the 1/8" plate. Add seasonings and milk. Mix thoroughly by hand, kneading and squeezing mixture to distribute ingredients evenly, or use the paddle attachment on your stand mixer, pausing occasionally to clear paddle.

Fry a small patty, taste, and adjust seasonings if needed. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a couple of hours.

Meanwhile, prepare 1+ meter of hog casings according to directions on the package. Tip: After thoroughly rinsing the inside of the casing with water, slip one end over the sausage stuffing horn and run a little bit of water into the casing through the horn, then you can easily slip the entire casing onto the horn.

Tomorrow I'm making rye buns to serve the brats in. I've got a bread recipe I've made before that needs tweaking and should make excellent bratwurst buns.

Kevin Weeks is a Gather food correspondent (Paisano), personal chef, cooking teacher, and writer in Knoxville, Tennessee who spends too many hours on his feet, cooking. "Paisano" is a column focused on peasant dishes from around the world. To read more of Kevin's writings or connect to him click here. His blog, Seriously Good, is read by 75,000 cooks a month.