German: Venison Bratwurst

Recipe by Kayla Lammy <klamm3@illinois.edu>

(makes about 15 brats)

Ingredients:

• 1½ lbs ground deer meat (venison)
• 1½ lbs ground pork chops with fat intact (tip: ask butcher to grind pork chops for you)
• 1 egg, beaten
• ½ cup heavy cream
• Natural hog casings (or edible collagen casings)

Spice mix (this is a double batch which allows for personal taste adjustment):

• 1½ tablespoon table salt
• 1½ tablespoon white pepper
• 3 tsp ground ginger
• 5 tsp ground mustard
• 2 tsp grated nutmeg
• 2 tsp coriander
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder

Procedure:

1. Add pork and optional fat to venison in a large stainless steel mixing bowl; using clean hands or food safe gloves, mix the two meats together until evenly combined
2. Add heavy cream and beaten egg, mix again
3. Add about half of the spice mixture, mix thoroughly
4. Take a small amount of the mixture to form a mini patty, the fry in skillet until cooked through; taste and add additional seasoning mix as needed
5. Put meat mixture to chill in the fridge overnight
6. Next day: Prep sausage stuffing equipment and casings as necessary and according to manufacturer/package instructions
7. Put casing around nozzle like a sock, tie off the end so the sausage mixture does not come out
8. Slowly crank sausage stuffer at a steady pace, allowing the casing to fill evenly; leave about 2-3 inches at the end of the casing to tie off the other end (tip: this works best if you have one person crank and one person form the sausages)
9. Pinch off desired length of sausages, alternating between twisting each formed sausage towards you and away from you, creating a chain of sausages
10. Cook the sausages: boil the sausages in water (or beer or stock) until done (160F internal temp); finish off on a grill or skillet to get some browning
11. Alternate cooking methods: Cook raw sausages on a grill, or in a cast iron skillet on medium low with a lid on, flipping occasionally until internal temp reaches at least 160F

Notes:

• It’s okay if poundage is not exact, but you want close to a 50/50 venison/pork ratio. This is a LEAN recipe so the sausages will be on the drier side when compared to standard brats. If desired, add about ½ lb of ground pork fatback.
• If using natural casings, soak in warm water for about 1 hour, draining and replacing water halfway through, then allow water to run through the opening of each casing. Casings have a slight natural odor, wear a face mask if it is bothersome. I found using a 15mm nozzle worked well for stuffing natural casings.
• If using collagen casings, use 25-32mm casings.
• Collagen casings don’t need to be boiled, but will likely be best if directly grilled.