German: Venison Bratwurst

Recipe by Kayla Lammy <klamm3@illinois.edu>

(makes about 15 brats)

Growing up in rural Illinois, hunting was a way my family sustained themselves. We grew up eating ground deer meat, or venison, as a substitution for ground beef in most recipes. Hunting, when done respectfully, is a great way to connect with the land and have a deeper appreciation for where our food comes from. While traditional German bratwursts usually use a combination of pork and veal (young beef), I wanted to create a recipe that served as an ode to where I grew up. Venison is a lean meat, much lower in saturated fat (yay for heart health!). Therefore, this specific recipe will produce a bratwurst that is drier than what most people are used to. I recommend using more pork fat if you’d like a more traditional bratwurst texture.

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 teaspoons ground ginger
• 5 teaspoons ground mustard
• 2 teaspoons grated nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons coriander
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons 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, or replace the ground pork chops with a fattier cut of pork.
• 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.