Bockwurst & Käsewurst Weekend: Plenty of pics

[Kevin A]

I decided to make a couple of batches of fresh sausage this weekend as I had most of the ingredients handy. I'll be making 'bockwurst'—a sausage I've made previously back in May with good results. The other is 'Käsewurst' ('cheese sausage'). Both batches will be about 5 pounds.

Previously when I made bockwurst, I used a combo of pork & veal. For the sake of convenience this time, I'm using chicken dark meat in place of the veal. Whereas before I emulsified the meat mix in a processor prior to stuffing, this time in place of using a processor, I'm doing a second 'fine' (3.0mm) grind before stuffing. I'm interested to see how they compare texturally.

For the Käsewurst, I'm using 'regular' cheese, not the 'high temp' variety.
You can get both these recipes from Len Poli's site.

First the ingredients:

For the Bockwurst— to 4lbs of pork, 1/2lb of pork fat, &1lb of chicken I'll be adding the following...


For the Käsewurst— to 4.5lbs of pork, I'll add this collection...


I had 2.5 good size pork butts in the fridge, plus a packet of boneless chicken thighs. I cut these up and nearly froze them.

THE GRIND
I used a medium plate (4.5mm) to grind everything.
For the bockwurst— porkfat, pork, and chicken all ground together...


After cleaning the grinder thoroughly (post-poultry grind), I ground the pork for the kasewurst:


Bockwurst; All ingredients in, plus added the 16oz of heavy cream to the mix:


After all ingredients were added and well-mixed, time for the second grind. This is using a fine plate (3.0mm). A very sticky paste that was challenging to keep feeding through the auger. However, this process was easily 2X as fast as emulsifying multiple batches in a food processor....


RESULT? a very uniform, smooth meat paste that is very similar to the emulsified paste in my previous bock batch:


On to the Käsewurst: added all the ingredient (except the cheese) to the ground pork. The aroma of the allspice, garlic and herbs de provence really was great!


CHEESE TIME: Adding the emmenthaler cubes to the meat paste...


NEXT DAY: Okay, had a number of things to do today—so I got a later start on finishing the sausages today. I kept them in our 3rd fridge in the garage—where my sons like to keep their stuff. The mixes made the garage smell like a deli counter—garlicky, onion.
One note I failed to mention earlier: each recipe called for an appropriate amount of cure#1 ( 1 tsp/ 3/4tsp) to be added to the meat paste. This was added & mixed prior to the meat batches going into the fridge overnight.

The stuffing went quickly with the help of my son. Because these were smaller batches (about 5 pounds each), I used my grinder with stuffer attachments. It takes two people to do the job efficiently & can be a pain! If I was by myself and/or a bigger load, I would have use my Kirby Cannon stuffer. Good father/son time, though!

About ten pounds of wurst goodness! In the background, you can see the 'red glow' of my turkey roaster; heating the water where these two batches will end up once the water temp hits about 160°


First to go in the pool were the Käsewurst. These took about 35 minutes to reach the desired temp. Because they're a larger diameter than the bocks, I figured they'd take a bit longer.


Once I pulled the Käsewurst, onto the rack to cool they went.


Into the poacher went the bocks...


About 20-25 minutes they were ready to pull.

Bocks on the rack cooling:


SAMPLE TIME:
The bockwurst really exceeded my expectations! I wasnt sure whether I'd really notice the chicken vs veal exchange—and to be honest—I cant tell the difference.
The flavor is mild, onion-y with a hint of spice—just what I was targeting.
PLUS the texture was smooth, uniform and consistent—without going to the hassle of emulsifying batch after batch.
This wurst goes great with a nice Riesling (or 'bock' beer), some fried potatoes, sauerkraut and a good mustard!


The Käsewurst got rave reviews from everyone. A coarser texture than the bocks (as expected), and a bit more 'robust' flavor profile with garlic & herbs. The emmenthaler cheese is wonderful in it. My son sliced one lengthwise & grilled it—and so his had a bonus of that 'crusty' toasted cheese flavor!  Good stuff!


—Kevin

[pikeman_95]

Kevin
I know when I see you have a post I settle in for a great learning experience. You have a great knack for sausage making. I always know I will see something different. When I retire some day ????? I would like to have time to play around with the things that you are trying. You do small batches so a mistake is no big deal. I need to find time to get to that point. Great job and thanks for the show.

Kirby

[Tater]

Oh so very nice!  This is why we do this!  Learn something new every chance we get.

[bundy]

GREAT POST KEVIN!!

[ghost9mm]

Well done Kevin, always enjoy your presentations...pictures are really good too...

[Kevin A]

You do small batches so a mistake is no big deal.
Kirby

Thanks, Kirby!
I've learned (after a few monster failures) its best to start small, try it out, gauge the results, and THEN decide if I want to 'upsize' the next go-round!

Best to run out completely & have the tribe clamoring for more than trying to figure out what to do with a boat-load of left-over BAD sausage.  ;)

—Kevin

[Sailor]

Fantastic Job!  I need to branch out more and try different things like you are doing.  The only problem is that the family keeps me busy doing my tried and true sausage.  I am still wanting to do the Asian Chicken you did a while back.  Just seems that I never find the time.

I really enjoy your posts!

[smokeNcanuck]

Really GREAT post Kevin, and those sausage look FANTASTIC!!

I am going to have to give that Bock a try,  why did you need the cure if you did not smoke them?
Or did I just miss that step??

[Tenpoint5]

Another fantastic batch of sausage Kevin

[Keymaster]

just awesome, Thanks for sharing!!!

[jiggerjams]

sausage candy!!

[cobra6223]

That's the WURST sausage I've ever seen !! ;D, some times the name just don't fit the final product, man does that look good !! Thanks for the pics

[muzzletim]

Some great looking sausage! Thanks for the great pictures to go with some well written descriptions!

[Kevin A]

Really GREAT post Kevin, and those sausage look FANTASTIC!!

I am going to have to give that Bock a try,  why did you need the cure if you did not smoke them?
Or did I just miss that step??

Thanks for the kind words, smokeN.
I hadn't use any cure in my previous Bock batches, but as Len Poli's recipes both called for it, I decided to include it for this attempt.
Results? Other than a slight pinkish hue to both types of sausages, I perceived no difference in taste or texture. If I were to smoke these sausages, then of course I'd add the cure. Since these 'fresh' sausages are poached (cooked) immediately after being stuffed, the cure really isnt necessary, IMO.

Another Sign of a failing mind: ONE other ingredient I left off the above list— a small amount of ECA (encapsulated citric acid) was added to the Bockwurst paste just prior to stuffing (Per the original recipe). However, in the final product, I really couldn't detect much if any 'tang.' In other words, it didnt seem to add to the overall flavor profile or experience.

[Kevin A]

Got the majority of the 2 batches put away in zip-lock bags.
I was going to 'food-saver' a big portion, but it didn't make a whole lotta sense since my three sons & I have been polishing these things off in good order.

Of the original 10 pounds, I think about 1/3s is already gone...and its only Tuesday! Should have enough to last through the weekend. ;)

—Kevin