German Bockwurst (with many pix)

[Kevin A]

This weekend, I got a chance to make one of my family's favorite sausages: German Bockwurst. For those unfamiliar with this sausage, its a mild, non-smoked sausage made usually of a combination pork & veal. In the past I've even used chicken in place of veal with satisfactory results. Variations include using chive, lemon peel, nutmeg ,etc. In place of lemon peel, I'm using some encapsulated citric acid (ECA) to add some tang.

The recipe I'm using has the following ingredients:


The first grind: medium plate (4.5 mm) on the pork butt:


Five pounds all done!


To the pork, I add the other meat—in this case, 80/20 ground veal ($10/pound! )


Before adding all the dry ingredients, I pulverized the NFDM until it was a smooth powder in a spice grinder. I've had NFDM clump up in batches I've made before when I left it in the coarser form. As a fine powder, it integrates evenly.


To the meat, all the dry ingredients are added— EXCEPT for the ECA, which will be added later.


Two cups of heavy cream is added to the mix:


My custom Meat-Mixer.....works plenty well for a batch this size! ;)


About ten minutes later, a nice, even mix:


To achieve the desired a smooth final 'emulsified' texture, one can use a food processor & do batches. But I've found I can get quite good results by doing a second grind with a fine plate (3.0mm) and finish in considerably less time (and mess!) using this method.
Fine grind:


After the second grind, I add the ECA. Adding it too soon in the mixing process can adversely effect the texture of the final product:


All mixed and ready to stuff:


STUFFING: I'm using 32-35mm pork casings for these bocks. I decided to do one long rope and then carefully twist off the links. I have to be careful how tight I stuff when twisting later otherwise blow-outs will occur.


Since these are not smoked, I poached the whole 6 pound batch in my turkey roaster bath (165°) until the desired internal temp was reached. This took only about 30  minutes. On the rack, drying & cooling:


Bockwurst, when cooked, takes on a light grey shade. No nitrates so pork goes grey rather than the pinkish hue.
These sausages can now be quickly grilled over charcoal/gas, or fried in a pan.

I was very happy with the results —few air bubbles, even & smooth texture, firm to the touch with a nice mouth-feel (not mushy!).
Distinct oniony and chive flavor, taste the ginger/mace spice a bit. Pleasantly mild.


Some fresh made bockwurst served up with my wife's special red cabbage & potato pancakes, home made applesauce, plus a good mustard....makes for a great meal!


Here's the recipe for those interested. The recipe I used a slight variation of the one found on Len Poli's site—which is a very good recipe as is, by the way. After having made it a number of times, my changes to it are subtle...

German Bockwurst
Makes 6 pounds

5 pound Pork Butt
1 pound Ground Veal (80/20) or chicken thighs
2 1/4 cups heavy Cream
55g Nonfat Dry Milk
39g Kosher salt
13.2g Onion Powder
11g Dextrose (if using plain sugar, reduce amount 30%)
7.7g White Pepper
2.2g Ginger, ground
2.2g Mace
1.7g Dried Parsley
4g chopped fresh chives
1.4g Celery Seed, ground
2.2g Encapsulated Citric Acid (optional)

Grind well-chilled pork thru medium plate (4.5mm). Add veal and all dried ingredients (except for ECA). Add cream and mix well. Refrigerate overnight. The next day: For a smoother texture (important!), regrind meat through a fine plate (3.0mm). Gently mix in ECA. Stuff into 32-35mm casings; twisting off into 5-6" lengths. Poach in warm bath (165°) until IT reaches 162°
Bocks can be grilled or fried.
----------------------------------------------------
I've added cure & smoked these before—but honestly, they have such a mild, oniony flavor that smoking really overpowers the flavor.

Kevin

[3rensho]

Excellent.  You'd have no problem selling that at the market in Freiburg.  I'm drooling.

[Scotty-G]

THANK YOU for sharing
Was just talking with family this past week about Weisswurst
Now I am going to make some  :P  :D

[classicrockgriller]

Geez, that is a have too.

Awesome!

You are still kickin butt.

Book marked forsure.

[KyNola]

Man do those look good.  Great job!

[pikeman_95]

Kevin
As usual excellent work and presentation. Those look so good. My wife would be interested in the red cabage salad. What kind of seasoning does she put on it.
Kirby

[OU812]

Looks GREAT

[Sailor]

Hog Dang!  Another fine job!

[Kevin A]

Kevin
As usual excellent work and presentation. Those look so good. My wife would be interested in the red cabage salad. What kind of seasoning does she put on it.
Kirby

thx, kirby.
Red cabbage = easy.
boil shredded cabbage with H20; vinegar, spices: black peppercorn, whole clove, cinnamon (optional), and sweeten to taste with sugar.

Kevin

[SiFumar]

Just plain outstanding!  Makes me want to try for sure!

[Keymaster]

Looks delicous Kevin, Nice job with the tutorial and through out!!!

[drunknimortal]

You do good work.

[cobra6223]

hey Kevin
Those look very nice...excellent job !!

[Kevin A]

Thanks, guys, for the kind words.

I've gotten some feedback about the bocks with regards to their 'appearance'—since they're rather 'drab' & plain looking in their basic 'poached' form (as shown in my plated shot above). I don't mind the color nor uniform texture, but I've discovered that when fried or cooked on the grill, the bocks 'brown up' rather nicely & develop a nice 'crust' on the outside. My wife will also broil them and this achieves a similar result. Just don't overdo the heat for too long otherwise the bocks may burst!   ;)

Kevin

[Tenpoint5]

Very Good My Friend!!