It begins in early 2009. “So, what goes into Gelbwurst, then?” I ask Chef Udo. “No idea,” he replies, which is Chef Udo code for “I know, but I won’t tell you.” He’s smart, he knows things, and he has – as should every chef in this world – no tolerance for fools or people who won’t try themselves.
So I am hooked. I want to make Gelbwurst. Not just any Gelbwurst, but the best in the world. That’d be me. I am not smart, but my ego compensates for those shortcomings.
The final product, cut into slices
My odyssey begins by trying to modify Boudin Blanc to taste like Gelbwurst. That didn’t work so well. On to the basics. From making Leberkaese, I knew a little about off-putting tastes and what to learn from them, so I started from scratch. 5 percent fat, 3 percent fat, pork, pork/beef mix, pork/chicken mix (that one went horribly, horribly, wrong), 8 percent fat.
In late 2009 I had the opportunity to quiz a German butcher about his recipe. Gelbwurst, while common – almost sacred – in Bavaria, is rare in the northern regions of Germany. And said butcher came from Flensburg, the northernmost city of ol’ Germania. He’s about as un-Bavarian as it gets.
He had some ideas. Use porkbelly to a max of 40% visible fat. Blanch low and slowly increase temperature. And … add nutmeg.
Sixteen batches later it tasted almost like Gelbwurst. Just wasn’t there, yet.
This week’s batch might have hit it. And because travels don’t make much sense unless you send home pictures and some words, here’s my recipe:
- 1 lbs of lean pork, sinews removed, 5% fat
- 0.74 lbs of pork belly, fat trimmed off, max 40% visible fat lines
- 1 pinch iodized rock salt
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 0.3 lbs crushed ice
- 4 egg whites, whipped stiff
Grind lean pork and pork belly seperately. Add Nutmeg, Salt, Ginger, Cardamom to pork, process until paste and free of lumps. Merge with pork belly and crushed ice, process again until paste. Add 2 cups of heavy cream, process. Ensure temperature stays below 38 degrees F, if necessary cool in fridge or freezer briefly between steps.
Slowly add whipped egg whites, best to do this by hand instead of food processor.
Case, poach in 170 degree water for one hour, then refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
Enjoy.
Sautéed with balsamic and home made mustard
For a great appetizer slice into 3/4 inch slices, sauté lightly in butter, serve with home made mustard, spicy balsamic reductions, or fennel salad.
@isfalk Check this out RT: @wildhunt http://bit.ly/aX5SBV – sausage and politics, I’ll show you how one of the two is made.
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
Cardamon sounds interesting. What are the amounts of the various spices in the recipe? Most of the Gelbwurst recipes I’ve seen call for veal and pork in about a 40/60 ratio. I’d like to try your recipe.
Nutmeg, Ginger, and Cardamon I worked with one teaspoon per 1.5 lbs of protein. Salt I added about 2 tbsp per lbs.
I am a little averse to using veal in my recipes, call me a bleeding heart but the whole ProViMi thing doesn’t make me happy. I’ve tried, unsuccessfully, to use yak and beefalo, but those didn’t work for me. So I just went with all-pork and it came together. It’s a little heavier than the Franconian gelbwurst but almost as light, sometimes lighter, than the southern Bavarian versions.
When I lived in Germany I ate veal occasionally. Here in the States I don’t. The only reason I don’t is that I have been too lazy to look for a local source of grass fed pasture raised beef. I don’t think that veal has to be raised as the industrial producers raise it. It won’t be as tender, or as light in color, but it will taste better, be better for me and far less cruel to the animal. Then again, it still gets snuffed. As I tell my daughters, “But it’s tasty if prepared well!” Thanks for the spice amounts. I’m going to make your recipe.
Let me know how it comes out for you.
Hi Jonas, I don’t know if you remember me. I was in Chef Udo’s afternoon class at PCI, and you used to complain to me about how schmutzig our class left the kitchen, especially the pint and quart containers.
I enjoyed your gelbwurst post. I don’t think I ever had it during my travels to Germany; it sounds good. I made a small batch of bratwurst last week. It came out pretty good but was kind of mild. Maybe I needed to use more sage. Do you have a good recipe for it? I used the one in the CIA Garde Manger book. What type of equipment did you use to case those 16 batches of gelbwurst? I use the attachments for a Kitchenaid mixer, but it is a pain in the Arsch.
Thanks,
Judy
Heck yeah I remember :)
I bought a caser. The Kitchenaid has a set speed and it really, really, didn’t work for me. I bought this one: http://www.sausagemaker.com/50510sausagestuffer5lb.aspx but it seems to be sold out. This one: http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200308623_200308623 seems to be pretty close, though.
As for bratwurst you’re in luck :). I found a Franconian butcher in Dallas who let me have his recipe. I’ll blog it soon…
thanks for the caser info…