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What makes a Brat a Brat???

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db
db Posts: 103
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
I've had brats from the store and didn't like them. But I was always reading how people loved 'em so I thought that if I could make some real brats, I might see what all the fuss is about. I've got about 400 sausage recipies and I found a few for brats. Some had lamb, some
did not. Two had totally different spices in them. There was very little in common between the recipies. I searched the internet looking for the answer. I found a sausage maker in Chicago who would answer questions about sausage making. He didn't know.
A guy I work with married a girl when he was in the army in Berlin.
I called her and asked her what Bratwurst meant in German. She said
Brat means fried and wurst means sausage. They would boil the sausages to cook the inside, then fry them to brown the outside.
So, what is a brat? Any fried sausage?
Still looking for the answer.
db
BTW, I made up two different recipies, one with lamb and one with pork. I didn't like either. I'm a little suspicious of a sausage that you have to simmer in beer to make taste good.

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Comments

  • JJ
    JJ Posts: 951
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    db,
    The fine ground Brat's are pre cooked and really suck. See if you have a German grocer in your area. They usually have the coarse ground Brats in natural casings. Those have the great herb and spice taste that make you want more.
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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,895
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    db, brats are like hot dogs and a number of other such things...in the end you don't really want to know what got in there! Similar to an observation I made years ago, which is about 99% true...people who were raised on a farm won't eat chicken.

    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
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  • JJ
    JJ Posts: 951
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    db,
    Check this out. They have a toll free number
    [ul][li]All you wanted to know about Brats[/ul]
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  • SpiceCooks
    SpiceCooks Posts: 80
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    db,
    Check your email. This is a personal favorite of ours.
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  • Tim M
    Tim M Posts: 2,410
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    JJ,[p]Didn't know they had "flavored" brats. Learn something new all the time - the only brats I have ever had were from Wisc. Neat website - wish my wife would let me order some. Maybe I won't tell her.
    Have you ever tried these from this site??[p]Tim
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  • JJ
    JJ Posts: 951
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    Tim M,
    No as I have a German lady living in Guntersville that has them shipped in from a butcher friend of hers in Wisc. They both grew up in the same town in Germany.
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  • djm5x9
    djm5x9 Posts: 1,342
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    db:[p]If you are serious about sausage, get a copy of the late Rytek Kutas's book "Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing". Contrary to the statement "in the end you don't really want to know what got in there!" the recipe for bratwurst is very specific. If made properly, it is a fine sausage. To insure I know what goes in mine, I make my own . . . It is easy and you can too!

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  • db
    db Posts: 103
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    djm5x9, I agree with you. I've been making Rytek's sausages
    for many years and it is the best book I've ever read on the subject.

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  • db
    db Posts: 103
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    JJ,
    Nice site. Thanks. I sent them an email asking for clarification. I'll tell ya what they say.
    db

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  • Unknown
    Unknown
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    JJ, great graphics..worth the visit..Tnx!~!

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