# Braunschweiger II (Smoked Liverwurst) with too many pix



## couger78 (Apr 21, 2013)

I made another batch of braunschweiger, using a different recipe than the one I use last time. That particular recipe used a combination of three proteins (chicken, pork and beef). This recipe is much simpler with regard to the ingredients, but requires more ‘steps’ by the sausage maker.

First you start with some* fresh pork jowls*….













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__ Apr 21, 2013






Then you’ll need some *pork liver* ( about 3.5lbs here):













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And the ingredients:













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To make the desired amount of braunschweiger, I realized I didn’t have quite enough jowl meat, so I added some *thick-cut bacon* to bring the quantity up to the desired level _( I adjusted the amount of cure used to allow for the addition of cured meat to the mix.)_. This meat was cut into small cubes & well-chilled:













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__ Apr 21, 2013






*Liver Time*

I soaked the pork liver for some time in cold water, changing & rinsing it regularly until the water ran clear. I pulled off any undesired pieces, clots, fat and sinewy bits.

Sliced, weighed and ready to go to the next step:













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The recipe called for a low-temp poach (194°F) for about 10 minutes. Not a pleasant sight nor endearing aroma….













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The liver slices are then cooled under cold water & rinsed of any coagulated bits that formed on the exterior:













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For a finer grind, I’m using a 3mm plate:













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First grind of the poached liver:













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*Second grind*. This was probably unnecessary, but it’s my usual practice when I do emulsified sausages:













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*Jowl & bacon grind:* a single pass through the plate should suffice:













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*The Mix*

Everything into the tub for hand-mixing.













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After about 10 minutes of aggressive mixing, I wasn’t happy with the uniformity of the mix. So I opted to use my processor in order to really get a smooth paste. A few batches done with some ice-cold water yielded a fairly-smooth meat paste:













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Into the little Grizzly stuffer:













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Results: two long chubs, a medium chub, and a mini chub_ (chubbette? chubbini?)_:













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*Second Poach*:

Into a hot water bath (175°F) went the chubs. These took about an hour to reach the desired internal temp of 154°F.













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__ Apr 21, 2013






Whew! The chubs are now hanging in my fridge to firm up overnight.

*Tomorrow* its on to the smoker for about 5-6 hours of cold smoke!

More to come!

Kevin


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## rtbbq2 (Apr 21, 2013)

Nice so far Kevin.............Looks awesome............


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## boykjo (Apr 22, 2013)

With the chubs already cooked are they going to take on the smoke? I would assune the pores in the casings are closed/blocked after cooking and wont allow the smoke to permeate... Just a thought.. you might have different results....... Lookiing good so far...........


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## couger78 (Apr 22, 2013)

I wondered the same—but this is the _second_ braunchweiger recipe that has called for smoking *post-poach*. The last batch had a great smokey flavor after 4-5 hours of smoke applied. BUT it also had the addition of liquid smoke. This version will be* cold-smoked for 6-7 hours* (no liquid smoke) so I suppose the REAL test will be the tasting afterwards. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Kevin


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## reinhard (Apr 22, 2013)

Very interesting and helpful with the pics. great job. Reinhard


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## mike johnson (Apr 22, 2013)

Sounds great but wouldn't the cure be eliminated by the poaching?  Leaving the sausage in the danger zone while cold smoking? ( I am a beginner at sausage and I LOVE Liverwurst so I would like to make this.)


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## couger78 (Apr 22, 2013)

Mike Johnson said:


> Sounds great but wouldn't the cure be eliminated by the poaching?  Leaving the sausage in the danger zone while cold smoking? ( I am a beginner at sausage and I LOVE Liverwurst so I would like to make this.)


Mike, Since we're in the middle of an early 'heat wave' in Nor Cal, these chubs went into the smoker about 3:00am (cool of the night) with an 2 ice blocks which kept the box's temp down around 40°F & I pulled them around 7:30am as daytime temps started to creep up a bit.

Kevin


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## driedstick (Apr 22, 2013)

Lookin great, cant wait to hear on the smoke part of this.


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## couger78 (Apr 22, 2013)

After nearly *5 hours of cold hickory smoke* (started at 3:00am) & before the outdoor temps get too hot, I pulled the chubs from the smoker.

Early morning shot before removing the chubs...













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__ Apr 22, 2013






*Sample time*:

Usually I'll let these rest and sit overnight after an intense cold smoke (time can help mellow any sharpness in the taste—same when you smoke cheese), but I'm tired of waiting... 

Texture is good when slicing; not crumbly. Still moist. VERY smokey taste at this point (as expected). Soft, yet firm texture. The liver taste is there, obviously, and marries well with the onion nicely. This recipe is probably CLOSER to 'true' braunschweiger— REAL pork liver taste, but not overpowering as I feared. Nicely balanced. It will only improve as it rests a day or two and any harshness in the smoke subsides a bit.













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Gotta have it with crackers, too!













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## rippinntearin (Apr 22, 2013)

Well done Cougar!  I'm not a huge fan of liver...but I'd eat that!  Looks great!

Rip...


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## bad santa (Apr 22, 2013)

Thanks for sharing the comparison of the 2 recipes, this recipe looks great. I love Braunschweiger with onions on a cracker.


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## mr t 59874 (Apr 22, 2013)

Great thread, thanks.  Sausage is one of the things I have never made,  guess I enjoy shopping for it too much.  One of my favorite sandwiches,  Smoked Braunschweiger, onion, Limburger, sardines and brown mustard on rye please.


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## couger78 (Apr 22, 2013)

Mr T 59874 said:


> One of my favorite sandwiches, * Smoked Braunschweiger, onion, Limburger, sardines* and *brown mustard* on *rye* please.


Hoo-boy! After eating one of those badboys, you'll know what you've had all day...and so will eveyone else you talk to! 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Kevin


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## mr t 59874 (Apr 22, 2013)

Couger78 said:


> Hoo-boy! After eating one of those badboys, you'll know what you've had all day...and so will eveyone else you talk to!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yep, but at my age, who cares.  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Thanks again for the great thread.

T


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## woodcutter (Apr 22, 2013)

Looks very good!


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## mr t 59874 (Apr 22, 2013)

From last July's throwdown.  Give it a try.

 The Gasser :
A smoked Limburger cheese sandwich with brown mustard, red onion, sardines in mustard sauce topped with smoked Braunsweiger on a homemade dark rye bun. Served with a smoked spicy hot pickled egg on a bed of pickled onions and jalapeño peppers with a side of Korean kimchi.


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## carmenb (Apr 23, 2013)

I love braunschweiger! Please let us know how it turns out.


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## stephen (Apr 23, 2013)

Recipe please


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## dr k (Apr 23, 2013)

This looks great!  I don't have a stuffer but since it's in paste form I wonder if you can roll down those large casings and stuff with a spatula and roll it up as you go?


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## homebrew (Apr 23, 2013)

Looks great!  I love braunschweiger with a onion slice, yellow mustard on rye!!!!


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## wade (Apr 23, 2013)

Hi Kevin

Looks very tasty. Do you have the quantities of each ingredients - I would like to give it a try.


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## couger78 (Apr 23, 2013)

Stephen said:


> Recipe please


Stephen, you can find the recipe I followed here : http://www.meatsandsausages.com/sausage-recipes/braunschweiger

The variations I made was the addition of the Cure#1 (5.66g /1 level tsp per 5-pounds) and 1 pound of bacon.

My batch used 3.3 pounds of liver, 2.3lbs of jowl, & 1 pound of cured bacon = 5.6 pounds requiring cure.

Total weight of 6.6 pounds/approx. 3 kg


Dr K said:


> This looks great!  I don't have a stuffer but since it's in paste form I wonder if you can roll down those large casings and stuff with a spatula and roll it up as you go?


Dr.K— it'd be a bit more work, but sure, you can hand-stuff the casings in just the method you describe (using a spatula). Key is to make sure no air pockets are present so pack it fairly tight. Since it's a softer paste, you can stuff it like a pastry bag.

In the recipe linked above, the author states to 'stuff loosely' but that may be due to using a natural bung casing vs synthetic. With air pockets present, you'll likely get pockets of 'jelly' forming after the poach. This isn't_ really_ objectionable — it all still tastes great, but you'll lose some the uniformity in the overall texture.

Kevin


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## couger78 (Apr 23, 2013)

Wade said:


> Hi Kevin
> 
> Looks very tasty. Do you have the quantities of each ingredients - I would like to give it a try.


Wade, check my previous post for the link and some of my comments.

Good luck!

Kevin


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## woodcutter (Apr 23, 2013)

I wonder how the poaching first then cold smoking method would work with other sausages like Kabanosy or Kielbasa. I like the perfect texture from poaching but the water is always full of smoke when you dump it and some of the color is lost.


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## dls1 (Apr 23, 2013)

Dr K said:


> This looks great!  I don't have a stuffer but since it's in paste form I wonder if you can roll down those large casings and stuff with a spatula and roll it up as you go?


Dr K - I've seen people stuff casings with large pastry bags or large funnels using a dowel or something similar. I even once saw a sausage maker in a small village in Mexico stuffing chorizos with a hollowed out cow horn with the tip cut off. He tied off one end of the casing then secured the other end to the cow horn with duct tape. Rustic, but it worked.


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## couger78 (Apr 23, 2013)

Woodcutter said:


> I wonder how the poaching first then cold smoking method would work with other sausages like Kabanosy or Kielbasa. I like the perfect texture from poaching but the water is always full of smoke when you dump it and some of the color is lost.


Todd, I too like the texture (plump & juicy) that the 'post-smoke' poaching provides to sausages versus finishing them traditionally in the smoker.

You will lose some of the 'smokiness' in the water (water bath can look like brewed tea afterwards). In the past, I've done a side-by-side comparison with two types of smoked sausage (kielbasa and andouille)— half finished in the smoker; the other half poached in a water bath. The most apparent difference wasn't in the flavor, but in both appearance and texture. All tasted 'smokey'. Those finished in the smoker were _maybe a touch_ stronger in overall smokiness, but they were also drier, a bit tougher and chewier. Not that these characteristics are undesirable (some folks like the chewier, dense results in smoked links). I just prefer a smokey link that is also moister & plumper.

Personal tastes play into what works best for you.

Kevin


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## jeff iskierka (Apr 23, 2013)

Tasty looking!!  This may be my next project.  Wondering where you found Pork Jowl and was it cured?  Smoked?  A google search says it is like bacon.  Wondering if a hunk of BBB could be used then?  Maybe not enough fat?  We have beef cheek here in MN but have not seen pork jowl.  

Would like recipe on amount of spice used.  

You just inspired me to do try this, your finished product looks perfect.

Jeff


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## couger78 (Apr 23, 2013)

Jeff Iskierka said:


> Tasty looking!!  This may be my next project.  Wondering where you found Pork Jowl and was it cured?  Smoked?  A google search says it is like bacon.  Wondering if a hunk of BBB could be used then?  Maybe not enough fat?  We have beef cheek here in MN but have not seen pork jowl.
> 
> Would like recipe on amount of spice used.
> 
> ...


Jeff, I found the jowls (fresh, not cured) at a local asian market. Same place had the fresh pork livers, kidneys, ears & pretty much everything...except the 'oink.'

I imagine you can substitute ANY fatty pork piece (pork belly, for example). As you see  the photo below, the jowls do resemble belly in the marbling & lean streaks and is often cured like belly bacon.













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Check post#22 above & there's a link to the recipe plus my notes about any changes I made.

Have fun!

Kevin


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## woodcutter (Apr 24, 2013)

Couger78 said:


> Woodcutter said:
> 
> 
> > I wonder how the poaching first then cold smoking method would work with other sausages like Kabanosy or Kielbasa. I like the perfect texture from poaching but the water is always full of smoke when you dump it and some of the color is lost.
> ...


Thanks Kevin, I'll try a few comparisons. Never thought of cold smoking after poaching.


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## wade (Apr 24, 2013)

Thanks Kevin


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## boykjo (Apr 24, 2013)

Looks great Kevin...............


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## stephen (Apr 24, 2013)

Thank you


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