German Knackwurst Recipe
A delightful, mild beef and pork sausage.
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Ingredients
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Sausage Meat
Casings & Finishing
Method
Sausage Meat
- 1
Prepare ingredients and chill
Place the ground pork and beef in a large bowl and keep refrigerated until ready. Put the bowl, meat, and grinder parts (if using) on ice or in the refrigerator so everything stays cold. Chill the ice water and keep it on hand.
- 2
Mix spices and aromatics
In a small bowl combine the salt, white pepper, nutmeg, allspice, minced garlic, and dry milk powder (if using). Stir in the grated onion and the chilled ice water to form a loose seasoned slurry.
- 3
Season the meat
Add the ground meats to a chilled mixing bowl. Pour the seasoned slurry over the meat. Using clean hands or a sturdy spatula, mix the meat thoroughly for 2–3 minutes to distribute spices evenly and begin protein extraction — the mixture should become slightly tacky.
- 4
Optional finer texture
If you prefer a finer, more cohesive knackwurst texture, pass the seasoned meat through a medium-fine grinder plate once more or pulse briefly in a food processor in small batches. Keep mixture cold between passes.
- 5
Final bind
After mixing/grinding, chill the meat mixture for 15–20 minutes to firm up. Test a small patty by pan-frying a teaspoonful: adjust seasoning if necessary (add a pinch more salt or pepper). Return mixture to refrigerator before stuffing.
Casings & Finishing
- 6
Prepare casings
Soak natural hog casings in lukewarm water for at least 30 minutes, then flush water through them to remove salt. Rinse both inside and out and keep casings in a bowl of clean water until ready to use.
- 7
Set up stuffer
Fit your sausage stuffer or sausage attachment to the grinder. Slide the rinsed casing onto the stuffer tube, leaving a 6–8 cm tail. Lightly coat the tube with vegetable oil to help the casing slide on.
- 8
Stuff sausages
Fill the stuffer with the chilled meat mixture, keeping the plate/auger cold. Feed meat into the casing, supporting and guiding the casing with your free hand to avoid air pockets. Make sausages about 10–12 cm long for knackwurst. Twist links in alternating directions after every 10–12 cm to form individual sausages. If air pockets appear, prick with a sterile needle and press out air toward the opening.
- 9
Rest and dry
Hang or lay the linked sausages on a tray in the refrigerator for 1–2 hours to allow the casings to dry slightly and the proteins to bind. This helps them hold shape during cooking.
- 10
Poach (classic gentle cooking)
Fill a wide pot with cold water and add a bay leaf if desired. Gently add the sausages and slowly bring the water up to a simmer (do not boil). Poach at 78–80°C (172–176°F) for 15–20 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 68–70°C (154–158°F). Maintain gentle bubbles — rapid boiling will split casings.
- 11
Finish (optional sear or smoke)
After poaching, you can serve immediately (classic knackwurst are served lightly browned) or briefly brown them in a hot skillet with a little oil for 1–2 minutes per side to develop color. Alternatively, cold-smoke or grill for additional flavor (if cold-smoking, follow safe smoking procedures).
- 12
Storage
Cooked knackwurst keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months (vacuum-sealed or tightly wrapped). Reheat gently in simmering water or on a low grill to avoid splitting casings.
