Knoblewurst

- August 31, 2021

(OP-2017)- I was first introduced to Knoblewurst when I was a wee tot. My family frequented
My father was a lover of Knoblewurst. The world began and stopped with this tasty garlic sausage. I don't recall him ever eating anything else at Katz. Maybe a Knish and maybe a pastrami sandwich but most of all, it was all about the Knoblewurst. He was old school when it came to eating Knoblewurst, too meaning nothing fancy, just slices of Rye-bread, mustard, and that glorious heavenly, heavily infused garlic sausage. I believe I've only eaten it maybe a dozen times. For me, it was about the Hotdog and Knish. That being said, I nibbled off my Mom and Dad's plates often. My Mom loved the Pastrami. I always remembered her ordering it from one of the cutters at Katz and always asking for more fat. Yea, everyone has a favorite cutter at Katz. It's not uncommon for people to wait in long lines to get the cutter they want to make their sandwich.

I chose the clod because of the price and taste factor. I've never eaten it before now, but the reviews have always been good for flavor. Great beef flavor, so. What's not to love. I had trimmed it up a bit before cutting it up for the grinder. I removed a lot of silver skin and separated the fat from the lean. Looking at the fat content, I will need to add some extra fat if I want to achieve 40% fat.

Here we go…. I ended up with

Here's the meat spread out in a container. Before the grind, I will place it in the freezer for about 45 minutes. I will rotate meat every 15 minutes or so. Partially frozen meat is much easier to grind than room temp. I will do the same thing with the fat. Partially frozen meat goes through the grinder without smearing.

Ahhh…. look at all that fat!!! I needed to add another.

So we want 40% fat. We need to subtract 40 from 100.

5500 g

Let's talk about some of my ingredients. It's been years since I have eaten Knoblewurst, so I had to rely on memory and research. This is my take on Knoblewurst. I am constantly mixing things up and love experimenting with crazy combinations. This sausage is no different. Thinking outside the box is what I do. So in the past, 1.5% salt always works with my palate, so I went with that. Sodium Erythorbate is a great cure accelerator and is great at enhancing the color too.

Take the Demerara Sugar, Whole cloves, Whole All Spice, Coriander, Black Pepper if using whole, Bay Leaf, and process in a spice mill or equivalent. Mix all the ingredients together except the

Grind Fat through a 3/4 or 1/2 in die. And do the same with the lean meat (don't forget they were both partially frozen). Combine both and place in the freezer for about 20 min and transfer to refrigerator until you are ready for the next step. Sometimes I will add just the spices to the cubed meat and grind. I didn't do it this time. Anyhow on your second grind, use a 3/8 inch die or grind again through the 1/2 inch. For a more rustic sausage, go with the 1/2 inch. I used the 3/8 inch die. Place everything back in the refrigerator until you are ready for the next step, which is mixing. I had to start cleaning before I could start mixing.

I used my 25-year-old Sausage Make sausage stuffer (see vid)

Linked with Butcher's twine…. Placed in the refrigerator overnight to dry and for the flavors, and cure to set.

Cold Smoking actions video here…..

Before applying cold smoke, I let them sit here in a cool breeze for about 2 hours to further dry (drying will allow cold smoke to adhere better to the sausage). They were cold smoked for about 6 hours. After Cold Smoking, I placed them back in the refrigerator overnight.

All Vac sealed and ready for the bath. Sous-Vide at 146 f for 3 hours. They were, of course, pasteurized. Giving most of it away as gifts, so pasteurization helps me sleep better. Having them fully cooked makes it easier for most people too. All you have to do is fry them to give them a little color.