First attempt at venison brats

[grisell]

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Brats=bratwurst...sorry if my terminology isn't spot on...still learning

Maybe ginger is the smell/taste that is missing...or more nutmeg. Hmm. Let the trial and error begin.

Hey! No problem. English is not my first language.

Maybe caraway could be what's missing? It's often used in German traditional "brats". Or lemon zest or garlic, if we stick to the traditional. But don't use all the spices at the same time. Limit the number to two or three. And be discrete! Just my piece of advice.

[grisell]

BTW, I agree completely with SausageBoy. In brats: no binders, milk, rusk etc. Just pure meat. 100% juicy sausage delight...


Since you say that you're a beginner, here's some more advice:

* Keep grinder and meat ice cold when working, or otherwise the fat will smear.

* Knead the meat, salt, spices etc thoroughly. Work, work, work with your hands until the mix gets sticky (or use a machine). Rubber gloves will protect your hands from the cold and the mix from your body heat.

* Stuff loosely.

Maybe you know this already. I'm writing this because these three subjects are very common beginners' mistakes and they come up over and over again on this forum.

Keep us posted.

[DanMcG]

Thanks for sharing your recipe Sausageboy, it sounds good and I'll give it a try. Not sure about the fish sauce though.

[grisell]

Thanks for sharing your recipe Sausageboy, it sounds good and I'll give it a try. Not sure about the fish sauce though.

I agree. In that case I would use pure MSG instead, but personally I don't think it's necessary. It's easy to overdose, and then the whole stuff tastes like some cheap instant soup IMO. I made that mistake once...

[tommix]

I was looking for pork back fat here locally, (California), and I found it in supermarkets that were in Hispanic neighborhoods. Good luck.

Tim

[SausageBoy]

Thanks for sharing your recipe Sausageboy, it sounds good and I'll give it a try. Not sure about the fish sauce though.

I love the addition of fish sauce, the umami savoriness is subtle but welcome.

[Kyle]

Thanks for all the tips guys...the forum is great for a new guy like myself. I'll be looking for some fatback(pork bellies are around 3.50 a lb here ) to help moisten them up a bit. In regards to the non fat dry milk: would it make the sausage more firm or just more moist? They were plenty firm already, so I don't want to make that worse. I think I stuffed them a bit too tightly. If the dry milk would help them retain moisture then I'd like to give it a try. I'll be making another batch next week possibly, so I'll be trying your advice out soon. Thanks gentlemen.

[grisell]

Firmness is usually not related to the amount of liquid, but more - like you implied - to the content of fat. Thus, adding liquid will not make the sausages juicier (rather the contrary). Increasing the fat percentage will.

[Dogfish]

Find out who the largest butcher supplier in your neck of the woods is and see what they sell for seasoning brats and the instructions for it. You may find that that's the flavor you're after.

Also, "hidden" flavors from what I've found often fall in the umami category, specifically MSG, fish sauce, or mushrooms, or they are oddballs like white pepper, mace, allspice, tarragon, etc. Stuff that isn't as common. Don't know if that helps at all but there are some forgotten 'erbs and spices out there.

Bearing in mind that I've never eaten bratwurst...