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As a newcomer to this fascinating art of sausage making I have a couple of questions I would like to ask.
I have been reading the book 'Charcuterie' by Michael Ruhlman indecently an excellent book on salting and smoking.
There is a recipe for Bratwurst which I would like to try, one of the ingredients is Soy Concentrate. I would like to know what this is and where to get it.
My other questions is where he refers to the final mixing after grinding being done using the paddle attachment of a standing mixer for the emulsifying process. As I am only doing a small quantity would it be o/k to use a blender fitted with a plastic blade for this process, also what is emulsifying?
Thanks
wallie

Hi,
Soy concentrate is basically a protein rich flour derived from defatted soy beans, the kind of stuff that used to make TVP( ). It's in the sausages to hold water I guess. Not something I would use, but you'll get many different opinions on sausage ingredients here
Emulsifying is basically mixing up an oil and water mixture so well that it doesn't seperate (think emulsion paint, an oil in water mix) and it's important for those kinds of sausages and it gives the right texture (it's also helped by such things as Soy concentrate that stabilise the emulsion). May be difficult to get the mix to fully blend up in a blender, you may just get a very well blended portion at the bottom, and an unmixed portion at the top.
Personally, I'd get my hands dirty and give the mixture a very good kneading to get it to emulsify (I've not got a mixer either), harder and longer work though
Best of luck, I'm going to have to try making some Bratwurst, had some in the states, boiled in beer and then BBQ'd, delicious

Thanks for the reply.
Funny you should say that about the states, my best was in a german restaurant in Toronto.
So I guess the emulsyfing gave the juicy bite.
I will give a report on the final product.
Thanks
wallie

Most of the Brat recipes I see don't list Soy Concentrate. You could probably leave it out without altering the recipe too terribly much.

Northwest Smoking - scroll down to find Bratwurst recipes.

More Brat recipes

Hi,
I'm also new to this forum, but not to sausage making. To get the right texture in a "Bratwurst" emulcification is absolutely important, that's where phosphate comes into the game. Phosphate at 0.5% will aid the emulcification and make a juicy sausage without "bleeding" fat and water while braising in water at 78D C (for a longer shelflife) - even when not making sausages commercially, Phosphate will result in a "better" result. No screams "chemicals" please there are more phosphates in your veggies than in your sausages.
Soy protein is als an essential part since it binds fat and water anf if used within moderation (5-6%) makes a better sausage. I use it for that reason alone since it actually quite expensive here. Soy proteine is for German sausages what rusk is for British sausages

Hey there,

I've done Ruhlman and Polcyn's recipe for bratwurst and I switched the soy powder with a lesser amount of non-fat dry milk powder. Both substances preserve moisture and juiciness in sausages. Could you go without? Sure. But I don't see anything wrong with a little dry milk. I always use less than Ruhlman suggests because I want to limit "fillers" as much as possible. And I *never* use phosphate. Not needed.

BTW, this recipe is AWESOME! Ruhlman's brats are so rich and juicy you really only need to eat one (maybe two...) at a sitting. Very very rich. They come out a pretty whitish-pink and grill up nice and brown.

As for emulsion, the first Ruhlman recipe for brats (the one I modified) is only a partial emulsion. Truly emulsified sausages (he has a whole section on them) are like hot dogs. They too are fabulous sausages, but are a bit harder to do. The reason for it is to get a smooth, uniform structure -- it gives you an entirely different mouth-feel than a rough-cut sausage...

My $.02

There are hundreds of bratwurst recipes in Germany alone. Some emulsified and some ground. I like my Brats ground to 8mm and 5mm on the two recipes I have modified from Poli's site. I make an emulsified Weisswurst which sells really good down here. I has both Dry Milk and Soy Protein.


David