Nürnberger Bratwurst looks like breakfast links but they are different and taste so much better! The spices – and mostly the majoram – make this sausage so very delicious!
Video How to Make Nürnberger Sausages
Meat Grinder: Purchase here // 20% OFF code: 2CR6UMB8
Nürnberg is the second-largest city in Bavaria with a history going back further than to the year 1050 when it was first mentioned on paper. Surrounded by high walls, it is said that the Nürnberger sausages are made so small and thin, so they would fit through the keyhole of the city’s gates after curfew. This way, travelers who didn’t make it into town in time, could still enjoy their good food. If this is true? One might wonder, especially since the money to pay for it would not have fit through the keyhole and paypal hasn’t been invented, yet.
What Nürnberger Saussage is made of
There is a regulation for almost all foods in Germany, especially if it is a national treasure that comes with a long tradition. I.e. this sausage should not have more than 35% fat.
Already in medieval times, these sausages had specific regulations of who was allowed to make it, at what places it was allowed to sell, and how much 4 of the sausages must weigh. Any violations however small would lead to harsh punishment! Maybe that is why Germans are so obsessed with details and quality?
The original recipe is – of course – top secret. However, we know enough to make our own at home. There is supposed to be 60% of the meat coming either from the neck or from the shoulder of a pig and 40% from the belly. The mix of spices has a focus on majoram and of course salt.
Since the sausages have about the size of a finger, it is made with sheep casing instead of hog casing.
You Do You
If you want, you can add some garlic or onion, some coriander if you like that. I personally like using even more majoram than in the recipe here – I really like the taste of it.
Just make sure you mix the spices into the meat very well!
Where We Eat Nürnberger Bratwurst
If you go to a farmers market, you will find sausages stands in between the vegetable, eggs, and cheese stands. They roast the sausages there for everyone to purchase and take a little break from shopping.
The sausages are served on a rectangle paper plate with some mustard or in a fresh roll with a count of three sausages in them. The scent of the roasted sausages is all over the place and while everyone loves it, nobody can really resist it.
Nürnberger sausages are also sold at carnivals, sometimes in the parking lot of a grocery store and at all kinds of festivities open to the public.
Usually, they are roasted over open fire/charcoal and that’s how they taste best. But it is also ok to fry them at home in a pan or on your grill – Germans love to grill.
A perfect side for these Nuremberger Sausages is Creamded Sauerkraut and Dumplings.
About That Paper Plate
These rectangle paper plates that you get with a sausage at a sausage stand are special. If you don’t want to be singled out as a tourist, you should know that one end of the plate can be torn off. You can then wrap it around the sausage so you can hold it even though it’s hot. So, don’t ask for fork and knife, just do it like the Germans with this simple and decade-old trick.
Pin Nürnberger Sausage to Pinterest
Nürnberger Sausage / Nuremberg Sausage
Equipment
Ingredients
- 600 g Pork Neck or Pork Shoulder
- 400 g Pork Belly
- 18 g Salt
- 2 g Pepper, ground
- 1 g Mace, ground
- 1 g Ginger, ground
- 1 g Lemon powder (dried, ground lemon zest)
- 4 g Majoram, dried
- ½ g Celery Salt
- ¼ package Sheep Casing
Instructions
- Wash the sheep casing and let it soak in water acording to the instructions on the package.
- Cut the pork into smaller pieces to fit into the meat grinder later.
- Mix the spices and then add them to the meat pieces.
- Mix the meat and the spices with your hands until it is all evenly mixed.
- Put the meat into the freezer for about 20 minutes, this makes the grinding easier.
- Put the meat into the meat grinder and grind it with the medium sized disk.
- Mix the ground pork with your hands again.
- Put the ground meat into a sausage stuffer (either handcrank operated or electric).
- Pull the sheep casing on the noozle of the stuffer and once the meat appears at the end of the noozle, make a knot at the end of the casing.
- Carefully stuff the casing, don't overstuff.
- Close the end of the casing with a knot, then twist the sausage every 7 to 9 cm (2¾ to 3½ inch), alternating the directions of the twist (see video).
- Prepare a large pot with water and heat the water to 78°C / 172°F.
- Put the sausages into the pot with water and place a smaller lid or plat on top of the sausage to make sure they are all submerged.
- After 25 minutes, remove the sausage and separate them from each other. Either fry or roast the sausages on a grill within a few days or freeze for later.
- Enjoy with spicy mustard, see recipe on this blog!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I ived in Kaiserslautern for 2 years, then Munich for a few months and loved these sausages. I was getting ready to make these but I just found a legit German deli that makes them. I have 4 in the frig and I’m cooking them tomorrow so we’ll see how good they are.
My question for you is: in your description above under the section titled Bratwurst, there’s a picture of someone grilling sausages. What are the white sausages next to the Nurnbergers? I love those too and dont remember their name. Enjoyed your comments about tearing the plate.
It seems like they are Thüringer Bratwurst.
Thank you. When I look for Thuringer on line, many are dark in color and smoked. I keep looking for a longer, skinny, white sausage I used to get from street vendors around Munich. Usually served as a pair with a sweet mustard sauce.
The only white sausage that is served with sweet mustard is Weißwurst but it is short and thick, not long and skinny. But Weißwurst is sold in and around Munich, usually heated in water, not prepared on a grill.
Hi Barbara, again. I am planning on doing your recipe today. I previously said I lived near Fulda in the 70’s and loved these sauages in Nuremberg at xmas. Why are they heated in water for 25 min? Prevention of disease like clostridium? Regards hugh
Hi Hugh,
there are so many reasons … where to start?
1. yes, this will prevent bacteria from growing and will keep the sausage good for a couple of days compared to the short-lived freshness of raw meat.
2. it increases the taste
3. it binds the fat so later when frying/grilling the fat will not drip out of it
4. it will prevent the sausages from bursting while frying/grilling
oh my, Everyone in the world should know germans make the best sausages !
I’ve watched dozens of videos on sausage making…… you are the first I’ve subscribbed to…..thanks for what you are doing!
I feel honored :-) thank you for subscribing and welcome to my German food community!
I was stationed in Germany 20 years ago, and loved Nurnberger brats. My wife and I tried every type of bratwurst that we could find in the states and never found a decent substitute. I recently found this recipe and took it to my local butcher shop. They were able to make this and it is exactly like we remember. We found a passable substitute for brotchen and ordered some sharfer senf…we can eat a bratwurst in the cool of autumn and pretend that we are in the marktplatz, at least until we can get back for a visit again.
Wow! I wonder what you butcher thought of the result? He might have a new product to sell to his customers and I am sure they’ll love it. Enjoy your Nürnberger Rostbratwurst!!! :-)
What size tube did you use to stuff the sausage?
Thanks Barbara,
As a German living in Australia, I miss at times the flavors from home. I tried the Nuernberger Sausages the other day. Couldn’t get the sheep casings on short notice, so I used a 1-inch hog casing instead. They turned out thicker but tasted just like I remember them. Thanks for helping me walk down memory lane.
P.S Versuche heute die “Oktoberfest Prezel Muffins”. Bin mal gespannt
Sounds good!
Can anyone say what type of bun the drie im weggla is served in?
My Wife and I were waiting for a bus trip to Italy in Nuremberg, in another life. Nuremberg was just 11 minutes up the road from us by air. Anyway we went in a Nuremberger Bratwurst shop to have lunch and kill time. We were seated at a table for eight and the people next to us had just been served. Along with their wurst they were served little pewter dishes of something white. We chatted as to what it might be. Finally in my best German I turned to one of them and asked, Was ist das? In his finest English he said, It’s Horseradish.
Of course then I had to think back and see if I’d said anything to offend Germans, but I had not. I didn’t do that.
The Wurst AND Horseradish was excellent! Thank you.
Right, horseradish! I love that combination. We used to mix the horseradish with slightly whipped cream, that’s how it’s perfect! I haven’t done that in a while … thanks for reminding me :-)