Brat is a good word

August 16 marks the beginning of the Bratwurst Festival in Bucyrus, in Ohio, considered the Bratwurst Capital of America. Top city chef Ramasamy Selvaraju shares a simple recipe of the sausage that comprises veal, pork or beef

For the German community in the US, the Bratwurst Festival is as big as the Oktoberfest. The German sausage, however, is popular across the world, and the biggest testimony of that is the three-day Bratwurst festival in Ohio that's held in August every year since 1967. The festival goes beyond food. There are art and craft shows, rides, games and beer gardens as a part of the celebrations. Says chef Selvaraj about Bratwurst sausages, "The sausage is heavily spiced and usually served with mustard. Traditionally, it is also served with a side of sauerkraut and beer or with sauteed onions. They are usually grilled or fried before serving."


Bratwurst sausages


Chef Selavraju

Method
>> First, run the meat through a meat grinder.u00a0 The meat should be very cold for this process to work correctly. Then, combine the ground meat with all of the spices and mix it well. Test the taste by cooking a small patty. Then, add more spices, if you like. Getting the spice mixture correct depends on your tastes than following an exact recipe.

>> Remove the artificial casing from the package and rinse two or three times in luke warm water to remove salt. You can simply form patties with your bratwurst, or stuff it into casings. This will be easier to do if you have a sausage stuffer, but it's not necessary. Many meat grinders have sausage stuffer attachments available. Prior to stuffing the casings, do not refrigerate the sausage, or it will make your job much more difficult. The casing should be full but not full enough to burst when you begin to form links. With practice, you'll be able to fill each casing with the right amount every time.

>> Now, form sausage links. First, press your forefinger and thumb together, making a slight indent in the sausage about every 6 inches. Then, at each indent, twist 3 or 4 turns. Be careful not to tear the
casings.

>> Cook the sausage. Bratwurst is not a cured sausage, so it needs to be cooked before you serve it. You can either grill it or fry it. It should be cooked immediately after you make it, or refrigerated for up to a day before cooking. Before you cook it, make sure to pierce it with a fork, or it could explode. Serve in the traditional way, or with cheese, relish, or saut ufffded onions.

Ingredients:u00a0
4 lbs. ground pork (can substitute beef with 20% fat content)
1 lb. ground veal (can substitute pork or beef)
3 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon mace
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon marjoram
1 teaspoon parsley
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1 cup non-fat-dry milk
1/2 cup water
Casings (33-36mm sheep casings/ or artificial sausage casings )
Meat grinder
Sausage stuffer