Knockwurst, homemade

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Nutritional Info
  • Servings Per Recipe: 40
  • Amount Per Serving
  • Calories: 153.9
  • Total Fat: 8.6 g
  • Cholesterol: 49.4 mg
  • Sodium: 1,093.7 mg
  • Total Carbs: 1.5 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 0.0 g
  • Protein: 16.5 g

View full nutritional breakdown of Knockwurst, homemade calories by ingredient


Introduction

40 links, about 4 oz each 40 links, about 4 oz each
Number of Servings: 40

Ingredients

    18-20' 38-42mm natural hog casing

    5 lbs reasonably lean beef
    5 lbs fatty pork

    2 cups ice water (Ice chips in water)

    2 cups non-fat dry milk
    6 tbsp salt
    4 tbsp dextrose
    2 tbsp paprika
    1 tbsp mace
    5 tbsp white pepper
    1 tsp coriander
    1 tsp garlic powder
    1 tsp Prague Powder #1
    0.5 tsp allspice

Directions

Keep the meat under 60F (50F is better!) while working! Work in small batches, keeping them in the freezer or fridge when not actively working on them.

Grinding:
Cut meat into cubes that fit into grinder. Freeze until just "crunchy" on the outside. Working in small batches to keep it cold, grind through 1/8" plates. Return ground meet to freezer as soon as it's ground.

Emulsion:
Working in small batches (1 lb or so), put ground meat in food processor. Add ice chips/water (10% or less by weight). Run food processor until it makes a paste (look for the ball of paste to finally flatten out). Remove emulsion from food processor and refrigerate before working on the next batch.

Finishing the meat mixture:
Mix the remaining ingredients together. In large mixer bowl (5 qt), layer meat and spices. Mix using the paddle until dry ingredients are thoroughly distributed. Cover surface with plastic wrap and return to refrigerator for 24 hours for the meat to cure.

Stuffing the casings:
Soak the casings in tepid water for 30 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with water.

Assemble stuffer and feed small amounts of meat mixture through (easier to push small amounts through the stuffer inlet than large amounts). Push enough through so that just a bit protrudes from the stuffer.

Thread about 3-4' lengths of casing onto the stuffer tube. It's much easier if there's a bit of meat mixture sticking out than if there's an empty tube.

Working quickly and keeping the meat cold, stuff the lenth of the sausage casings. Leave a bit of excess casing at the beginning and end.

Make the links by knotting one end of the casing close to the meat mixture. Form the links by twisting -- roll on the counter, the first one rolling away from you, the next rolling it towards you, or whatever way works for you.

When a section of links is done, put them in the fridge uncovered to help dry them out as well as keeping them cold. Keep them there for an hour or two.

Smoking:
Preheat the smoker to about 150F. Smoke for about an hour or until the skin is dry and is the desired color. (I used the gas grill, and had trouble keeping it between 150F and 170F. Turned out OK). The sausage can be finished one of two ways: increase the smoker temp to 165F (without smoke) OR remove to a pot of water at 165F. Cook until internal temp is 152F.

Cooling:
Cool the sausages in an ice water bath to prevent them from shriveling. Store in fridge or freeze for future use.

Serving Size: Makes 40 links

Number of Servings: 40

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user DMARTIN302.