German cuisine is famous the world over for its wurst or sausages. There are over two hundred types of wurst. A bratwurst, also known as a brat in American English, is a sausage usually composed of veal, pork or beef. The name is derived from Old High German Brätwurst, translated – brät, which is finely chopped meat and Wurst, which is sausage.

The most common German sausage is Bockwurst and originated in Frankfurt. It is made from veal with some pork or other meats and flavored with salt, pepper and paprika. It is boiled and eaten with Bock beer and mustard. It looks like a curved hot dog. Other original German sausages include the Bavarian white sausage Weisswurst (boiled and served with sweet mustard), Leberwurst or Liverwurst, is usually made from pork with some pork liver, and flavored in various ways (it is spreadable) and Blut und Leberwurst (blood and liver).

Now, I found out there are some very strict rules for preparing and eating Weisswurst!  What do they do to you if you don’t follow the rules? Guess that makes you a tourist! 

Rule #1: It must be cooked in hot water. Never grilled, fried or baked!

Weisswurst is never cooked on a grill, unlike other sausages in Germany. It is made with thin sausage skin which might burst when put on a hot grill. Instead bring water to a boil, turn off the cooktop and place the weisswurst in the water for 10 minutes. Never use boiling water as it is too hot for the sausage skin to bear.

Rule #2: It must be eaten before noon

Why you ask? It is prepared without any preservatives and it is not smoked so it must be consumed as soon as possible, preferably the morning it was made. But that was before modern refrigeration when, in summertime, the sausages would go bad before nightfall. Even today, most Bavarians eat their Weisswurst before noon. Only the tourists eat them anytime. There is a saying: The sausages should not be allowed to hear the church bells’ noon chime. 

Rule #3: It MUST be eaten with a pretzel and sweet mustard…and beer!

A pair of Weisswurst must be eaten with pretzel and sweet mustard and is usually served in a bowl of hot water to keep them warm. And the beer of choice is Weizenbier (wheat beer)

Rule #4: It must be skinned before eating

There are several different methods:

1. You can use a knife and cut down the side and remove the skin.

2. Locals often suck the meat from the skin at each end of the packaging.

3. Cut the end of the Weisswurst and use your knife to peel back the skin, kind of like a banana.

Germany is also well known for their hams. Great attention is paid to selecting top breeds of pigs that provide fine-flavored and succulent meat. All hams are first cured then either air-dried or cooked and often smoked. Brines and smoking bring individuality to each style, adding to the variety. The most famous German ham is the Black Forest Ham, which has no bones and comes from pigs back. Traditionally, this ham is cured with salt. Afterward, the ham is hung to dry and then smoked with cold smoke from Fir wood. This gives the ham its distinguished taste.

Westphalian ham is produced from pigs raised on acorns in Germany’s Westphalia forest. Westphalian ham is cured before being slowly smoked over a mix of beech wood and juniper branches. This results in a dark brown very dense ham with a distinctive, light smoky flavor.

Cooking a Raw Wurst:

Raw wurst is pink in color. Grilling them in their raw form requires a degree of skill I don’t personally possess. Because they must be fully cooked inside without burning the outside, I use a two part process to insure they are cooked and not just blackened on the outside.

Check out your local butcher for specialty Brats and Sausages. We picked up some Bacon Brats and some Bourbon Sausages (killer!) at Siesel’s (Sister company to Iowa Meat Farms) for “the serious cook” and anyone that lives in the San Diego area. Amazing quality meats!

Cook the wurst in hot (not boiling) water for 5-10 minutes. Once fully cooked inside, brown the outside of the wurst on the grill or in a pan. See how they change color when cooked.

Grilling a Cooked Wurst:

Love that extra crispy crust! Brush the wurst with oil before placing it on the grill to keep the casing from splitting open.

Then spritz or brush the wurst several times with beer or water while they’re on the grill. Baste ’em! Perfection!

The most important part is having a dedicated grill-meister! My husband David is multitasking with grilling duties while watching the Giants in the World Series!

Turn the wurst with tongs not a fork. When you pierce the skin all the lovely juices spurt out and the wurst will be dry.

Grill over a nice low flame to give them color but not over cook them. Remember they have already been cooked.

Serving and Saucing a Wurst:

Wursts are traditionally served with Mustards: sweet, hot, spicy, coarse or smooth depending on the type of Wurst you are serving. Set out several kinds for guests to choose from or make a custom mustard sauce. I combined Dijon and Whole Grain Mustard together for a simple yet tasty sauce. Nice crunch from the mustard seeds!