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Braunschweiger II (using the Marianski recipe this time)

Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 15:45
by NorCal Kid
Okay, you Liver-Lovers...... ;)
I made another batch of braunschweiger, using a different recipe than the one I use last time (think Marianski vs Poli). That particular recipe used a combination of three proteins (chicken, pork and beef). This recipe is much simpler with regard to the ingredients, but requires more `steps` by the sausage maker.

First you start with some fresh pork jowls....
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Then you`ll need some fresh pork liver ( about 3.5lbs here). These were not available the last time I made this & so I used chicken livers.
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And the rest of the ingredients:
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To make the desired amount of braunschweiger, I realized I didn`t have quite enough jowl meat, so I added some thick-cut bacon to bring the quantity up to the desired level ( I adjusted the amount of cure used to allow for the addition of cured meat to the mix.). This meat was cut into small cubes & well-chilled:
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Liver Time!

I soaked the pork liver for some time in cold water, changing & rinsing it regularly until the water ran clear. I pulled off any undesired pieces, clots, fat and sinewy bits.
Sliced, weighed and ready to go to the next step:
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The recipe called for a low-temp poach (194°F) for about 10 minutes. Not a pleasant sight nor endearing aroma....
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The liver slices are then cooled under cold water & rinsed of any coagulated bits that formed on the exterior:
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For a finer grind, I`m using a 3mm plate:
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First grind of the poached liver:
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Second grind. This was probably unnecessary, but it`s my usual practice when I do emulsified sausages:
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Jowl & bacon grind: a single pass through the plate should suffice:
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The Mix

Everything into the tub for hand-mixing.
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After about 10 minutes of aggressive mixing, I wasn`t happy with the uniformity of the mix. So I opted to use my processor in order to really get a smooth paste. A few batches done with some ice-cold water yielded a fairly-smooth meat paste:
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Into the little Grizzly stuffer:
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Results: two long chubs, a medium chub, and a mini chub (chubbette? chubbini?):
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Second Poach:
Into a hot water bath (175°F) went the chubs. These took about an hour to reach the desired internal temp of 154°F.
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Whew! The chubs are now hanging in my fridge to firm up overnight.
Tomorrow its on to the smoker for about 6-7 hours of cold smoke! :) :)

More to come!

Kevin

Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 19:41
by IdaKraut
Kevin,

As always, your endeavors look amazing. Since you will be smoking these after they are cooked, you may need to smoke a tad bit longer than normal. At least that's been my experience. Maybe others can comment on their experiences.

Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 20:57
by Chuckwagon
Geeeeeze! What a showoff! :wink: When are you going to take over Morrell and Oscar-Meyer?
Keep up the good work pal.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 21:24
by NorCal Kid
Thanks, Rudy & CW!

Rudy, I was anticipating these might take a bit longer so I got an early start in a cool smoker. After nearly 5 hours of cold hickory smoke (started at 3:00am :shock: ) & before the outdoor temps get too hot, I pulled the chubs from the smoker.

Early morning shot before removing the chubs...
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Sample time:

Usually I'll let these rest and sit overnight after an intense cold smoke (time can help mellow any sharpness in the taste-same when you smoke cheese), but I'm tired of waiting.... :wink:

Texture is good when slicing; not crumbly. Still moist. VERY smokey taste at this point (as expected). Soft, yet firm texture. The liver taste is there, obviously, and marries well with the onion nicely. This recipe is probably CLOSER to 'true' braunschweiger- REAL pork liver taste, but not overpowering as I feared. Nicely balanced. It will only improve as it rests a day or two and any harshness in the smoke subsides a bit.
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You gotta have it with crackers, too! All we had were these little cheese GF crackers, though... :sad:
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Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 03:29
by Butterbean
Great work!